Very Busy!

Well, I don't have much time to update my blog at the moment. I'm very busy earning my CELTA. In a little over 2 weeks, I'll be done and will have more time to explore this very interesting country! Right now, my world consists of my hotel, the school where I'm studying, and a few restaurants between those 2 places.

Oh, I got a cold. It's not food poisoning again, fortunately, but my immune system is getting a chance to strengthen itself here!

Recovery and a Big Course

After extreme amounts of sleep for several days along with a bland diet of things such as yogurt and bananas, I'm back to eating (almost) regularly again and it's wonderful! I don't really have any desire to eat any more pho at the moment though (which is what made me quite sick in the first place)

Yesterday, I began my CELTA course. This 4-week course will help me learn how to teach English as a second language. It is very, very intense. I've already taught some English in front of actual Vietnamese students. In a way though, it feels great to be busy again. My long "vacation" in Seattle was driving me crazy. I just love to have some order in my life!

I've had many adventures in Vietnam so far. Life is so different here, it's been a big adjustment so far, and I'm forming some interesting memories. Here are some reasons why:

-I stand out here. In Seattle, I can blend into a crowd and enjoy anonymity when I feel like it. Here in HCMC, that's definitely not the case since I don't look like the vast majority of the population! I was sitting in a park with an acquaintance the other day when a Vietnamese university student approached me asking to practice English with me. That's fine with me since I love to talk, so we chatted a bit. However, we had around 10 Vietnamese students around us within minutes wanting to talk and see what was going on. You don't talk to strangers in Seattle in the park. They're probably crazy and/or hostile. Now I know what to do if I'm feeling lonely here...

-Traffic laws are guidelines here. Crossing the street terrified me at first since people blatantly ignore red lights. Now I know that you're supposed to just walk across the street and let the motorbikes go around you, for the most part (like fish in a lake). Cars are too expensive for most people here, so it's motorbikes all the way.

Motocycles galore. I should get a picture of rush hour here. It's incredible.

-Speaking of motorbikes...Poverty is fairly widespread here. With that comes plenty of petty crime. Vietnam is famous for "purse snatchers" that drive by on motorbikes. I haven't personally seen that yet, fortunately. I try to watch my belongings closely, but I might slip up at some point.

-The rain! It's incredibly heavy here. Seattle rain has nothing on the rain here. I saw a local family actually showering in the rain yesterday (clothed of course!) under a gutter pipe. I suppose the "water pressure" was high enough for a good cleaning.

-Strange fruit. Different things grow here, obviously. There are things from the markets that I'd like to try at some point.

What the heck is this thing? Is it even from this planet? (dragon fruit...tastes kind of like a flowery watermelon to me)

-The shadow of the Vietnam War looms large here. I've seen people with missing limbs and other injuries fairly regularly I occasionally will see a public poster with something involving Ho Chi Minh or the Communist Party of Vietnam on it. Since I'm strangely fascinated by propaganda, my goal is take pictures of interesting governmental posters.

Poster outside the Ho Chi Minh City Museum (worth a visit!) Next time I need to not have a utility pole in front of this interesting poster!

I Have Arrived!

Well, I made it to Vietnam. My plane landed Tuesday night in HCMC. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my laptop with me! I remembered the power cable and backup hard drive, but somehow forgot the computer part. That's why I haven't updated in a few days. I recently bought a laptop and got it connected to the internet this afternoon.

I would LOVE to write a profound blog entry, but I am suffering from some food poisoning at the moment as a result of the amazing food here. Apart from the illness, the local cuisine is something you have to try. Perhaps it would be safer to find your local pho shop if you're in the US...

Well, This is it

In about 12 hours, I'll be on a plane headed for Tokyo, followed by another trip to Saigon from there. Usually I don't finish packing my bags until the taxi pulls up to the driveway, but I'm actually pretty much ready to head out! The next time I post will probably NOT be from Seattle.

Here are some things that I've learned and prepared for over the last few days:

-It's a good idea to get your important online accounts ready for your departure. For instance, Google isn't always too happy if it detects someone logging into your account from a far away land, and you could end up with a locked account.. I was able to create some verification codes that I could save to my computer or print out. This way, I should be able to access email and other services when I'm abroad. I don't want to use my cell phone to verify myself, so having an alternate secure way to log in is important.

-Also remember to let your banks know that you're leaving! I will be using my credit card overseas soon. What a shame it would be to lose access to that. I still use the University of Wisconsin Credit Union once in a while,  and I was able to put an alert on my account that I'll be all the way over in Vietnam.

-When applying for a tourist visa, make sure you provide the correct date of arrival. I just learned a $20 lesson a few days ago...