It’s hard to believe I have already been in Saigon for one
week, I feel like it was just yesterday I was at home saying goodbye to
everyone! Although it’s only been a week a lot has happened! First was house
hunting and moving in. Since then I have done lots of shopping for apartment
things, signed up at the gym attached to our building, been to school, and I’ve
finally ridden on the back of a motorbike!
Shopping has been pretty easy, at least a little easier then
I thought it would be after our initial shopping trip with our realtor! There
are quite a few large shopping centers, similar to Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. We
have bought everything from bedding and towel to kitchen dishes and utensils. It’s
also getting easier to figure the exchange rate and determine whether or not
something is priced well. Our cable was recently hooked up in our apartment,
however we don’t have many English channels. We have been able to watch some of
the Olympics on ESPN but it seems that archery is the only thing that is ever
on! We are still waiting for our internet to get hooked up which is becoming a
bit annoying, but we are surviving! Luckily we have some great neighbors (they
also teach at AIS) who have been kind enough to let us come use their internet
a couple times. I have also never been so happy for my iPhone and 3G :)
Signing up at the gym was a very interesting and funny
experience. The biggest thing I learned was just how blunt Vietnamese people
are! Before I tell you about that though I feel it’s necessary to describe the
gym for you. It’s called California Fitness and Yoga and it is basically a
nightclub to work out in, I love it! They play loud American pop music and all
the TV’s are constantly playing a fashion channel (besides the TV’s attached to
the machines). They also have lights in the ceiling that shine words onto the
floor, such as ‘sexy.’ Now that you can get a feel for what it looks and sounds
like I’ll tell you about our initial tour. A Vietnamese man named Tom gave us
the grand tour and told us all about the various classes that come with a
membership then we all were weighed, our body fat percentage and BMI were
figured, etc. Tom then sat us down and we went over our fitness goals. He was
not shy at all about pointing out where we may want to lose some lbs and
exactly how much we should lose. It was so funny because it’s nothing like I am
used to in the States. He wasn’t being mean or snide in anyway, just honest and
helpful. So we signed up and with signing up received a free session with a
personal trainer. Our trainer was very similar to Tom in asking about our
bodies. At one point he asked, “Have you always been like this or you use to be
skinny?” It was great PT session, I am still sore two days later, but I don’t
think I’ll ever be as skinny as all of the Asian girls here!
The last three days I have spent my mornings at the
elementary school for orientation. It has been awesome getting to know the
other new teachers! Everyone seems so nice and friendly. There is good mix of
new and experienced teachers. Some have taught a few years in other countries
and for some this is their first international experience. I am excited to get
to know everyone. Our principal is great! He seems laid back, but very on top
of things and ready to have a great school year. It seems as though last year
was a little rough with some drama at the school and there has been a turn
around with some of the administrative staff. Everyone is ready to leave the
past behind and move on. I love the optimism and think there are a lot of great
people working for the school! Wednesday and Thursday we had ‘meetings’ in the
mornings and the afternoons to continue getting settled as a good chunk of
teachers were still looking for housing and what not. I am very glad we got
here when we did and got settled in! Today was an optional day to organize your
classroom and dig for supplies in the school’s supply closet. I was lucky to
already have a box of some supplies so I grabbed a few things to start. It
seems that most of our planning will be done with the returning teachers next
week. It is a very scary thought because our students come on Thursday, but
what I have learned from the teachers with lots of international experience is
that this is how must international schools start the year and it always works
out! So what I mostly did today was start to organize my desks and what not. I
also received my class list. I have thirteen students and three of them already
have American nicknames, one’s name is Bean! :) I am debating on how to do
nametags, as all of my students will receive American nicknames. It’s hard to
plan that sort of stuff without having talked to the teachers from last year. I
know next week will be very busy and probably very stressful!
This has been yet another long blog, but I promise I am
almost done! Leaving school today I was alone as Krystal had loads of boxes to
go through! So I thought I would take a xe om (pronounced za om) home. It is
basically a motorbike taxi but seems a little sketchier. These guys sit on the
side of the road and if they have two helmets you know they are a xe om, plus
they wave you down if you look like you are looking for a taxi. Before you go,
you negotiate a price and you should never have to pay more than 40,000 dong (2
USD). So I showed him where I
wanted to go and asked for three, which I talked down to 20,000 dong. Not bad
only paying $1 for a ride home! It was also my first time on a motorbike in
general. It was a lot of fun and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.
I may actually decide to rent a motorbike after a few more rides!
So that is about it for now. I am sure I will have tons to
update you on as next week begins and I start planning and really gearing up
for the school year!
As Always,
Michelle
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