Category: Vietnam

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Random Thoughts Vietnam

Stop Press

Out with the old

Rather than fix the Old Dunger bike, I rented a new one at 1 million / month.

The prospect of turning up at school looking as if I got the wrong suburb didn’t appeal much. The school’s very upmarket.

The repair bill for the old bike came at about 1 million VND. That’s about the same as its retail value if it’s going.

I arranged to sell it as is for 500,000 vnd, but the buyer pulled out, leaving me with a white elephant. Learnings again.

Head down, arse up


Three weeks down, five to go.

Term now ends June 30, so it’s a case of making hay while the sun shines. The “Eagle”‘s monthly bowel movement is due June 7th after which I will feel a lot more secure.

I have two classes daily Grades 8 ( 13-14 years ) and 9. The younger students are eager, disciplined and easy to teach.

The older class is a battle with teenage hormones and several renegades running amuck among them. There’s a way wider range of English abilities. Three or four are maybe at the level of a good New Zealand 12 year old. Five or six are not far above New Entrant level.

Past July, the job isn’t assured, so I was pointedly told by the Head Teacher. The solution would be to sign up as a full-timer, which would mean more than 40 ‘office hours’ a week.

But that’s a bridge too far for me. And it seems, for the three other full-timers, who’re making noises of complaint about it.

The Head Teacher has told me that the school has been looking for two years for a 4th full-timer to tackle the brutal schedule.

Right now, I’m going to gamble that they won’t find one before August. In which case they’ll probably extend my contract at the ‘part-time’ mornings-only hours.

Laptop Blues


The laptop I bought in May 2019, just before leaving New Zealand, is unwell.

It may be terminal. I’ve been able to get by using flash drives, Linux, and the school’s machines. But revival attempts on the PC are taking up way too much of my time.

The worst upshot has been missing online classes with my favourite Japanese student. He’s an interesting guy, a native Japanese who’s lived in Thailand for 3 years, and supports himself as a sports writer. He’s been far and away my most consistent and loyal student. I regard him as a friend.

But his tolerance for me being forced to cancel classes won’t be unlimited.

Apartments


I’ve become accustomed to the smaller living space, cheaper rent, and higher electric costs at the new digs, and plan to be here til July.

I’m also finding my way among the local roadside food stalls. So far I’ve found good, cheap, quality sellers of duck eggs, avocados, pork luncheon, and fresh greens. Still on the list are banh it, and seafood. I’ve learned that rather than ask uestions, the fastest way of identifying a mystery food is often just to buy a sample.

Categories
Vietnam

What a Difference

As the old song goes, what a difference a day makes.

Day 1, May 4, back at school and Murphy’s Law struck with a vengeance. I started thinking seriously about resigning. Day 2, and problems disappeared like Vietnamese puto cakes.

Day 1

The rolling train-wreck started the previous day when my laptop decided its number was up. The damned thing refused to boot into windows, and the Linux install gave me no WiFi. So, all told, next to useless.

The train-wreck continued when my bike died on the way to work. The smallest Mercy was that it happened at my planned Cafe stop. I quaffed my coffee, left the bike there and ‘taxied’ to work. On the pillion of a motorbike. Clutching as I was, a laptop, a backpack bag, and a 6-litre water bottle.

At work, I learned that, as feared, no aircon was allowed in classrooms. Nowhere in New Zealand even approaches that heat. It’s like Venus. Hot enough to begin a weight-loss programme by going outside for an hour.

On arriving home, a 15-minute bike-ride, I cranked up the aircon, flopped into a chair, and stayed inside for the rest of the day.

Day 2

School admin saw sense, and allowed aircon in classrooms. Without it, myself and foreign teachers from South Africa, the US, and Canada suffer so brutally that survival is uppermost in mind, and teaching ( almost ) nethermost. Ahh, the sweet relief of cool air!

I put a patch on the bike issue by renting another short-term. Taxi-ing to work each day while I fix the Old Dunger bike would be clumsy, and expensive. I was able to rent a good bike for 80k VND / day.

I discovered the laptop would at least boot into Linux.

And, students, perhaps picking up less of a scent of blood ( and sweat ) in their nostrils, seemed to go easier on me.

Day 3, May 6

After getting through my 3 hours’ worth of lesson, and home to Sweet Shelter, the Head Teacher asks me to take his Wednesday afternoon class May 13, for 90 minutes. It’s a vote of confidence from him, and I’m thinking it’d behoove me to be in his credit column.

Categories
Vietnam

Happy Birthday ( to me )

Happy birthday – here’s a power cut to celebrate…

It was the usual routine this morning – walk, coffee, work. Until, that is, the last was knocked out of the schedule by a random power cut at the apartment.

