The other day, on my way back from my private lesson in Phu My Hung in District 7 (about 20 minutes away or so), my xe om driver turned on a street near to the one where I live, and there was a "roadblock" (Vietnamese road blocks consist mostly of cops sitting at a little table next to the road with a whistle, and whistling at people that they want to stop).
The police whistled at us, and instead of stopping, my driver sped up. One of the cops ran after us and ripped the key out of the ignition. He pushed his bike back to the table and chairs where the rest of the police were, and we stood there in the street (he knew what was going on, I obviously didn't, as the extent of my Vietnamese is what I've learned in my survival class...though earlier that day I did learn the word for "police officer" - but didn't think the cops would appreciate me pointing at them and showing off my amazing Vietnamese skills...
Fortunately there was another guy who had been stopped at the road block who spoke English, and the cops asked him to translate for me. My xe om driver didn't have his license, so basically he had to bribe the cops. The guy who spoke English asked where I was going, and since it was only a few blocks away (I would've walked, but that would involve crossing a 4-lane highway during rush hour), he dropped me off at my place on his way home. Just another day in Vietnam, and yet another reason I've got to get a motorbike...
I've decided to stick with the Vietnamese classes. It was really frustrating at first because I couldn't say anything, but now that I'm learning a few phrases and able to ask and answer a couple of questions, it's encouraging. I get most of my practice in on Wednesdays, immediately after Vietnamese class, on my xe om ride from the school to my private lesson. And by practice, I actually mean asking the driver what's your name? how old are you? and where are you from? (answer: Vietnam), and while bargaining with people (though the only real bargaining phrase I know is "too expensive!" and I've forgotten most of the numbers, so it's pretty ineffective). Now that I've gone to four or so classes (not to mention my extensive practice outside of the classroom), I'm starting to pick a fair bit up, so the language is less intimidating, which is definitely nice.
The school-sponsored trip to Mui Ne is on Monday and Tuesday. I've taken Tuesday off and plan on staying Monday, Tuesday, and taking an overnight bus back Wednesday night to get back Thursday morning in time to plan my lessons and teach that evening. It's a much-needed break, and it'll be nice to lie on the beach, relax, and do absolutely nothing.
Just getting around to uploading a few random pictures off my camera...
Julie (my private lesson student), after I noticed just how small her finger was:
Delicious pork on a skewer that I got just around the corner from where I live...could be my new addiction here...
Lewis modeling his fashionable and stylish glasses that he bought so he doesn't get dirt in his eyes when he's on his bike:
The other news is that I found out this morning that I got into the MPA program at UW, with enough financial aid to make it a viable option for me. I'll be getting back to them in the next few days to see if I can defer, but in general, I'm very excited about the idea of living in Seattle!!
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