Four Candles and Our First Year Ends

      Our little Sophie girl is four.  No longer a baby, and able to stand up to her big sister in more ways than one....  We had a lovely celebration on her special day, delicious chocolate cake included thanks to our friend Bonnie.  Sophie has grown so much this year, and she talks so much more than when we first arrived in Vietnam. It's hard to imagine that she was just out of diapers when we arrived.

 

New Lego train set, favorite sleeping friend gecko, and Viewmaster.  Does it get any better than that?

Yes, indeed, strange Asian balloons...  They looked cute in the package.  (?)

Maeve celebrated  extensively with her kindergarten class to mark her first year in school.  What a successful year it was for her (and us!)  He teacher was wonderful, and she had a great crew of kids to spend her days with.

Maeve reads her story at her Author's Celebration.  It is a joy to see how much she is reading and writing, and how much she loves writing especially.  

A proud author.  : )

Maeve will miss one of her best friends Rae who is moving this summer.

     One of the most different and interesting things about being in an international school setting is just how many goodbyes you have to say!  Between students and colleagues, I have said more goodbyes in the last few months than in the last ten years.  It is not my favorite part of this life.  I feel like I just got to know people. On the elementary staff I am joining in the fall, only 10(half!) are returning.  This is an especially large turnover, I understand, but in general, saying goodbye to people and moving on is "something you get used to in international schools".  It sounds like often you get to cross paths with people again.

Sunday morning breakfast at the restaurant around the block.  

A self portrait sculpture for Dad on Father's day.
      

    This school year end marks the first time in my entire career that I walked out the school door with my students completely done for the summer. A little weird, but great right now for sure.  My friend Kari figured out something a long time ago that I should have thought of, and encourage all of my teacher friends to consider, even if you do not live in Southeast Asia.  She announced to me at the goodbye to teachers ceremony that we were going right to Zen spa for a massage as an early birthday present. I wish I would have made myself do something like this earlier in my 18 year career.  I sauntered home afterwards without all of the tremendous fatigue and weepiness I have never been able to shake right at the end of a school year.  Thanks Kari.  

    We sure are looking forward to seeing my dad in a couple of days.  It is nice to have a couple of down days to relax before we leave.  I am appreciating the fact that we own very little, especially in this time that I am taking stock and packing suitcases inside of suitcases for our trip to the States.  It is mucho liberating.  I must admit I do have my detailed lists of things to buy and bring back.

        I think in one of my earlier blog entries I had a picture of a Korean baby  papoosed on his mother's back.  I watched him grow this year, smiled each time I walked by him and got a chubby grin. I saw him walk the other day and it struck me then. We have been here 10 and a half months!  Charles and I talked over coffee this morning about not knowing what to expect about what "visiting" our home country will feel like next week.  It has been a good year for sure, but not without its stresses.  (Charles and Sophie were sick yet again this week.  We can't seem to get out from under it.  I think we need some Northern Michigan fresh air.) I am going to try to make myself do some journaling to keep track of my thoughts and ideas this summer.

      What I do know is that one suitcase is packed with Vietnam souvenirs that I can't wait to pass out, we are frantic to get hugs from family and friends and catch up on their lives, and kick back on the dock on KP Lake.  And I know that when we come back this foreign place just won't be quite as foreign.  Friends will be happy to see us return, and there will be many, many new friends to meet.  We are moving into a new Waugh family era with both girls in school and two incomes. Life feels good.

    Now, if we could only sell our lovely house on Trenholm Road which is again for sale this summer.  The price can't be beat, so if you know anyone who is interested please let us know.  

    Tam Biet from Vietnam for the last time this year.  It has been one we will always remember.  Thanks for reading and sharing a part of our experience.

     

Counting Those Last School Days...

We're dusting off the suitcases.  10 school days and counting!  We are nearing the end of our first year in Vietnam.  The end of the school year feels much the same as it always does - it has never been my favorite time.  Kids are squirrely, my patience runs short, you remember....

Quotes from the Waugh household in the last months:  (No joke.)

"Maeve, what will you do in the future? "  Charles

"I don't know.  I have never been to the future."  Maeve

"What kind of family doesn't buy their kid what they want to drink?"  

Sophie, in the midst of her chocolate milk detox.

"No, I'm going with your boyfriend.  I'm not going with my boyfriend 

because my boyfriend is always tired." Sophie, to Maeve as they dressed 

to the nines for evening "dates".

"Ooooh.  I'm all messed up."  Smoothing her dress, 

"But I still look beautiful."  Maeve,  after she climbed out of the way back 

of a taxi.