I’d just started an online lesson with my favourite, and regular, Japanese student when everything went West. The lesson, the fan, the fridge, my caffeine-fueled buoyant mood – all gone in a flash.

It means that I’ll likely suffer a penalty for a ‘cancelled’ online lesson. Something I can ill afford when margins are so slim. Also, fridge-stored food will suffer, possibly in the rubbish basket.

After it dawned on me what’d happened, I trudged down five flights of stairs to share my unhappiness with the ( wonderful ) hotel receptionist.

Via my phone, and Google Translate, I learned that the power would be restored at 11:00 a.m., two hours hence.

This isn’t rare here – whole suburbs go black. But at the last apartment, we were at least warned the previous day. It seems the current apartment manager(ess) doesn’t have the nous to keep up, or wasn’t told.

Learnings

  • Prepare for the worst

    That is, have a backup plan. Examples? Power cut
    – ask apartments whether they have such thing as backup power supply. Use the dinky wee
    USB charger I have to power whatever I can. Internet down – Get some reliable phone data, ffs.

  • Remain calm, focus, execute

    That was the mantra I used in Thailand. One I need to revive as I start another full-time teaching stint.

  • Smile

    Whatever happens, don’t lose your rag. It’s a bad look, it won’t help, and it’ll earn oneself enemies. Half a world away ( 8665 km ) from home, I need all the friends I can get.

Categories
covid-19 Jobs Vietnam

Back to School

I learned an hour ago that my school is back from next Monday, May 4th!

I’ll be teaching Monday – Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. You might think this is cause for celebration, and it is. But, the news comes with a large dollop of nerves.

Here’s why;

  • Rustiness

    It will have been more than three months since I last stood in front of a bunch of teenagers playing the role of teacher. Yes, I’ve been teaching online, but that’s a cakewalk compared.

  • Heat

    Hearsay, and a website, has it that air-conditioners won’t be allowed in classrooms. Covid-19, you understand. It’s coming up toward the middle of summer here, with temperatures feeling like mid-30s °C by late morning.

  • Covid-19 changes

    Students and teachers have to wear masks at all times, and keep a(n anti-) social distance of 1.5 metres. I expect there’ll also be rigorous washing of hands etc. All told, a different game to when I last played in January.

  • Moving

    Ramping up the pressure a little more, I’ve committed to moving apartments. I have to do it a day or two before school starts.

On the Other Hand

This is what I signed up for. I’ve done it before. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Categories
Lodgings Vietnam

On My Way

The heat, the traffic, and the dogs have won out, and I’m on my way to a new apartment May 3.

The new apartment is about 2 km down the road, and is closer to the town centre, the beach, and the school.

The new apartment is smaller ( three rooms – bedroom/living room/kitchen, tiny balcony, and bathroom ), but is cheaper, at $3.2 million VND/month ( ABOUT $225 nzd ).

The Heat

Coming into summertime, the heat is becoming hard to handle. Here at 25 Quang Duc, the only room with air-conditioning is the bedroom. Where I’d rather not spend the entire day.

The Traffic

The new place is just enough off the beaten track, so that ( I hope ) I’ll no longer be bombarded with vehicle horns. As I am here, mornings around 7am – 8.30 a.m., lunchtime, and from about 4.30 pm to 7pm. The rest of the day it’s only every few minutes.

The Dogs

Here there are dozens of local dogs which need professional help. A quick bullet would also work. At almost any time, somewhere close or within hearing distance, one of these will be doing it’s nut.

It’s gotten to me. The new place is surrounded by a few less dwellings, so I’m hoping this improves.

I’ve put a deposit on the new place, and committed to a month. If it doesn’t work, I have a couple of back-up plans ( bolt-holes ).

Alea jacta est.

Categories
Vietnam

It Ain’t Half Hot

In a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’, I’m now ( sometimes ) pining for the winter chill of Whangarei.

Here’s why;

As you see above, early afternoons feel like 41 °C. Before 7 a.m. feels like 30 °C, and by early evening, it’s cooled way down to … 33 °C . And those evening and afternoon ‘walks’ are done in the apartment corridor, in the teeth of a breeze.

Who needs a cooker? If not for the dust, you could slow-cook something on the pavement here. In the afternoons.

So I’m struggling a little – going ‘outside’ ( anywhere without air-conditioning ) feels like plunging into a hot bath, at least after late morning.

Here’s how I’m attempting to cope;

  • Decamping to the bedroom

    , the only place in the apartment with air-conditioning. It’s small, so the air-conditioning works pretty efficiently. And, surprisingly cheap, by setting the aircon temp at ~= 26 °C, and running a fan. I finagled a deal for power @ 3000 VND ( NZD 0.20c ) / unit from the usual deal of 4000 VND / unit.

  • Cucumbers

    Brewing up ‘pickled’ cucumbers by adding hot water, salt, and apple cider vinegar to chopped cucumbers, and stashing them in the fridge. ‘Cool as a cucumber’.

