Some random shots of things other than food

Ok, so technically it's food - if the promise of the packaging is true, I've extended my life by at least 10 years with the amount of condensed milk I've had since I've been here. (Makes the best iced coffee. Trust me.)

Beer hall window

(Sings) "You'll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with green cement"

Official stencil art

First example I've seen of unofficial stencil art

Even graffitti like this is not very common

I love an unlikely scenario

One great outcome of my meeting with Ms U yesterday was that I scored an invite to an event featuring Phillip Noyce.


He's visited a few times and is obviously very well regarded here. He spoke about his biography (recently translated into Vietnamese) and his career, giving the audience the benefit of his film-making wisdom. He had amusing stories and good advice to share. 

I did have a moment, during the event's musical interlude, where I was thinking: hmm, here I am in VN, listening to a VN acoustic band singing Paparazzi in honour of Phillip Noyce's visit...isn't life great. 

M met me after the event and we had lunch and took a trip to 'Big C' - a large supermarket in District 10. I bought a new tank top - oh the excitement!

Negotiations VN style

Yesterday I had an appointment at X* university's campus in District 3. I had thought I was going to a meeting to find out more as to what they could offer me in terms of work/rate of pay/ etc. I arrived and went to the 9th floor at the appointed time. 

Some views of Q3

There was a sign stuck above the lift buttons. Just as my brain was connecting the idea that sign above lift button=lift not working, the security guard came to tell me I'd have to walk. Nine Floors! I said. She just smiled and said 'Good for you.' Anyway, luckily I was early, so I had plenty of time to cool down after climbing the nine floors. And I waited. I had time to admire the translated version of the lift sign which was on floor 9. 

Ten minutes after the appointed time, when I was just about to ring my contact, a staff member came up the stairs and asked me who I was waiting for. After a phone call from sm1, another couple of minutes pass and a second staff member comes up the stairs and approaches me, introducing herself and apologising on behalf of Ms U, who forgot that today was a no lift day. (The uni has no lift days to save electricity costs.) So we all tromp 9 floors down to Ms U's office. Would I like to come out to the campus in District 12? Sure, why not. As we travel Ms U and I have a chat about all sorts of things. She asks me when I'm available, but doesn't give me any real sense of what I might be offered. She asks me what pay I expect, and I delay by asking questions to try and get more information. We arrive at District 12 campus with nothing decided. But it was an enjoyable conversation. 


We then attended a staff meeting of current uni teachers. Following the meeting, there was lunch provided, and Ms U introduced me to some of the other teachers. I had some short but interesting conversations with a couple of the foreign teachers (and managed to ascertain the average rate of pay).


There was another interviewee? prospective teacher? there too. After lunch, Ms U sat down with him and chatted, while I made small talk with a very friendly VN teacher. After about ten minutes, the other interviewee, his wife, Ms U, one of the foreign teachers, and I caught a taxi back to district 3. Still with nothing decided about work, I began to ask Ms U as to whether she would send me an email and she said " I'll call you..."


So I haven't bought any new work shoes yet. 


*As elsewhere in this blog, the names have been changed to protect the innocent - ie, me!)

No news is no shoes

An interesting day visiting a uni campus out in the 'burbs and meeting some other teachers (VN and foreign). But as yet, no contract!

More later. 

My new favourite drink is...

soda chanh, which is lemon (limes), sugar or sugar syrup, soda water. If you're somewhere stylish, this is how you get it. And I can order it in Vietnamese. (Well, one word is VN!) M and I are still working on our theory that the faster you say something, the more likely you'll be comprehended. When we foreigners say something slowly we (unintentionally) add all sorts of extra tones. Not good when you're learning a tonal language.

We came upon a unique figurine shop on our travels today. Take in a photo of yourself and the artisans will make a 'mini you.' Hehehe. 

We had lunch at a place opposite the War Remnants Museum. Through the doorway there's a large dining area. You could easily walk past it without even noticing. 

M had beef and rice, while I had 'China soup' with pork, quail egg and a prawn. Both good, mine was excellent. 

And some news on the job front: I'm going to talk terms with someone tomorrow, so fingers crossed!

