"Chip"

I have been looking through various poetry books... gearing up to begin my weekly after school club...

Poetry Slam!

I'm not exactly a huge poetry buff but I think I can make this club awesome.  :)

Yesterday I had 3 students in the library for an 85-minute study hall and I mentioned the Poetry Slam Club to them. I told them if they were bored, I'd love to have them write a poem that I can use as an example! [Same goes for you... reading this blog... send me a poem or two!] We talked about what an acrostic poem is... thinking that might be easy/fun...

Tom is a 7th grader and brought this poem to me this morning...

I love it! So cute... and I'm proud of him for writing it. (And he really couldn't have picked a better topic! haha, kidding.)


While reading through poetry books during lunch today, I found some great poems - funny, interesting, creative... I think the kids will like them! I hope to ignite some passion within them and see where it leads to. I'm planning a variety of weekly activities... but hope that this club will conclude with a big Poetry Slam event if the kids are into it.

Below is a poem that I find funny... and true!



The Days Have Names

The days have names,
the months have names,
and so do clouds and hurricanes.

But not the weeks:
of weekly names
nobody speaks--

it doesn't seem to bother us
that weeks pass by,
anonymous.

     -JonArno Lawson



Ha - I think it's cute. Now... this next one took a little "chip" out of my heart...



Geography Lesson

Our teacher told us one day he would leave
And sail across a warm blue sea
To places he had only known from maps,
And all his life had longed to be.



The house he lived in was narrow and grey
But in his mind's eye he could see
Sweet-scented jasmine clinging to the walls,
And green leaves burning on an orange tree.



He spoke of the lands he longed to visit,
Where it was never drab or cold.
I couldn't understand why he never left,
And shook off the school's stranglehold.



Then halfway through his final term
He took ill and never returned.
He never got to that place on the map
Where the green leaves of the orange trees burned.



The maps were redrawn on the classroom wall;
His name forgotten, he faded away.
But a lesson he never knew he taught
Is with me to this day.



I travel to where the green leaves burn,
To where the ocean's glass-clean and blue,
To places our teacher taught me to love - 
And which he never knew.



     -Brian Patten

Crabs.

Today I took a field trip from school to the big bookstore in the city - Fahasa. The store has a good number of books in English!

Fahasa is 4-stories high... and has a little bit of everything, yet nothing I was looking for.  :P

While waiting for the driver (yes... it was a true field trip and I was the only one on the bus!), I found a photo store to get more passport photos. The 10 that I got a couple weeks ago were all used for my work permit... seriously...10. I already know that I will need 4 more to get my residency card soon... so I got 20 today, ha.

The picture turned out hilarious - my hair was basically in a side ponytail... and of course, I was all sweaty and disheveled (which is a 24/7 state of being here). Anyway... this was in the store...

And I should be used to this by now but still get a kick out of people parking IN the stores...

After school Sarah and I met up at a cute cafe, Jaspas, for mojitos and Bananagrams! (Bish - thanks for the game!!) I love that I've found a game buddy... seriously, I feel as if I've known this girl for years.  :)

Mmmmm mojito.

We met up with two other teachers for dinner. ...Deep fried crab. We walked right past our dinner on the way into the restaurant...

The night concluded with a drive home in the rain. The traffic is CRAZY here... all of the time... but people are even crazier when it's raining!

I had a great realization the other day - I was telling Sarah that in Denver, a future goal of mine was to have a scooter... and live in an apartment with a balcony... and a garage. I told her how amazing it is to me that I have a scooter now! I never thought the goal would be accomplished so soon... AND I've learned to drive it!

Then... I realized that I also have a balcony!!!

And THEN... Sarah pointed out that I have a GARAGE too! It's funny it had taken me this long to realize all of this.

In recent emails to family and friends back in the States I've finally found the right words to fit how I've been feeling about this experience so far... I love where I am right now... in my life... and in the world. That's a pretty amazing feeling. --One that I've never felt before... not like this. I've always dreamed of and planned on traveling and wanting to see the world... I've always found an interest in immersing myself in different cultures... but taking this leap into life has been amazing - and it's still only the beginning!

Moon Cake

I bought myself a small moon cake tonight! Since learning more about the purpose of my new toys and what the packaged baked good is... sugar-filled moon cake for the Moon Festival!... I've been excited to try it.

Yeah... it's pretty gross. I usually have no problem finishing desserts... but this one will be left how you see it above.

This basically tastes like a packaged cake should after sitting somewhere for a few weeks (months??).

Phuong said that it has too much sugar - but there's not much flavor to it at all.

There are different kinds - I think various fillings... but I just chose at random since I didn't know what the labels said. I don't think I'm missing out on other flavors though.

At least now I know :P haha

Sarah's salad for lunch today inspired me to make my own for tomorrow - although I feel like salads are one of those things that always tastes better when someone else makes it.

I love how fresh the ingredients are!! It's still a matter of finding ingredients that I (kind of) know what they are and how to use them. My main struggle at the moment is what I can make and pack for deliciously healthy lunchrs. I have no problem finding snacky foods in the grocery stores but am missing my basics that are healthy and I can work with. It will just be another area of exploration and learning.