  • Skulling

    plenty of water.

  • Opening windows

    and doors to get a mini-hurricane whirling through the main room by late afternoon. Downside : the madness and horns from the road below are in my face.

  • Dousing

    myself around the neck, shoulders, and under-arms with ‘cold’ water. Most times, the pipes themselves are warm, so this works best with fridge-cooled water.

    • I’m a little nervous about the return to teaching ( early May? ), not least because official Government guidelines advise against using aircon in classrooms!

    This isn’t what it said on the packet. Below is the official climate in Nha Trang. April – average relative humidity – 80.5%. Take it with a grain of salt.

    Nha Trang Climate

    Climate data for Nha Trang
    Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
    Record high °C (°F) 31.9
    (89.4)     		33.3
    (91.9)     		34.2
    (93.6)     		35.9
    (96.6)     		38.5
    (101.3)     		39.5
    (103.1)     		39.0
    (102.2)     		39.5
    (103.1)     		38.3
    (100.9)     		34.8
    (94.6)     		34.3
    (93.7)     		32.8
    (91.0)     		39.5
    (103.1)
    Average high °C (°F) 26.9
    (80.4)     		27.7
    (81.9)     		29.3
    (84.7)     		31.0
    (87.8)     		32.3
    (90.1)     		32.5
    (90.5)     		32.4
    (90.3)     		32.5
    (90.5)     		31.5
    (88.7)     		29.7
    (85.5)     		28.2
    (82.8)     		26.9
    (80.4)     		30.1
    (86.2)
    Daily mean °C (°F) 23.9
    (75.0)     		24.5
    (76.1)     		25.7
    (78.3)     		27.3
    (81.1)     		28.4
    (83.1)     		28.6
    (83.5)     		28.4
    (83.1)     		28.4
    (83.1)     		27.6
    (81.7)     		26.6
    (79.9)     		25.6
    (78.1)     		24.4
    (75.9)     		26.6
    (79.9)
    Average low °C (°F) 21.3
    (70.3)     		21.8
    (71.2)     		22.9
    (73.2)     		24.6
    (76.3)     		25.5
    (77.9)     		25.6
    (78.1)     		25.4
    (77.7)     		25.4
    (77.7)     		24.7
    (76.5)     		24.0
    (75.2)     		23.3
    (73.9)     		22.0
    (71.6)     		23.9
    (75.0)
    Record low °C (°F) 14.6
    (58.3)     		14.6
    (58.3)     		16.4
    (61.5)     		19.4
    (66.9)     		19.7
    (67.5)     		19.8
    (67.6)     		20.6
    (69.1)     		21.5
    (70.7)     		21.3
    (70.3)     		18.8
    (65.8)     		16.9
    (62.4)     		15.1
    (59.2)     		14.6
    (58.3)
    Average rainfall mm (inches) 38
    (1.5)     		16
    (0.6)     		31
    (1.2)     		35
    (1.4)     		70
    (2.8)     		59
    (2.3)     		36
    (1.4)     		50
    (2.0)     		159
    (6.3)     		302
    (11.9)     		332
    (13.1)     		153
    (6.0)     		1,280
    (50.4)
    Average rainy days 7.8 4.0 3.3 4.3 8.5 9.2 8.4 9.6 15.2 17.7 17.6 14.0 119.5
    Average relative humidity (%) 78.0 78.8 79.7 80.5 79.3 77.8 77.2 77.4 80.4 83.2 81.8 79.5 79.5
    Mean monthly sunshine hours 185 208 261 258 255 230 242 233 202 183 142 142 2,540
    Source: Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology[10]

Categories
covid-19 Vietnam

Opening Up

My Old Man ramble this morning revealed a pleasant surprise – my favourite cafe is open again!

Good news – it means I can relax under cover, at a adult-up sized table, away from the flies, and get my ritual morning boost and head together for the day ahead.

I later leaned that restaurants and other businesses are opening up too, including internal flights … *.

This after five or six days of no new reported covid-19 cases here in Vietnam. *

On the downside, the beaches here in Nha Trang are still emergency-taped off.

No word yet on schools re-opening, but the peanut gallery is guessing that it may be early May. 

Vietnamese?

If the above link is gibberish, use the Google Chrome browser with the Google translate extension. And it’ll make slightly more sense in English.

Categories
Vietnam

Gang-audited

Cadets at the army base, taking exams (?)

For the last few weeks Army cadets have been beavering away over the road below my apartment.

They’ve been at it now many mornings, and I’m guessing they’ve been sitting exams.

Either that, or they’re being gang-audited.

And since I’m on the subject of the Army, below is a New Zealand classic song by The Dabs, from the great early 80s compilation It’s bigger than the Both of Us