Our Life

People have been requesting more photos of where we live, work, and the day-to-day in Saigon.  So, here are some random shots that might explain, or provide more insight, into our day-to-day  lives in HCMC.

We carry our hiking backpacks daily to work with our resources, materials, and work out clothes.  People like to make jokes about our constant readiness to hike.

One of our favorite places to eat right by our apartment grills chicken on a BBQ-esq grill.  This plate of chicken, veggies, and rice with fish sauce on the side is about $1.25.

We make breakfast at home before work most mornings.  This is a typical Pierce household fare -- melon, baguette with pepper, cucumber, tomato, and egg with chive.  Don't forget the VinaCafe instant cofee (sugar and milk included).

We still make it rain Yahtzees!  We just play on a towel to muffle the sound.

Our wash machine.  We do not have a dryer so everything is air-dried on a hanging rack.

Adam cooking up a feast in our kitchen.  Our gas cooktop always makes us feel like we are camping.  We do not have an oven.

Adam's preferred brand of Whiskey and our Malaysia shot glass.

Our favorite way to spice up food -- a salt and pepper mix, fresh lime juice, and soya sauce.  Delicious!

From Fine Art to No Class

The HCMC Fine Arts Museum.

For our weekly Saigon field trip, we decided to head downtown to check out the Fine Arts Museum of Ho Chi Minh City.  The museum does not have the largest collection nor does it possess any world-renowned pieces.  In fact, half of the draw is the old villa that houses the museum.  It was built in the 1920's and housed the richest man in Saigon (at the time).  The architecture is a mix of French Colonial and Chinese influence and the tiled floors and stained glass windows are still original furnishings. 

In our opinion, the highlight of the museum was the collection of art from soldiers during the American War.  We were interested to find that their sketches of the war often portrayed, 1) the soldiers and commoners as smiling and happy people and 2) a large majority of the soldiers as women.  Overall, we really enjoyed our time at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum.  For 50 cents, USD, we were able to spend an hour wandering the floors, checking out the collection, and staying away from the downpour outside.

Cyclo driver sculpture.

Adam being the statue that looks like Lord Voldemort.

A drawing from a soldier on the battlefield.

In less than 12 hours time, we went from experiencing the high class world of art to the no-class world of life at 4:30 am on the Saigon Canal.  This morning, our run started out a little shaky (literally) as Heidi noticed a large rat (later to be compared to a Great Dane) rummaging through the garbage piled along the canal.  Her screaming and running like a wild woman into the path of motorbikes caused Adam a minor heart attack.  There was not even time to recover before the second rat ran through the grass and onto the path where we were running.  At this freak out, Adam quickly changed places with Heidi to be able to intercept any further rat sightings.  The run only continued to digress from there as we saw not one, but two men defecating in public, as Heidi nearly stepped in a pile of human waste on the path, and to top it off -- a drunk 20-something decided to start peeing off the bridge (while laughing) as we ran under him. 

At this point, we decided to wrap our run up and remind ourselves which parts of Saigon we love which included cheap, delicious bowls of hot pho, strong black coffee, air-conditioned cafes, accessible public transportation, and cheap facials and massages.  And somehow, in between all that, we decided to forgive those-without-class and try our run all over again in the morning.

Bomb Mi

Adam at our bus stop, breakfast in hand.

Lately Adam has been on a Vietnamese sandwich kick.  Called Banh Mi, the typical breakfast is some form of pate -- usually chicken -- served on a fresh baguette with a fried egg, pickled veggies, fatty-chewy-mainly-gross-pressed-pork, cucumber, cilantro, and soya sauce.  You can special order to eliminate said pork product and add some "Baby Bell" spreadable cheese.  It really is a delicious start to any day and for the cost of 11,000 VND (about 50 cents, American) you can't do much better for a hearty start to your day.

Heidi is starting to believe in the power of BOMB mi more, though she has to convince herself that the non-de script pate is really a plate of refried beans.  She also enjoys the fact that, just like the movie Newsies, her banh mi is wrapped in newsprint and tied up in a little to-go bag.  Who could resist that marketing?

Street Jam Saigon

Once a week Adam has been getting together with some staff and students from school for some basketball. There is a community center right across the street from the school which plays host to what is now being called the official "Saigon Street Jam".

The community center works great and in reality it kind of feels like you are in a movie while playing basketball there. Not only are there some great games of basketball going on but, at the same time in the same area there is
1) Dragon Dance practice, complete with drums, lots of acrobats, and giant dragons
2) Little kid karate practice with Hi-Yaa ringing out loud and proud
3) A makeshift auto mechanic shop where they seem to always be working on the community center bus.

