Other than working on getting this lucrative job, I've been relaxing during the day. I talk to friends on the internet, read lots of books, walk around the neighborhood, and eat fresh fruit. I usually meet DiDi for lunch too. It's been relaxing. At night, we go out and meet friends, eat fetal duck eggs, and take more photos. This past weekend DiDi and I visited a small orphanage where there are only about 15 children. The parents are Vietnamese-American and have been living in Vietnam for a while now. Almost all of their adopted kids have disabilities and they are not there to be adopted but to be part of the family. Some of the kids have been living there for over 20 years. They were adorable and fun to be with. I was able to talk to them in Vietnamese, which they thought was hilarious.
On Sunday, DiDi and I missed the bus for the "Hash," a weekly event where lots of ex-pats (short for ex-patriots, or someone living in a country that's not their native one) take a bus outside the city and run for 10 kilometers. We were a bit late and the bus had already left. Instead we sat in the park and then went to a place called Bobby Brewers, a restaurant/coffee place. If you purchase anything you are allowed to see the movies they show on the top floor in an extremely tiny movie theater. We got coffees and watched "Che: Part 1" which was the interesting documentary of Che Guevara's life. After seeing his violent tactics, however, I do not understand why people want his visage prominently displayed on their t-shirts. He was a good organizer and did lead a successful revolution, but forcefully taking over a country with bloodshed is not something to be championed.
Sunday night brought a business dinner for DiDi and I went over to the nearest park to take photos at the Vegetarian Festival. I'm not joking. There were hundreds of people along with vendors selling vegetarian "hamburgers" on sticks and a stage filled with brightly costumed performers. The photo below is of a dragon crafted entirely of fresh fruit. Creative, I guess.
After a while I saw too many couples and was feeling so jealous that I had to walk home. One of my housemates, J.P., turned 24 years old on Tuesday and the entire night was dedicated to whatever he had planned. DiDi and I met J.P. and our German neighbors along with some of his coworkers at this really good Vietnamese barbeque place. We had squid, goat, beef, and even live and skewered prawn. It was all really good.
We then went to the Rex, a hotel in the middle of the city that was made famous during the American War. The generals of the American Army stayed there and held their press conferences on the third floor. We explored for a bit and found the rooms, but they were locked. The big joke was that we were eating cake off the same plates that General Westmoreland used. That helped me to eat less cake, for sure. :) We had drinks and chilled out on the roof, which was awesome. I also formally met the nice German couple that lives two floors above us, and they're really nice. I was a bit jealous that they get to be together all the time, though. After being out for so many hours and having to teach for my demo hour early the next morning, DiDi returned to the apartment and went to bed.
To celebrate the demo class going so well, DiDi and I went to see the movie "Gran Torino" at Bobby Brewers on Wednesday night. It was actually pretty good and I enjoyed it immensely. Clint Eastwood's character even becomes somewhat of a Jesus symbol. You should see it. :) So my usual day activities have been relaxing and the Gollum character across the alley even smiles and waves to me now! My roommates think this is a small miracle and maybe it is. :)
That's all the news for now. From now on I'll write every couple of days. Keep those emails comin'--miss you all!
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