Cha Cha Cha
We have finally settled into a routine here in Ho Chi Minh. We recently moved to a new home. Our program director referred us to a family who rents rooms in their home for students. It is very clean and centrally located. We are 3 minutes from a very large city park, community activity center, and movie theater. We have made use of all 3 already. The family we are staying with consists of: mother, her cousin, and her young daughter about 9 years old. They have all made us feel quite at home. The mother is about 42, working, going to law school in the evenings, and studying English. She has an older daughter attending high school in Canada and her husband spends most of his time in Nha Trang (he works on a ship and travels everywhere). Last week, we spent a couple of evenings doing karoake. The little girl is teaching us a Vietnamese song.
Our Vietnamese studies are progressing. Our teacher has found students to work with us in the afternoons in exchange for free English lessons. Our day now consists of: up at 6am to go running at the park, eat breakfast or hang out at the park cafe, class at 11am until 1:30, lunch break for an hour, meet with Vietnamese students from 3pm to 5pm where we do an hour of English teaching then an hour of Vietnamese practice. I am enjoying every minute of it no matter how exhausted I am at the end of the day.
I have recently joined a ballroom dance class at the local community center, 3 days a week. I haven't been able to convince Tom to join me. Dancing is definitely a universal language! If you can count to 8 in another language and follow steps then you have it made! My teacher and classmates have been great! The class is in a large room with 3 other classes going on simultaneously. The room is packed with people of various age groups. On the left side of the room, the women learn their steps while on the other side the men are learning their steps. Once both sides have learned their steps, then you are paired up and dance nonstop. You are lucky if you get a short break between dances. It is equivalent to an aerobics class! It is also a great way to meet people and practice a little bit of Vietnamese.
Tom and I are becoming experts at using the public bus system. Yesterday, we took the bus to an island town about 30 minutes from our home. It was nice to get away from the traffic and busy city. My favorite part of the day was hanging out at an outdoor riverside cafe while it was pouring rain. It was nice to sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of Vietnam. I loved listening to the music and the group of people talking behind me (I'm starting to understand about 40 percent). It still amazes me from time to time that I'm actually here and sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to get here.
We have been very fortunate in our journey. We have met lots of kind and friendly individuals. Everyone seems eager to lend a helping hand. I'm looking forward to the point where I can become totally integrated into the culture and lifestyle of Vietnam.
Hoa
Our Vietnamese studies are progressing. Our teacher has found students to work with us in the afternoons in exchange for free English lessons. Our day now consists of: up at 6am to go running at the park, eat breakfast or hang out at the park cafe, class at 11am until 1:30, lunch break for an hour, meet with Vietnamese students from 3pm to 5pm where we do an hour of English teaching then an hour of Vietnamese practice. I am enjoying every minute of it no matter how exhausted I am at the end of the day.
I have recently joined a ballroom dance class at the local community center, 3 days a week. I haven't been able to convince Tom to join me. Dancing is definitely a universal language! If you can count to 8 in another language and follow steps then you have it made! My teacher and classmates have been great! The class is in a large room with 3 other classes going on simultaneously. The room is packed with people of various age groups. On the left side of the room, the women learn their steps while on the other side the men are learning their steps. Once both sides have learned their steps, then you are paired up and dance nonstop. You are lucky if you get a short break between dances. It is equivalent to an aerobics class! It is also a great way to meet people and practice a little bit of Vietnamese.
Tom and I are becoming experts at using the public bus system. Yesterday, we took the bus to an island town about 30 minutes from our home. It was nice to get away from the traffic and busy city. My favorite part of the day was hanging out at an outdoor riverside cafe while it was pouring rain. It was nice to sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of Vietnam. I loved listening to the music and the group of people talking behind me (I'm starting to understand about 40 percent). It still amazes me from time to time that I'm actually here and sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to get here.
We have been very fortunate in our journey. We have met lots of kind and friendly individuals. Everyone seems eager to lend a helping hand. I'm looking forward to the point where I can become totally integrated into the culture and lifestyle of Vietnam.
Hoa
posted by Tom Holz | 9:10 PM
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