I also found Tim Tams :) I actually saw them my first night in my apartment when I went for groceries... but I've been trying to be good and hold off. An entire package is 20,000 ($1.00). This will be a nice, sweet treat.  :)  So glad we're somewhat close to New Zealand! I will have to find friends here to have coffee meetings with. (Actually! ...I just set up a cafe date with Sarah for tomorrow after school... perhaps I'll bring these with me.)

My neighbor, Joseph, got back in yesterday. He is the one that was present for the con than lan (lizard) spotting. He said that he's been in Thailand for work. He brought me a treat back from Thailand!...

That was so thoughtful -and unexpected- of him!

And mentioning the con than lan spotting... hahaha... I forgot to post an update.

I haven't seen another lizard at all, which is great. BUT the morning after the whole debacle, I was telling Phuong about it and asked her how to say lizard in Vietnamese (since I knew I was probably not pronouncing it right from my dictionary and both Mr. Nhan and Mitali laughed when I would say it).

Phuong said, than lan, just like I had pronounced it... but my dictionary had said con than lan. She laughed at me and said that con just means animal. hahaha... I'm not sure why my dictionary needed to include this - but that's probably why it was so funny to Mr. Nhan and Mitali!

I kept saying, "Animal lizard! Animal lizard!" hahaha

Awesome.

Skype Love

This was hilarious...

Dad telling me, "I almost diiiied!"  

Mom - "No you didn't." 

Then my mom started saying... "You just took a picture of us!" hahaha

I love technology.  :)  My family is the cutest. Fact.

Tet Trung Thu - Moon Festival

I just showed Phuong my toy pictures and described the booth that I bought it from. She knew what I meant... and said that these things are for the Moon Festival - this year, it will be Monday, September 12.

She asked if I tried the moon cake - so THAT'S what they were trying to sell me with the toys! haha. She said that it is good but very expensive and they use too much sugar. I'm not sure if too much sugar is really a problem for me haha... I will have to try it sometime.

One of the returning teachers that I've been hanging out with has a birthday coming up and is having a rooftop party - so I think a rooster-like toy might be an appropriate present.  :P

Phuong said that she and her friends all had a rooster just like mine when they were little children and celebrating the Moon Festival! She was excited to see that this is the one I chose! They have dragons and different things too.

Ha - as I read up on the Moon Festival - it is all about celebrating children (I knew the girl was laughing when I was buying these toys... for myself!).  Below are a couple articles about the festival (click on them to follow the link):

All About Tet Trung Thu - Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival - Wikipedia

Smoothie Success!

Mmmmm my first fruit smoothie came to fruition this morning - (in Sarah's most famous words...) Brilliant!

I now have a delicious banana-peach smoothie. Mmm mmm mmm.

Also - big news from yesterday that got lost with my excitement for toys...

I bought a plane ticket to Dalat for our first 3-day weekend in two weeks!

From what I've heard, it should be a great little city to visit. It is in the mountains, has a large lake... lots of hiking, a beach, the chance to ride a horse (or an elephant!)... should be a nice getaway (and the year-round climate in Dalat is very different -cooler- from HCMC).

I'll be going with the new art teacher at my school, Donna (she's already becoming our travel book guide):

...And also with Kathleen - a new Language Arts teacher.

Should be nice to be able to pack both a swimsuit and a sweater and get away for some travels!

I'm also looking forward to learning the basics of traveling in this country. We are flying, which I think is best. Phuong went to visit her aunt and cousins in Dalat a few weeks ago and took the bus - it is usually a 6 to 8-hour bus ride... depending on if, and how much, the bus breaks down, etc.  ...Hopefully our plane won't be breaking down (should I even type that??).

Never growin' up.

Night 'o fun!

First, I bought myself a blender. It's pink. It's pretty bad... which then made it awesome in my mind. Now I can make fruit/honey/yogi smoothies!

Then I went to my fruit lady to stock up... she gave me extra grapes tonight and whispered sweet nothings (well... something in Vietnamese at least) while holding my arm. (It did sound as if she was cooing at me a bit... I take it that we're friends forever now.)   ;)

She didn't have any bananas however, so I walked a bit until I found some.

On my way back, I finally stopped at a stand that I've passed a few times. There are these really cool, bright stands that sell some kind of wrapped baked good... and then tons of toys hanging from above. 

I bought myself some toys. (I told myself that the ninja guy was for an activity that I plan to do with my Poetry Slam Club kids... part of my poetry suitcase... but not gonna lie - that was just a good excuse to buy this guy!)... Check out his skills...

Dude. He's awesome.

Then I also picked this guy out. So cute! I will have to find a good place to hang him.

I am going to ask Phuong more about these stands full of great toys and baked goods. It seems like they could be celebratory things for kids... the girl I bought them from seemed to get such a kick out of my wanting to buy them.  :P

Walking home carrying this rooster, I got many smiles! One young guy laughed and said, "For me??" haha.