It's been almost 4 months...

To any of my faithful readers, I offer my sincerest apologies for my prolonged absence. I can only imagine how frustrated you all must have been, waiting for my next post. Fear not, dear readers, as I will begin my weekly blog entries anew. Before I do that, however, lets go back in time to December 2013!

This was the first burrito I had in Vietnam. Notice I said first, because after I discovered there was Mexican food in this city, I couldn't just stop at one. I've come to understand that my desire for perfectly made carne asada burritos is one thing that makes me Californian. Unfortunately, as good as the burrito was, I also realized I was going to be continuously dissatisfied so long as I live in this city.

My company had a Christmas party. They brought Western partying to Saigon, complete with scantily clad dancers and an open bar. I bought a new pair of suspenders and a self-tie bow tie for the occasion.

Our center also brought Christmas to our weekend classes of kids and teenagers. I got to wear the Santa costume and visit the classes to hand out presents.

After working for more than half a year, this class was the first one I taught from beginning to end. Mind you, I finished a course with another class back at my old center, but I picked them up halfway through. One of the cool things about starting with these kids is that the things I implemented in the beginning (like class rules and activities) are still being used by the teacher that took the class from me.

A little girl from the second class that I taught from beginning to end. I couldn't get over how cute she was. Sadly, she and many of her classmates don't remember me anymore...

Edit (1/23/15): I've covered their class multiple times. They definitely remember me. I couldn't get this one to stop pulling my pants and giggling last weekend.

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Chinese Chess - Cờ Tướng - 象棋

The latest interest I've taken in my quest to learn more about my Vietnamese heritage is the game of Chinese chess. It is a bit ironic to look for Vietnamese culture in a game that has the word "Chinese" in its name, but I found that it is only so for the sake of translation. I have taken to this game for a number of reasons. 1. The game has cool historical references that have survived even today. Let's start with the board itself. Unlike a chess board, which is played on the squares, Chinese chess is played on the intersections of lines. What is most recognizably different from normal chess boards, however, is the large gap in the middle of the board as well as the lines that form an "x" on opposites sides of the board. The square that contains the "x" is known as the "fortress," or 宮(gōng ) in Chinese. The center divider is the river where s ome Chinese words are visible. The words on the left say, 楚河 (chǔ hé ) , mean...

As a person who's done a fair amount of traveling, I couldn't agree more with this:

Paradise Falls wouldn't even hold a candle to this place.

Waiting and Waiting

March 1st. Now every day for the next two weeks will be agonizing torture. Have I been accepted? Have I been rejected? Will my career advance? Will I be right back where I was this time last year? I've been told to be patient, keep my head up, to not worry about things that aren't in my control. That's tough going, but I'm trying. How apt, then, that I'd come across this quote again: “I wanted you to see what real courage is...It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” I thought my chances were small in the beginning, but I did see it through. Now back to waiting to see if this time is my "sometime."

Nhớ Nguồn

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