3 months in

Afternoon,


Monday started casually. In the afternoon I walked into my favorite class and to my surprise they had got me some teachers' day flowers ! Such sweet hearts. I received some more flowers during the week, teachers' day was celebrated on Friday as a national holiday.

On Wednesday we had a teachers' training and the final decision that I will be staying in Hai Phong was made. I am happy about this decision and the certainty is very comforting. Now I am busy with house hunting. We had a training for the up coming speaking test, and then we moved to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. We actually ended up sitting outside discussing politics till about 3 am. I always find it very interesting to converse with people from different countries, and ages.

On Friday morning I made breakfast for the colleagues in the celebration of teachers' day. We had some fresh coffee, omelettes, fruits, juice and baguette. It went well, and after I headed to the bus stop to catch a bus to Ha Long. This time the bus journey went smoothly, and I arrived to Ha Long without any headaches. Finally got to see my favorite flatmate, eat some lunch and chill. Then we headed towards Tuan Chau for a teachers' day BBQ. We had the meal by the beach at Paradise Suites Hotel. It all worked out very well, and it was just lovely to see my friends again ! We moved onto the local night club to listen to a live Philippine band and dance. Nights like these will definitely be the part I will miss the most in Ha Long; amazing people and crazy dancing.

On Saturday morning I was hanging around with my flatmate trying to decide what we should do for the day. She told me that she would finally teach me how to ride a motorbike so of course I was all up for that ! We went to an open area behind our apartment and I had my first go on the bike. It all went actually rather well, it does take some getting used to how heavy the bike actually is and when to change the gear but I drove us for a lunch after and no one got hurt so all was well.

During lunch we actually decided that I should really buy a bike but getting it to Hai Phong might be a problem, I was no where near confident enough to drive it on the highway. Then it hit us - I should spend my two days off at the famous Cat Ba island and take the bike to Hai Phong that way. Once the idea was out the plan was formed. I packed and left for the harbor. There is a ferry to Cat Ba from Tuan Chau for 90 000 dong (3,5 dollars) with a motorbike, The ride takes just over an hour and is, as usual, such a beautiful route.

I met some English guys on the ferry so we decided to find Cat Ba town together. The ride to the city from the ferry takes about 30 minutes, and the views are breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately, I was quite busy focusing on the driving so I didn't get a chance to admire the views as much as I would have loved to. I was happily surprised how well the driving went ! We arrived to Cat Ba town and went for some dinner. In the evening a group of us went to a local club to have some drinks and play card games and pool. It was a very relaxed, fun evening ! The beds in our hostel were super comfortable and I got some well earned good sleep.

In the morning, I headed out to explore Cat Ba before taking the ferry to Hai Phong. I found a few secret beaches and nice cafes. I went back to the mountains to capture some pictures from the scenery and the wild life. Along the roads cows and goats are roaming around, not caring about any traffic. I took a speedboat to Hai Phong, the trip takes 45 minutes and cost me 130 000 dongs.

This week -

Due to having an upcoming speaking test, all my classes were focused on the preparation for the test. Nothing special really happened during the week because of this. I started my apartment hunt, the hotel life is really not for me. On Monday a friend of mine was trying to teach me how to play poker. I think I did quite well actually! I spent Tuesday night having some red wine on the rooftop as usual. We were suppose to have a thanksgiving meal together on Thursday but unfortunately, the power was out most of the day so we just ended up ordering in and playing all sorts of games. I was invited for a lunch at my teaching assistant's house on Friday; the lunch was super lovely, very good comfort food (though once again, I failed to be a vegetarian) and a pleasant time. My TA is amazing, she is very good at her job and she usually gives me good insights to the Vietnamese lifestyle and language. Friday night was movie night, I believe everyone was quite exhausted from the week, classes tend to be quite exhausting when you are not doing much and keep on repeating yourself.

Saturday morning I and a friend of mine headed for a secret waterfall. The waterfall is located between Hai Phong and Ha Long, hidden in the mountains. The ride there took about an hour and then we had to hike upstream for 30 minutes. The place was extremely beautiful, peaceful and green. There was no one around. The water was quite chilly, but we still ended up going for a quick swim before hiking back ! It was super refreshing. The rest of the Saturday was spent chilling, in the evening we headed central to listen to some live music. The day was really nice, I was just very exhausted from the week so I had an early night.

This morning was spent driving around Hai Phong hunting different cute, hidden cafes. We had breakfast on top of the city in a cafe that rotates around. I am just about to head out to find some tofu for dinner and then I am going to the Maritime University to watch a football game. We visited the University earlier and I met the men who usually play against my colleagues every Sunday. Should be fun !

The weather is definitely getting colder and gloomier. It has rained a few times and I definitely need a thick jacket when on a motorbike.


I hope you all had a fun week and enjoy the next one !