Charles Waugh has found a new favorite thing; fresh coconuts.  He drinks at least one a day and often makes them into coconut smoothies like he is here.  I had never before tasted fresh coconut milk.  At the grocery store, they are readily available with the outer husk taken off, and they run about $.33.

Scraping the flesh...

Maeve and Sophie enjoy a spot of tea.

New hairdos and an evening stroll on the river.  

One of the highlights of our week for Maeve and I was the all school art show at SSIS.  It was so impressive!  An evening opening event was so much fun.  There was so much great art to see, and an auction where you could bid on student art to take home.  (There was some magnificent artist created art that was beautiful as well, but a bit out of our bidding range.)  I did procure a delightful little student acrylic for my new classroom.  Here, Maeve checks out the kindergarten gallery.

Cool lit sculptures.

Maeve proudly displaying her new necklace that she purchased from the middle school jewelry club.  It matched her dress, of course.

One of Maeve's pieces in the show, a puzzle inspired by Eric Carle's work.

High school sculpture and lanterns on the stairwell.

Maeve had a special part in the performance art part of the opening night.  She got to model the art sombrero that her kindergarten class created...

along with her Chinese dragon bag with fireworks that she created.

She started the show and worked the runway....

Ms. Helen is her spectacular art teacher.

    Another highlight of the week happened again at the dentist.  I noticed that Maeve had a big hole in her tooth. (Ugh.)  We stopped in at the dentist to make an appointment, on a Saturday (!), and she said "Come right in!   Let's take a look."  20 minutes later, Maeve had a white filling, and I almost passed out when I saw the bill.  150,000 VND.  Equivalence in US Dollars?  Almost ten.  So there are some great flights deals from the states these days - maybe you would like to schedule a medical holiday to visit us and get your dentistry done?

   Maeve had yet another virus this week.  (It has been quite a year for her!  Hopefully next year will be better.)  I had an interesting middle of the night hospital visit for a vicious UTI infection (which is now better, thank you, thanks to a follow up visit to our regular medical practice here, which is quite acceptable.)  It was a moment when I was happy to be forty and not afraid to look at the doctor on duty and say, "No I am sure that I do not need painkillers via an IV."  

   I mentioned my new classroom above.  I am officially going to 5th grade in the fall, and really happy about it! I missed it more than I ever imagined I would.  I am happy for the opportunity to return.

   Maeve and Sophie practice their cheetah kung fu (Don't ask me, ask Sophie.) in their ao zais.

And once again, people from Charles past continue to emerge and share priceless pictures via Facebook.  (I appreciate that no one seems to have these kinds of pictures of me to share...)  This one has the best blackmail potential yet.   But keep them coming those of you who may have even more humbling pictures of my significant other.

    Hey!  We will be in NJ on the 24th of June for a week, in Michigan for a month, and back to NJ for a July 29th return to HCMC.  Do let us know if our path will cross yours.  

We also signed papers to put our house back on the market this week.  If you know anyone who is looking for a lovely house in a phenomenal neighborhood at a great price, please don't hesitate to look it up. 

       Can't wait to see some of you.  Coming back to the States will be fascinating and great, I think.  I'm sure I'll post after Sophie's big day this week.

Tam Biet.  Don't be a stranger.

It's Raining Again

      Get out your umbrellas because rainy season has returned to Ho Chi Minh City.  Count on afternoon thunderstorms that can rattle your teeth. Honestly, I enjoy getting wet sometimes because it beats the heat, and usually before a storm there is a deliciously cooler breeze blowing.  : )

     People talk about how long it takes to feel like you really live some place.  You know friends, daily routine, places you go.  On Friday, I felt more than at any other time, that this is our neighborhood.  After school I packed four girls in a taxi for a play date at Lissa's, then walked down to the dentist.  Yes, it had been at least 2 years since my last visit- I wasn't looking forward to it.  It turned out to be one of the most pleasant dentist experiences I have ever had. I had my teeth examined and cleaned with strait forward and honest information, ala wisdom teeth need to come out, WITHOUT the major paranoia "You better do this and we have to take lots of x-rays, and, and, and..." that I have experienced for most of my adult life with dentists. The office was clean and our new dentist spoke English well.   She was trained in Japan. Charles and Sophie met me there an hour later, and Charles got the chair for the next hour, as Sophie and I walked down to play and get Maeve.  (Total damage by the way...2 complete, badly needed cleanings and exams.....500,000 Dong, or $30. (!) We'll put dentist on the things that are great about Vietnam list!)