I need a montage

After watching Team America I now know that what I need at this point is a montage. Even Rocky had a montage. With a few short edits I could segue from 'un' to 'gainfully' employed...

This afternoon we had coffee at the outdoor cafe behind Reunification Palace, Cafe 30/4. A great location, although the marble stools, polished smooth by customers squirming uncomfortably, could have done with some cushions. They do have real chairs which I'll be using next visit. 

We bought some fruit from a local trader, and found out from one of our security guys that it's called lý (and aka, according to the interweb, rose apple). He 'opened' one for us by applying pressure until it popped open. Lovely tasting fruit, a slight musky/rose flavour, with the texture similar to a pear. 

Happy birthday, Mr President

On Saturday we had lunch at Dong Ba. I had a wonderful bánh canh cá lóc chả cua (snakehead fish ball soup crab cake) - which was actually a fish soup with noodles. Delicious. 

We stayed in this morning, only to suffer the disappointment of watching the Crows snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Dang. 

Our outing this afternoon was to the Ho Chi Minh Museum - entirely appropriate this week, as it was the anniversary of his birthday on the 19th. As well as countless photos of Uncle Ho taken throughout his career, we also saw his typewriter, spectacles and safari suit (worn from 1954 to 1967).

There were also a number of strangely interesting items, like this 'candy' which was given to a keen patriot who kept it as a souvenir. The lolly now looks like it is fossilised. 

Almost over the cold, hurrah!

More beer... part 2 (or maybe 3)

A visit to the Lan Anh Country Club and Microbrewery (at 291 CMT8 Street) went down very well tonight.  As with all microbreweries here, the beer comes in two styles, yellow (pilsener) and dark (lager). The place is in District 10, out in the suburbs, and it had a really different feel. Lots of families eating out, celebrating birthdays; and a bit of drama when the rain started to bucket down and various tables (including ours) had to be moved to avoid the drips. Good staff and great fun.

And a really fantastic prawn, pork and coconut salad. 

Next time we're going back to try the fish hot pot, which we were admiring from afar. 

Did you see…?

A French woman has collected cigarette butts from the streets of Paris and made them into a stunning dress, as a way of highlighting how disgusting smoking Parisians can be AND her nominated environmental charity. http://lemegotdefi.com/

Bless

Another quiet, snotty day (sniff). 

The meeting/interview I had was interesting, and may prove to be a useful connection. I spoke to the director of an education company which distributes language software, and they also do some language classes of their own using the software. However, they're still in the start up phase and any work is likely to be very part-time. It would be a good company to get involved with though, as the system they use is based on neuroscience findings about how the brain works: creating new neural pathways, and then cementing them by practice, practice, practice. 

In search of a comfort cappuccino, we tried Kopi. It was great and they even gave us a loyalty card! The cafe is new and funky and if it wasn't for all the scooters outside you could pretend you were in Sydney (almost). Unfortunately they're following the modern business model of saving money by using disposable cups. Sugar was provided in liquid form. 

Their wall mural was of Super Junior (SuJu), Vietnam's number 1 favourite Kpop band.

M is cooking tonight to accommodate my current health-related apathy. A mushroom and cheesy meat stick thingy risotto.

Ennui

Another very lazy day which was partly due to me having a cold. 

M had an afternoon meeting near Diamond Plaza, a shopping centre near Notre Dame and the General Post Office, which sells big name brands for big prices. I wandered around the plaza while M networked. Outside the centre is definitely the place to see dodgy taxis - if you're here and you need a cab, go round to the side entrance - this is where the 'real' taxis drop their passengers.

We had another great meal at the lamb BBQ restaurant on Vo Van Tan street tonight. (Chieu Nay Barbecue, 30B Vo Van Tan). This time we knew how to ask for the roasted garlic, or at least write the word for it. And the toi was fantastic. The restaurant is long and thin, and the staff march up and down a central aisle. Arms swinging, they are often carrying large pointy industrial sized skewers covered in raw meat, ready to be placed on the coal-fired barbecue at the entrance to the restaurant. 