Best wishes,


Mira

Cat Ba Island

Hey lovelies,



Some pictures from my weekend trip to Cat Ba island ! Story coming up later :)


Thank you for being patient with me.

Cat Ba is so green all over, it was incredible 

Secret beaches everywhere 

Goats and cows on roads all the time, beware !

A little stormy morning but it was just breathtaking 

Took a speedboat back to Hai Phong. 

Back to the happy side

Hello,



Okay, let's get back to the happy side now; a story about how my weekend improved !


So I finally made it to the Bay side. I was running down the Tuan Chau bridge like a crazy person when someone from the cruise came to pick me up. I was rushed onto to the ship and immediately it started moving. The room I was placed in costs 1 500 USD a night. It was absolutely beautiful; I have a king size bed (the most comfortable I had ever tried), my own dining room, private deck and a glorious bathroom with a rain forest shower, bath tub and huge windows.

All the worries and depression washed away as soon as I got onto the ship. I only left my lovely shower because I was promise a lovely seafood lunch with some wine. And it was probably the best lunch I have had in my life. Four courses; green salad, tomato coconut milk soup, a seafood platter and fresh fruits with Vietnamese coffee. The first day was for me to relax and enjoy the archipelago, I would be leading a yoga class on the next morning.

We toured around the Ha Long Bay and visited the famous caves on a bamboo boat. The crew introduced us to the history of Ha Long Bay and showed us some of the most beautiful islands and rock formations. We also visited an oyster farm, they showed us how to clean oysters and impregnate them to get pearls. It was very interesting !

In the evening we took part in a Vietnamese cooking and drinking course at the ship. We made authentic spring rolls and learned how to toast with Vietnamese rice wine. For dinner, we were provided with the traditional Vietnamese outfit; Bao Dai. All of us dressed up and had dinner together; traditional squid cakes, tofu soup, grilled prawns and ice cream. Yummy. Followed by a nice relaxed evening with some wine. I ended the evening by taking a luxurious bubble bath in my room. All together just as relaxing as was necessary after the week I had had.

I woke up at 5 am next morning to watch the sunrise and have some coffee on the deck. Worth waking up for; it is almost impossible to describe the serenity and peacefulness at the sea. Little wind but a fresh and a warm morning with the sun climbing up between the islands. Next, I headed to another ship for my yoga class. The class went very well, I was pleased with myself and the turn up. We ended up doing some tae kwon do at the end as well, it was great to refresh my memory of the moves and get to teach something that I know very well and truly love. We all had a little giggle about how absurd the situation was; there we were sailing in one of the most beautiful places in the world doing yoga on the deck of a five start cruise ship. I would have never thought that I could get to do something like that !

I headed back to my own ship for a continental breakfast on the deck and spent the morning reading outside. We arrived back to Tuan Chau around noon and I went for a very lovely lunch with the managers of The Paradise Hotel.

Quick visit to my apartment in Bai Chay and I had to head back to Hai Phong.

All together, even though I barely slept at all, an amazing weekend and very much needed.



Love,


Mira

Some recent pictures !

Hello,

Thought that I would publish some pictures first so that the post won't disappear under them :)

These are mostly from my amazing weekend cruise; luckily, I over came the awful Friday and had amazing time.

Paradise Peak Cruise Ship

My lovely 5 star room

Dinner views

I had the loveliest bath with some great views 

Did some kayaking in the caves 

Famous caves of Ha Long Bay

Stone found in rare places, reason why this is a UNESCO heritage site 

Amazing ships 

Cleaning oysters at the farm

How to impregnate oysters so that they produce pearls 

That's one billion  oysters 

5 pm

We did a cooking course 

Bao Dai - traditional attire for the evening 

I was teaching yoga on the deck at sunrise. Worth waking up for !

Sunrise 

Local breakfast, yummy

Th bed was the most comfortable thing ever ! I really wanted to stay in bed but didn't want to miss the views so I just took the bed out with me hehee

1 500 dollars of luxury 

Private dining room and a deck 

'Casual' seafood dinner for one 

Oyster farm - they demonstrated the different sizes of oysters depending on how old they are. The ones usually served are about 3 years old. 

Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th

Happy Sunday everyone,




Let me tell you about my roller coaster week. Week started well, my TA is amazing and classes went quite smoothly. I had work on Monday afternoon and then three 14 h days so not much happened outside work. On Wednesday we christened my roof top with some red wine. On Thursday we honored the tradition of girls' pool night. I would like to say that the game is getting better but truth be told, I think we will need a little more than two weeks. On Friday morning I got a phone call from our assistant at 7.40 am asking where I am because my xe om is waiting outside. Checked my schedule- no classes marked. Confused I realised that there is even more updated version of my schedule in my email. And there it is; teaching on Friday morning. I rush through 'getting ready' and run outside; it is pouring down rain ! Miraculously, I made it to the school in time and because I had taught the same lesson 17 times before (we counted) it was rather easy.

