Back at it...

Well, it has been a while and I apologize for being a slacker. I will try and get things up to date, which technically should take seven straight days of writing...

Let's see, ha ha, well to end the year off with a story I will explain my appearance on the Reunification Palace.

In June I became very concerned with the grade 8 graduation (even though I was just the 'music and art' teacher last year, I still had a special place in my heart for the grade 8's and I wanted to make sure they had a proper graduation...I didn't quite succeed...but that is not the story I am about to tell).

I took time to have them work on individual projects of self-reflection to post at their grad, I worked with the grade 8 teacher to plan things out, we discussed a 'grad day' and hoped to emulate what would be a day similar to what grade 8's in Canada would experience... Keeping it simple, focusing on the students...things did not really go as planned.

First, the day was changed and we were told grad must be on the weekend and that it must involve all students, not just grade 8 students but ALL STUDENTS...you can see where this is going, several hours of torture and no glory for the grade 8's. Well, that is exactly what happened. Things spun out of control and it was horrible on many fronts but despite that, there were a few funny things:

Funny thing number one: The location of the graduation was the Reunification Palace. Yes, an actual palace! How crazy is that?

Funny thing number two: The decorations were giant banners and I was on one of them. Yup, just me. Okay, so I feel like a giant in Vietnam anyway...but a banner...really? Larger than life - in all senses!

Funny thing number three: I wore the exact same outfit the night of the grad that I was wearing on the banner...And no one even warned me not to wear the same outfit - how embarrassing!

Needless to say there were some laughs to be had and now there are the residual jokes, "Hey Cheratien, remember that time you were on the Palace?"

After graduation there was some concern as to what might be done with my banner. I could make a large shelter out of the expansive tarp, or maybe drape it over my home as a decoration, or it could be used as a slip and slide. Yup, you read that correctly a 'slip and slide'. My banner is now renowned as the slip and slide, kids soap themselves up and launch themselves down the expanse of my giant banner body at any appropriate occasion...like water day, open house, any excuse will do. This has created a whole new level of residual jokes but I wont go there, you can fill it in I'm sure.

la cucaracha part 2

So it finally happened...there was a cockroach near our apartment. I say near because we have been fortunate enough not to have one in our apartment BUT we did have one on our laundry porch...which is almost too close for comfort! Now, since being in Vietnam I must admit I am getting used to seeing cockroaches and I have also learned that if you squash them they give off a type of pheromone (or something like that) that attracts other roaches (not cool if you are trying to get rid of them!). Anyway, this is how things went down at our place...

Krista went out to do laundry, when she went out, she screeched and came right back in. "There is a cockroach on the porch!", she stated in a not so calm manner. I took a peak out the door and spotted the culprit, he was big and doing the Vietnamese cockroach version of the Mexican hat dance in the middle of the floor. This could be a problem. There was no way I wanted this creature any closer than it was and if it got into the apartment I would lose my mind.

I decided that I would be a hero and scoop it over the edge of the porch with the dustpan (obviously I didn't want to squish it for the above mentioned reason). Now, this logic in my mind was quite solid, I would just dash out there, scoop the sucker into the dustpan and launch it over the edge of our 10th floor apartment. No squishing, no more cockroach - brilliant! I didn't factor in that cockroaches are really friggin' fast at really friggin' creepy!

Anyway, I went out armed with the dustpan, while Krista watched from the door. Well that big ass bug came running right at me! That was not part of the plan! I turned to blast back into the apartment and Krista had slammed the door and run away! Nice! this gave the roach time to gain on me...damn it! I had to fumble with the door and deal with the fact that I was running from a bug and that my plan was stupid! I got into the apartment and decided that a new plan must take shape. Seeing as Krista was not going to be the brawn in this operation I asked her to be the brains, "Can you go on Google and see if there is a natural way to kill these things?".

We discovered that you can immobilize cockroaches with soapy water! Perfect! This time I was prepared, I had a pitcher of soapy water and a dustpan! I went back out onto the porch, threw soapy water on the giant pest (POW! Take that you disgusting bug!) and then flung him over the porch (SHAZAM!). Victory was mine!

a room with a view

Since being in Vietnam I have witnessed some amazing sunsets, amazing night skies, amazing sunrises...Almost every day I am in awe of the sky, it is very hard to put in words.

If you mix this everyday occurrence with my obsession for taking pictures of the sun and the moon, you get a memory card full of pictures of the sky! Anyway, I am not a photographer so I wont say that my obsession really pays off very often but I have captured some very beautiful scenes right from my bedroom window and I think they are worth posting, if for no other reason than to share with my friends and family another part of my life here in Vietnam. Enjoy :).