So certain niceties of life in America are missing here. One that’s come into clear focus here is the absence of kitchen tools. There are no mixing bowls; I use an empty saucepan. No measuring spoons, only a large spoon that I guess by. No one-cup or half-cup measure; instead I use a glass cup […]
Kitchenware–Vietnamese style Read More »
Last Thursday, a monkey tried to attack me. One of my evening students, Nam, and his wife took the kids and I out for a delicious meal of bun cha and then over to an enormous coffee shop/resort that is tucked away behind the city. The expansive grounds are covered with umbrella-covered tables interspersed with
There’s nothing like a lot of work to keep you from being social, whether it’s stateside or abroad. And while my social life these days consists mostly of spending time with my kids and posting on this blog, both have been neglected the past few days. Due to the national exams this week, the company
Hi-ho Hi-ho, off to work I go Read More »
Since we moved last week from room 211 to 213, our mosquito population has been near zero in our room. Nary a bite for any of us. It’s been wonderful. But outside our room, there are openings in the sidewalk, close 3 feet by 3 feet wide, where the water sits. Why they are uncovered
Attack of the Mosquitoes Read More »
It’s all the kids have these days–hours and hours to do as they please. Of course, this often resorts to playing video games, but not always. On Saturday evening, Audrey and I went swimming with some students (past and present) while Stuart rested. He’s had a cold for the past few days. I managed to
Thursday was test day for the students. In the big picture, it’s actually a test for me–a way to have a control against which they will compare the students at the end of my teaching term. So I found a test in a book that I’ve yet to use here (in hopes of avoiding them
Teaching as a family affair Read More »
Saturday morning we headed north with Mr. Bruce, another foreign teacher here at Hong Duc (though not for long). He was going to the airport, and we weren’t, so his driver dropped off on the west side of Ha Noi where we grabbed a taxi and headed off to Old Faithful (aka the Hanoi Holidays
I am officially green with envy. Add to that list, one more fellow who is doing what he wants, where he wants. And, from the little I know of him, I think he’s going to do some pretty great things. (Think I could convince you to vist Viet Nam next spring, Zander?)
Zander takes on the globe Read More »
Thanks to our good friend, Keith, my son has a wonderful little digital camera that he uses all the time. I particularly love it when he takes it on our little excursions. Sifting through the photos I get to see the activities through his eyes, something that is getting rarer as he gets older. Yesterday,
My daughter, A., is a list maker. Just like her father’s mother. Just like me. She begged for a magnetic pad of paper from the dollar store last week. It’s lined paper, with the heading of “The List” on each page. She won the argument and has used the pages diligently including this to-do list
Like Mother, Like Daughter. Read More »