Soaked, hungry and cold I headed back to the hotel after class to Skype my manager because the company isn't planning on paying me my full salary after all. Very upset about this, I spent a nasty hour talking about it only to be rushed back into teaching.

Not even going to sugar coat it; my secondary school classes were a nightmare. 50 14-year-old kids who jst refused to listen, partake or calm down. Already being on a very bad mood this just did not suit me at all. I made all the students stand for the 45 minutes the lesson lasted and gave them all a very clear speech about talking in a class room and not paying attention to what was going on. This school is quite impossible because none of the students have the English books, some of them don't even have paper. The entire school is so noisy all the time because the classes are open spaces right by the school yard where at least one class in practicing sports all the time.

After I survived through my classes, I headed home happy that the week was over and that I could head to Ha Long for the weekend on the afternoon bus. As we got to my hotel I tried to pay the xe om for the ride but he is just telling me later later, and shows me a note sheet that he is to ride me to another school that night. Once again I am confused on the phone with the assistant. Yes, I have two more classes - Friday wasn't a three-hour-day but a 13. The evening classes are not in a logical date order in my schedule but somehow the Friday classes are marked separately. Of course, this is my fault too. I didn't look into the schedule properly nor made my own notes to clarify it for myself. I had too much to do to keep up with the schedule changes, and I ended up just blindly using the one I had in hand.

Because of all of this, it wasn't possible to leave for Ha Long in the evening any more. To comfort myself I went to buy 4 ice creams... I actually had to tell the shop keeper (a friend of mine) that there would be other people to come over too ! But I just went to bed and put my favorite TV program on and ate them all !

I woke up at 5 am on Saturday morning to head to the bus stop to make it to Ha Long in time to go through my flat before the cruise, that I promised to teach yoga on, left. Firstly, the taxi driver tried to fool me off my money. I survived that and argued the price back to where it should be. Secondly, I went to the bus departure area and asked for Ha Long Bay bus. I was guided to a bus. They, again, tried to fool me off my money. The ride to Ha Long should last from an hour and a half to about two hours. After an hour and a half I started wondering. I have only taken this journey once, and it was dark, so obviously, I wasn't sure of all the possible routes. After two hours, and seeing nothing familiar, I walked to the front and asked what time will it be in Ha Long. The answer was in 8,5 h. I literally lost it. They had driven me to Hanoi, were going to circle half of Northern Vietnam before even heading closer to Ha Long. Through two Vietnamese/ English speaking people I managed to stop the bus and make the driver find me a bus going back towards Ha Long.

The second bus charged me about a triple and I was informed that they would arrive to Ha Long an hour later the departure time of my cruise. I literally would have cried if I could have but I was so angry I don't think I was even able to cry at that point. I had to pay 4 times the amount I should have just to get back to Ha Long, the driver was an absolute bitch in every sense. I jumped out of the bus in mid-motion as soon as I saw Tuan Chau and started running down the bridge as I was calling the cruise organisator. I was picked up from the bridge and driven to the ship, as soon as I boarded it started moving.

The part of how my week went from a nightmare to perfection in the next post :)


Love you,


Mira


Ps. My heart goes out to all the people who have lost loved ones, for any reason. I really hope that we can unite and find a new connection with each other.

Halloween, Vietnamese dinner party, nights in and out

Sat in the Ha Long park one afternoon reading. Unfortunately, this homeless guy decided to follow me around so I had to leave !

Vietnamese dinner

Such an amazing dinner party

Local way to drink Sambuca... Put coffee beans in the shot, set it to flames, pour it into a glass, sniff the original glass and then take the shot..

Halloween 'Holi' festival 

Some of the loveliest people I have met. 

One week down..

Good evening,


Now it has been exactly a week since I got invited to teach in Hai Phong, I am still here and have agreed to stay for at least two more weeks.

Hai Phong has nearly 2 million people, compare that with the just over 200 000 that live in Ha Long - the cities are obviously very different. Hai Phong is fun, lively, noisy, big and exciting. There are much more foreign people, bigger variety of foods and drinks, busier traffic and the feeling of living in a big city. Ha Long is beautiful, peaceful, cozy and tiny, it has a lot less variety than Hai Phong, but it is sweet in its own way.

During the last week I have had some amazing sushi, much needed Mexican food, and loads of Vietnamese street food. I have been taken to the movies, live music clubs, work meetings, pool halls and dinner parties. I have met so many exciting and awesome people from all over the world. I have felt close to home surrounded by South African and English people. I have had the pleasure to get to know a different side of the Vietnamese culture. I have smashed coconuts at 4 am after drinking coconut wine from them.