      After we picked up Charles, we walked to one of our new favorite restaurants for "try something new" night.  This is our newest effort to get our super picky daughters to branch out a bit.  Tokyo Deli is a great Japanese restaurant, complete with the special sit on the floor on a cushion experience.  Sophie has discovered she likes miso soup, udon, and seaweed.  (Yes Molly, seaweed!) I am whooshed back to my exchange students days from the first miso soup swig.  (I was proud of myself the other day.  Maeve has a new student in her class who speaks only Japanese.  I was able to say enough to her for her to smile and answer back.)  Maeve was particularly taken with the Japanese restaurant experience.  After enjoying only her Coke however, she explained on the way home how she would create her own restaurant and how we could all come.

"Felice Topia" restaurant welcomed people with its sign, lion logo included.

You can see the Japanese restaurant influence....

Menu:

Silly Bananas

Fruit Robot

Flower Bananas

Carrot Cube Smile

Makes you want to come to this restaurant, huh?

Can't forget the drink menu:

Water

Grape Juice

Apple Juice

Pomelo Juice

I ordered Silly Bananas of course.  Wouldn't you?

Service with a smile.

Teddy drying in the morning sun.  Charles and I talked this morning about how intense and unrelenting the tropical sun is.  We often have to keep drapes closed in the morning/midday in order to keep the house cool.  I do like having such effusive light all of the time.

Maeve shows off her budding set design talents.  (Make sure you zoom in to appreciate the detail of this one...)

Sophie and Charles have been collecting seed pods and bugs.  So many cool species like this one, which we do not know what it is yet.  It is fun to share their discoveries after school.  So many make you create new schema for seed pods because they look so different from anything you have seen before.

When Maeve's classroom turtle, Little Cutie, disappeared from the classroom, Maeve helped out with her LOST poster, posted in the pod:

Lost Turtle 

She is Little Cutie

Have You Seen Her?

I am mucho happy about the reading and writing that Maeve is doing both at home and school.

  

      Charles and Sophie wave from our first official "taste test".  This time? Crackers.  Both Maeve and Sophie found new ones they like.  (Yes, you are on to me.  More efforts for a wider palate for all.)

     Happy Mother's Day!  Most especially to my mom, of course,  to friends who are new moms and my sister who is going to be the mom of a beautiful two year old Chinese boy very soon.  I got an exquisite, written from the heart card and breakfast and coffee in bed.  Top it off with bug hunting for the bug collection and mango for lunch and you have quite a respectable Mother's Day. 

     Gosh, almost forgot.  Can you ID the hunk on the right in this picture? (Boy am I glad it's this person's friends who keep sending pictures and not mine.)  An uncanny connection from my past?  My new colleague here in the fall went to none other than Hopewell Valley Central High School!  (My small town NJ high school.)  It is a small, small world.

      Tan Biet for now. Don't be a stranger.

A Week Without Walls

     Yes, I have seen the largest Buddha in Vietnam.  He is reclining, close to death.  And it was awesome, even surrounded by a herd of seventh graders.  It was our class trip to MuiNe, a week without walls.

     We traveled to a small beach resort town called MuiNe, near a small traditional fishing village and a larger town called Phan Tiet.  OK, so at first I was skeptical - a class trip in a fancy beach area where most expats head when they are ready for a beach trip, and in a fancy hotel to boot?  I come from the land of challenges for kids, you know, camping, challenges, a little going without the niceties in life to build a little character.  I have to admit, it was a delightful trip. I suppose going without cellphones and ipods for the week was a challenge of sorts. 

      The kids were great, and surprised me in so many ways.  They are basically really good kids.  I have very few management issues from day to day.  But even those little bouts of silliness and spaz melted away in restaurants and hotel rooms, rest stops and stores.  These kids are seasoned travelers.  They are not two buts about it.

     Phan Tiet is famous for its fish sauce, or nước mắm Phan Thiết.  I wish this was a scratch and sniff blog, because you would get the full effect of these vats that hold the fist while they ferment.  Yup, mmmmmmm.  This is the only picture I took.  Fish sauce is used liberally in Vietnamese cooking (Thai and Cambodian too.)  I got to chug a capfull for fun.  More about that later. 

     It's mango season, hurray!  I just finished two as a Saturday afternoon snack.  Here, they grow along the stream we visited.

     Shortly after arriving at our hotel, we set out for a stroll in the "Fairy Stream".  I want to go back to the bus trip first.