Lazy

On Sunday we were feeling lazy so we decided to give HHH a miss and just do some further exploration of Saigon streets. 


We may have been more inclined to just stay home, except for the jackhammering which started at 7am (and ended up continuing for most of the day until after 10.30pm). There's an office block next door and the concrete driveway down to the basement was being broken up. Soundproof earmuffs are now on the top of my wish list. Having experienced such noise you can really appreciate the effect of sound torture. Even by Saigon standards we've experienced to date it was extreme. The good thing is that now the sounds of the street are a sweet lullaby in comparison. And of course, it could be worse. The news here has a story every month or so about buildings which have subsided due to nearby building works. But so far no cracks have appeared in our walls so we're hoping it's all safe on that score. 

A 'choux' (cream puff) from our favourite bakery chain, Bready.

We went and had a look at Saigon Square, which is the air-conditioned and slightly more relaxed version of Ben Thanh Market. Apparently it's a good spot to buy DVDs. There was certainly plenty of merchandise. Plenty of clothing (labels) there too. 

I took this outside Saigon Square, and love it not only for the pyjama set design (typical working woman's outfit) but just look at what the cafe customers are sitting on!

Today I took a call from one of the organisations I've interviewed for - could I come and catch the bus in 20 minutes to come out to one of their (far flung) suburban campuses? The person I was talking to wasn't clear as to the purpose of this visit, and so some sms messages and emailing followed to clarify where and why. When I knew for sure it was just to 'give me more information' I declined for today. I've got a cold and wasn't keen on rushing about for (apparently) little return.  


No other news on the job front, except that I put in an application for a uni job in China!

Things the guide books don't tell you: 1

If other people are washing your clothes, they will write numbers on your underwear. 

This is 'A Good Thing,' as it means you will probably get them back. 

Saturday morning on shoe shop street

Blogger outage this week! OMG! But it looks like it's now ok, so here goes.


This morning we went walking to Huy Lieu Tran street to check out the shoe shops. If you are a shoe fetishist, this is the country for you. Wish I could wear high heels! I'm not quite ready to start, considering the obstacle course that usually needs to be negotiated every time you step out the door. I was looking in anticipation of securing some permanent work - my faithful 'interview/work shoes' are almost ready to die. 


Service styles included friendly staff practising their English, 'cloak of invisibility' (i.e. like you're wearing one) and being followed around the whole shop (i.e. someone about 15cm from your shoulder and watching your every move). This last technique is quite unnerving the first few times, but once you go with the flow you can have some fun with it. 

It's Budda's birthday soon and the flags are out everywhere. 

And shop name of the week: 

Yes, it's a pet shop.

Demo

For various reasons the week got off to a shaky start. However, there's always eating out. 

tasting platter at Tib Express on Nguyen Dinh Chieu - deluxe

Teaching wise, it was a busy week for me. Worked Monday and a double shift on Tuesday. Then had a demo lesson on Wednesday and was deemed to have 'passed' and was promised I'd be contacted in due course about some work. Hurrah! Of course, the day before I did the demo another teacher I met was full of doom and gloom about the place. But I finally got some cash - you get 'transportation money' for doing a demo, so I earned myself 250,000VND (about $11.40). Whoo - hoo!

This morning we went out for coffee at a local trader who parks her cart in the grounds of an old ruin - very atmospheric for a street stall!

An afternoon appointment with a possible job contact for M didn't quite go to plan. So we went to have a look at Fahasa, a huge bookshop at 60 Le Loi District 1, which is one of a chain. The shop in District 1 has Foreign (English) books, but not sure if any others in the chain do. If you're looking for a Fahasa, the one which was at 185 Dong Khoi District 1 is no longer there - it's a construction site! Anyhow, we made a couple of purchases - including the government approved Vietnam Tourist Guidebook - and then went for a beer. 

Tonight, pho for dinner at a well-known spot we've been wanting to try on Pasteur Street. Excellent food, including the chinese bread sticks which are kind of like Spanish churros - you can dunk them in your soup. Tasty. 

and..my favourite stall on Nguyen Dinh Chieu