I have been teaching in various of public  high schools, I would like to think that most of that has gone very well. I have definitely been testing around and trying different techniques, done my best to get to know my students, and to make them excited to learn English. It really is a privilege to have knowledge that might change someone's life, and to be able to pass it on. Some of the students are really a joy to teach, very bright and active. In two of my classes, I have been held back to give autographs to my students. They were so adorable. So many class selfies as well.

I do miss Ha Long, I miss my gym and my bed (if my flatmate is reading this, she is probably laughing). I miss the people, Ha Long feels like a small community, and it is great to be part of it.


We will see what happens. One week down, many to go..? At least I find my life very exciting.


Have a great week !



Mira



Ps. Pictures coming up !

Little midnight surprise trip

Hello everyone,


I have been planning and preparing this long post about some Vietnamese cultural habits I have come across in here, but after last night I feel like I need to write about the last two days first.

As I mentioned before, I had the plan to go to Hai Phong, the 4th biggest city in Vietnam, at the start of the week. Waking up on Monday to find out that my friend wouldn't be able to join me after all, I decided to postpone my trip for another day. I was talking with my manager in the evening and he said that our Hai Phong branch is in a need of help as one of their teachers has just left, and that they need a substitute for one of their high schools on the next morning at 7 am. I considered this for less than a minute, I had been planning on going to Hai Phong anyway, and took up the opportunity.

After a quick ride home and some packing, I headed to the high way where I stopped a random bus and hopped on it. The ride down to Hai Phong was exciting because I love driving around in the dark. The bus costs 60 000 dong (though they will always try to rip off tourists), they asked me for more money as well but it is quite easy to brush the workers off once it is clear that you know how much you should be paying.

I met the local manager at the central bus stop and we rode to my hotel. I was given the lesson materials for the rest of the week, and a xe om ride for the next morning at 6.30 am was organised. Xe om is Vietnamese and stands for a motor hug which means a motorbike taxi ride.

So happily, using the roosters as an alarm, I got up at 5.45 am and headed to work. I must say it was almost refreshing to be up so early, last two months have allowed me sleep in a lot as the schedules have not been that hectic. It was lovely to ride to work through the busy streets of Hai Phong, people were opening shops and having breakfast on the streets.

The school I was teaching at is a local public high school. In the morning I had three classes with grade elevens. We were talking about illiteracy. I was personally happy with the topic because I felt like it is easy for me to add some of the international aspect to the topic. My first class was a little bit more quiet, we didn't immediately fall onto the same page, but the two lasts ones went great. I feel that the students really liked me and that I have found a teaching method that (usually) works and that I feel comfortable with.

Hai Phong seems fun, it is much bigger than Ha Long and more lively. There are more foreign people here so I am glad that all the staring and picture taking will cool down for a bit. I am meeting up with my manager for lunch, and after I have a few more classes to teach. I believe we are headed out for dinner later as a group.

Pictures following as soon as I am able to snap some !


Loads of love,


Mira

Lazy but busy week

Happy Sunday,

This week I have had quite a bit of free time. I officially moved out of the hotel at the start of the week and most of my classes have been exam supervision. It was nice to notice that my students are doing quite well in their exams and they seem to rely on me.

I headed to Tuan Chau again on Thursday for a candlelight dinner with some friends. One of them teaches in a private centre, he only has five students to teach and absolutely luxurious space. We had a bottle of wine with the dinner but weren't able to find a cork screw anywhere so I walked to next door to see if they could get the bottle open. They weren't but funny enough  I was just randomly given a new bottle for free because they felt so bad for not being able to open mine ! Only in Vietnam.

Friday morning went by at the gym and I spent the afternoon preparing for my house warming party. We had invited all our friends around to enjoy the pool and some BBQ. The party worked out really well, most people were able to come and we had plenty of food and drinks. A few brave ones actually went for a swim as well. The pool is great but unfortunately the sun only hits it properly in the morning so it gets quite cool towards the evening. We had some fun  ice braking games and sat outside till we couldn't keep our eyes open any more.

Saturday was the big Halloween day ! We had spent the week preparing our students for it and making decorations. The festival started at 4 pm with a colour fight ! There was suppose to be some rules and an aim but we well all running around a school yard throwing coloured flour at each other. A little bit like the Holi festival in India, I would imagine. Great fun ! I'll have some funny, colourful photos about that later ! In the evening, we gathered around the school again to watch some Halloween performances and competitions, such as the best outfit. According to our staff there were about 1000 people present. And I can genuinely say that about half of them took a selfie with me. I was sort of dressed as a pumpkin so I was shining in the crowd as a tall white girl dressed in bright orange. And the Vietnamese people love their selfies. I was in a bunch of pictures with some teenage boys who then updated their Facebook relation status. Oh well.

Back to teaching my little infants today.

I actually have Monday and Tuesday off because so many of my courses finished after the examination. I am planning on taking a trip to Hai Phong, a close by city. We will see !



Love,


Mira