     It took five hours to travel about 200 miles.  That is, of course, because of the fact that the main highway that runs up and down the coast of Vietnam all the way from HCMC to Hanoi is a two lane road.  A two lane road that is shared by buses, trucks, scooters, bikes, oxen, chickens, and small children dodging traffic.  Maybe I should say that it is a three way road because most of the time the bigger busses and cars have no qualms about passing around other cars even if there are cars coming the other way.  My colleague at one point asked our Vietnamese guide to tell the bus driver we were not in any hurry, which changed his aggressive passing for about an hour, then back to pell mell.  My other colleague made me sit in the front bus seat because he doesn't like to.  :  )  I have to admit, living in Vietnam has put me in many situations where I just have to decide to relax and go with it.  

      The Fairy Stream was a beautiful walk  in a spring fed stream through and dunes.  I have never seem anything like it.  Clean, cool water, white and red sand with carved limestone surrounded us.  For kids (and adults!) who spend their time in a noisy, busy city, it was a purely delightful afternoon.

     I couldn't complain about 6:15 AM beach duty.  It was the only time we let kids swim in the ocean.  The afternoon surf was very rough and choppy, and kite surfers were everywhere.  We stuck to the pool after each days outings.

     Here's the deck that leads to our hotel, Sunny Beach Resort, right on the beach.

     There is no better place than the beach for a good group challenge.  "Team building", ropes courses, and the like are a new endeavor here in Vietnam.  We used a company called Embers, the only such company I think.  Our guide, Dylan, was great.  He explained that their main competition in corporate team building are large companies from Hong Kong who fly in teams fro the week.  I think adventure stuff will grow tremendously in Vietnam in coming years.  I have a couple of former camp colleagues who could make a killing.

     We challenged the kids to climb Mount Ta Cu, a good 2 hour hike up giant rock formation stairs.  It was hot, and challenging, and all fared well.  (Except maybe my bruised big toenails from wearing covered shoes for the first time in 8 months and climbing a mountain.)  

     The pagoda at the top is beautiful from above, but under construction from below. It was constructed 1861 during the Nguyen Dynasty.

     The Buddha was awesome.  The cafe suda (iced coffee) that Dylan snuck my way as we reached this end of our 2 hour hike helped me enjoy it even more.  Here's the whole crew.

     Views from the cable car that took us down from Mt. Ta Cu after a great lunch at the restaurant at the top.

     That same afternoon, we were down in Phan Tiet, a fishing village  We had a photo scavenger hunt ala The Amazing Race, through the fish market and local museum.  What fun!  Encouraging 7th graders to talk with the locals and ask for pictures, objects, and advice really takes them out of their comfort zones to say the least.  At the beginning, I felt that they were all hiding behind my "skirt".  By the end, they performed a singing and dancing version of High School Musical Three in the middle of the fish market.  And yes, there were points for taking a picture of your teacher leader chugging a capfull of fish sauce.  Ewwww.  But you got to do it for the team right?

     All of the beautifully colored fishing boats are hand made.  

     I loved catching this local barber shop scene.  Very Vietnamese.

    Mr. Smith's group approaching a local merchant during the scavenger hunt.

      At the local museum, this man makes a traditional Vietnamese basket fishing boat.  It is fascinating to watch people maneuver these boats with just one paddle in the ocean.

     This finished one against the wall is beautiful.  Wouldn't mind taking one home for the wall...

     After all of that sweaty climbing and scavenger hunting we enjoyed both of the beautiful pools at the hotel.  

     One of my students was happy when the guard rescued his room key from the pool gutter.

     This is the ocean in the actual fishing village of MuiNe.  We hiked by here to the cliffs on the ocean where the other group spent the morning repelling.  The afternoon winds (amazing!) kept us from sharing the repelling thrill.  (They actually called it absailing, which is what I think they call it in Australia).

    Caught this in the little town - an "internet cafe".  All of the local boys are playing video games I think.

     The food was delicious, all the way around.  On our last night we had this cook out near the beach.

     ...and a campfire on the beach.

     I truly enjoyed MuiNe, and the chance to get to know my students outside of the classroom and our normal routine.  And I admit that having my own nice hotel room was an added bonus.  I slept well, which is not something that often has happened on trips with students before.  I think that Waugh family may get to go back next year...

     On the home front, we are slowly emerging from a nasty bug that has put us flat for weeks.  We are so ready to feel really good!  

    Below, please find Cinderella in the Reading Week storybook character parade.  Can you guess who it is?

     Hope you and yours are well.  Tan Biet for now.