Representing with the Dawg shorts.

Making it rain from the corner.

It is always a good game and a good time. If nothing else Adam gets to be a big man post player which is something that he has not got to do since about 5th grade.

Missing Roll

This is what we get for upgrading to the more expensive toilet paper. 

Worlds Colliding

Sunday Morning Market Run - Cho Xa Tay.

Every Sunday, we walk the 2.5 blocks to our local market to purchase our veggies, eggs, tofu, and bread for the week.  The market starts about 6 am and closes when the food runs out or at noon, whichever comes first.  It can be a challenge to start the morning in a crowded, steamy market where you have to enter through the butchering section.  However, the food is fresh, cheap, and in abundance and it makes the fact that you walk through blood and guts water (which has been dubbed street-splooge) tollerable.  We have our regular vendors that we purchase from and they always laugh at our broken, developing language skills while bagging up our purchases.

It's a meat market.

Today, after the market, we headed into downtown to CZECH out a restaurant that Adam had read about.  It is a Bauhaus that is connected to the Czech Consulate.  Walking into the place, it felt as if you left Vietnam and entered Disneyland.  The beer garden is huge and filled with dark wood tables and chairs.  There are large steins and signs in Czech all over the place. The restaurant is the first micro-brewery (and maybe one of the only) in Vietnam.  It was established in 1995 and offers two drafts -- light and dark.  After drinking 333 for a month (Vietnam's Miller Lite), the dark beer was a welcome respite (Bill Clinton must have agreed since there is a large poster size picture of him chugging beer here on the wall).  The menu is filled with Czech options, or what the Vietnamese might interpret as Czech options -- eel, snails, and salt-water fish have never come out of my Oma's kitchen!  The food was pleasant, the beer was delightful, and the feeling that for one hour we were in another world far away from the hustle and noise of Saigon, was the nicest surprise of all. 

Our plate of sausage and sauerkraut.

Do not be fooled by the texture -- the mashed potatoes were great.

To Opa and Oma.

Grannies with Hammers

The city of Saigon is overrun with mopeds and motorbikes.  They are everywhere.  This would not be a big deal if there were rules or traffic laws for cars and motorbikes in Saigon.  Pedestrians have no right-of-way and no where to walk as motorbikes are allowed to drive on sidewalks and through crosswalks without penalty.  When crossing streets, the rule of the pedestrian is to always look in the direction the traffic is coming from and to walk slowly but keep moving.  If you just have a calm pace then the bikes will magically just make their way around you.  If you, the pedestrian, does something abruptly or quickly, there is a good chance the driver cannot predict your moves and you are going to end up hit. 

Today, after our morning workout, we headed to a little noodle shop on the street by our gym.  When we got to the shop, we heard a huge commotion on the street behind us.  We turned around to see a woman lying on the ground with another woman and her motorbike lying on top of her. Quickly, people began swarming the scene and yelling at one another in Vietnamese.  The woman who was hit was picked up and brought to the sidewalk.  She had a bad gusher on her knee and elbow, she had lost her sandal, and the three drinks she was carrying were all over the road.  The woman that hit her on the bike obviously blamed the pedestrian and began to scream and gesticulate wildly in the poor woman's face.  A few men came over to argue (we think about who was at fault) and the woman on the scooter went crazy -- literally.  Before we knew it, she was off her moped with a hammer in her hand.  This old woman started threatening everyone in her path and swinging the hammer in their faces.  She was angry because the glass she was carrying on her motorbike had all broken upon impact.  She obviously wanted someone to pay for them and was going to keep swinging her hammer until that happened.  This process went on for close to 5 minutes before people began to walk away from the crazy granny and her hammer.  No police were called.  None would come even if they were.  The little pedestrian just hobbled back over to the restaurant where we were eating and, after cleaning her leg with a bucket of dirty dish water, began to serve customers again.

After this crazy experience, we decided to keep the intensity up by spending our afternoon busing around, and walking CAREFULLY around the city to pay our bills.  In Saigon, bill collectors come to your door and collect your money.  If you are not home, they shove the bill under your door and you have to go to their office to pay.  We managed to locate the roads our offices were on and bus to their general location.  Then, we had to wander, into and out of alleyways, to find the offices.  Of course, all this walking happened during the hottest part of the day on the hottest day we have had since moving to Saigon.  We were elated when, two hours and 14 ounces of sweat later, we had paid our bills and been handed receipts for proof of payment.  After we were completed, it was time to head home to regroup and cool down with some air conditioning and a chilled bia (beer).

Adam with proof of payment in his sweaty hand.

Florida

This is quick but I have to share an email that Heidi just sent me. It made me laugh.

Hi Ad

One of my students just informed me her favorite song is "Low" by the artist FLORIDA. It took me literally 3 minutes before I realized she meant Flo Rida'. Ah, Viet Nam.

Moon Festival

On the 15th of this month is the Moon Festival holiday.  This holiday is celebrated in China and Vietnam and is in honor of the moon which is the most full moon of all year on this date.  Today, in honor of the Moon Festival, there was a celebration at the elementary school.  The students and staff gathered for the telling of the Moon Festival Story, singing performances by staff and students, playing games, and the exchanging and eating of moon cakes.

One of the Kindergarten Students in his lion hat.

Plate full of Moon Cakes.

The international staff singing a Moon song in Vietnamese.

One of the lanterns hanging for the festival.

There are many versions of the Moon Festival Myth that are available.  For some reason, the one that our school chooses to tell has to do with a forbidden tree that no one is allowed to urinate on (I kid you not!).  One night, after drinking a magical elixir, a woman named Cheng Y goes into the forest to use the bathroom.  Of course, the place where she chooses to do her duty is on the forbidden tree.  When her "urination touches the tree's roots, the tree grows up, up, up and carries Cheng Y on it's branches to the moon."  She must live there the rest of her life and misses her family.  Her family offers her up moon cakes every autumn (little dense cakes filled with everything from sweet green bean paste, to minced meat and nuts, to jellied durian with hard boiled eggs) to let her know they are thinking of her and missing her.  Somehow that myth translates into songs, crazy lanterns, and kids running around gobbling up sweet, sweet, sugar filled cakes.  Ah, Vietnamese holidays.

You're Never Too Old

Yesterday, after our venture into Vietnamese health care, we met about 6 co-workers in District 11 for a high end cultural experience -- Dam Sen WaterPark.  For $5 we were able to spend the afternoon keeping cool by splashing through pools and ripping down high speed waterslides.  The park was quite empty as the 100,000 VND price tag is too steep for most locals.  Therefore, there were no lines and no crowds.  We were quite impressed with the intensity of most of the slides.  They whipped you around and slammed you into the pools at the end with quite high speeds.  The semi-shoddy construction of the sides (read: seams that did not always lie smooth) provided some war wounds for all members of our party.  We all managed to end up with some cuts, bangs, and bruises.  However, we would not take the afternoon back.  Running around the park, racing each other down slides, and floating on the "Lazy River" with a beer in hand was the perfect way to beat the Saigon heat and refresh our spirits.  We are sure that we will visit Dam Sen again on the next hot weekend as we were reminded that you are never too old for a visit to a waterpark.

This park is the largest park space in Saigon.

Some of the slides -- they are meaner than they look.

Some of our group after a long day at the park.

 Today we headed into District 1 (the downtown area) in search of some food that was not typical Vietnamese cuisine.  Heidi had reached her limit on rice and meat or tofu and just wanted a little change.  So, we found a Kebab restaurant with really great kebabs and french fries.  It was just what we needed and will definitely be kept on the list of places to revisit.  Tonight is early to bed as we have a 4:30 am wake up tomorrow to fit in a run before heading to work.  No rest for the weary!

Kebab, french fries and one happy Heidi.

Check Up

This morning we were to meet Mr. Trung from our school at the state hospital for a physical that we need to obtain our work permits. While going to the hospital at 830 on a Saturday morning is not ideal, we were kind of excited to take on whatever a Vietnamese hospital would be like. We figured if nothing else there would probably be some pretty good people watching.

The hospital is within walking distance from our house so we figured that we would just find a little street stall for breakfast. One of our favorite things about Vietnam is how you can just walk with good odds that you will come across some pretty tasty and cheap food. This morning we were not disappointed with what we found. We had a great noodle (pasta shape), pork, and veggie plate...Yum...

Breakfast of Champions!!! Eighty Cents, that is whats up.

On a full belly we made our way to the hospital. We were not let down with our expectations of the Vietnamese health care system. Cho Ray Hospital is a massive complex that was originally built in 1900. Over the years it has been updated from its former colonial beauty to now resemble a maximum security prison. I am not sure why they needed us to pee in a cup, look up our noses, and x ray our chest to issue a work permit, but hey, when the government says pee in a cup, I guess I am peeing in a cup.  

Blood drawn. Did not almost faint like in Mexico. Heidi talked me through the process.

Cho Ray Hospital. Very Prison-esq

SLS

We have now completed our third week of Vietnamese language classes.  Twice a week for 90 minutes per session, we head into class to meet with our very sweet and very talented instructor, An.  To learn Vietnamese has been a challenge.  To learn Vietnamese from 7:40 till 9:10 pm after a long day at work, might be the even bigger challenge.  By the time 9:00 rolls around, Heidi is usually kicking Adam under the table and mouthing the words, "I am done!"  (Did we mention Heidi's standard bed time is around 9?)

So far we have mastered the following words:  stop (to get off the bus), turn left/turn right (to get out of the taxi), excuse me (which no one in Vietnam seems to use anyway), bread (like any good person from an Eastern European bloodline should know) and Australian (because it is easy)!!  Hopefully as the courses keep coming -- and as our class shifts to a 6:00 pm start, we will continue to master the language and soon be able to tell someone "that is the western price" when they try to rip us off.  Even though the class is challenging, we are really enjoying and appreciating the development of new language skills.  We want to navigate our way through this city and developing in the Vietnamese language will be a step in the right direction.

3 Day Weekend

Since it was Independence Day here in Vietnam, we were honored with a three day weekend.  Even though we only had worked with kids for six days, the long break was much appreciated.  We decided to spend the weekend in Saigon, exploring the city and pampering ourselves with cheap services.  Friday was a mellow day filled with errands, croissants and an outing to a new restaurant (for us, old for the city) where you are provided with all the fixings to make your own spring-rolls and then you proceed to drink beer and eat hand-made rolls till you are silly.

Saturday we had a lazy morning filled with the gym, doing laundry, and grading papers.  In the afternoon we ventured out to the downtown to visit the War Remnants Museum.  After an uplifting hour touring photographs and memorabilia from the "American War of Aggression"(which resulted in Heidi crying), we headed downtown in search of massages.  We ended up enjoying 90 minute massages.  This massage was not the most relaxing experience as we were twisted, stretched, and pulled in every direction.  The culmination of the massage was our little masseuse climbing on top of our backs and using her legs to dig into our spine.  While we both thought we might cry (again), the end result (and payment of $12 each) was not so disappointing.  We followed up the experience by happy hour at the Rex Hotel.  The hotel is famous for hosting the foreign correspondents during the war where they would sit at the roof-top bar and watch bombs fall in the city and countryside.  The view was delightful -- the cocktails even better.  Last night we visited our local "beer garden" for dinner.  While we really enjoy the food and beer, we can't help but feel that we are visiting the Hooters of District 5.  The servers are all young Vietnamese girls in short skirts and tight tank tops.  However, the beer is plentiful and the prices cheap -- our criteria for a good night out.

Propaganda poster from Australia during the War.

Adam dreaming what it felt like to be a war correspondent.

Our drinks = "Go to South Africa" a Rex Hotel Signature Drink.

Heidi cooking up the hot pot at our local beer garden.

Today was back to the grind stone with planning for the week and heading to the grocery store -- forty five minute waits in the check-out line made for one grumpy team Pierce.  To soothe the frustration, Adam took Heidi for a facial.  2 hours and a glowing face later, we are both ready to conquer a 5 day work week -- the first for us since mid-June!

Happy Independence Day!!!

Yesterday was Vietnam's Independence Day. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh gave a speech declaring that Vietnam was now free from their French colonial rulers. According to some of the students that we work with, Independence Day is more of a day to declare your Independence from city life and head to the beach for a couple of days. The fact that so many people do go to the beach, has actually left the city pretty quiet this weekend. It feels like a strange day in Saigon when you can cross the street with no problem like we were able to do yesterday. Either way, beach or city, Vietnam gets all dressed up with communist banners all over, patriotic songs blaring, and generally a festive feeling.

Last night we were able to post up in our apartment for a great view of a firework show that they put on at a amusement park which is actually close to our school. Heidi made sure that we had our own soundtrack, blasting Katy Perry's Fireworks time and time again. I am sure that Uncle Ho would have found it an appropriate and inspiring song.

These are a little blurry but you can see the fireworks in the background.

Manna From Heaven

Earlier this week, Heidi's students gave her a brief lesson on Vietnamese cooking. When they found out that she liked vegetables they told her that she had to try one local dish. Heidi politely nodded and figured that there was no way that she would ever remember this dish, let alone find someone cooking it.
Fast forward two days. Heidi is walking home by herself as Adam is playing basketball at the local community center when...she stumbles across a line of locals waiting for an afternoon snack. Of all things in the world they are lining up for, it was the very dish her students had told her to try. 10,000 Dong (50 cents) later, Heidi was the proud owner of possibly her new favorite cuisine.
Corn...good
Green Onion...good
Small Dried Shrimp...good
Fried Egg...good
Chili Sauce...goooooooooood

The dish that shall not be named (until we know what it is called)