20.11. - Happy Teachers' Day

The 20th of November is Teacher's Day in Vietnam. It is celebrated nation wide, and although some of my colleagues had hinted that it was a big deal,  I didn't quite understand the scope of it,  until I had the chance to live it.

A few weeks earlier signs started popping up around the city. They could be seen outside language schools,  restaurants and even corner stores.

On Tuesday after school our Board of Directors (BOD) hosted a ceremony and dinner for all the teachers at our school.  There were speeches and thank yous, and CIS principal Sheryl Freeman took the time to explain to us how respected and valued teachers are in Vietnamese society.

The Vietnamese believe that one of the traditional values of the Vietnamese people is the promotion of learning and the respect for teachers. In the Feudal and Colonial periods, teachers were seen to have more importance than parents; their position was “only lower than the king” (Worldbank, part 1.paragraph 1, 2010). 

When I heard this for the first time,  I really felt a new level of responsibility.  I had a renewed realization of the potential value and impact that a teacher can have on a student's life. It's something that we all know, but at that moment in time,  I could feel it. 

 We all received a gift of 500,000 vnd from the BOD and enjoyed a social dinner. 

Stepan, and some of his crew. 

Viktor and Sammy...enjoying the dinner. :-) It wasn't really a kids event,  but hey,  it was right after school,  and where are we supposed to put them?  ;-)

It really did feel like everyone was celebrating Teachers' Day.  We even received a basket of flowers from or real estate agent, Thao. 

Flowers from Thao (our real estate agent).

Students of all grades prepared songs,  dances,  musical theater, a speech and a great video. Teachers did no teaching on this day.  One of the students was appointed teacher for the day,  and actually led the classes for the day.  All students were dismissed at noon, right after lunch.  The philosophy of the day was to give all the teachers a break and show them appreciation. 

Some of the gifts we received.  Stepan and I are not classroom teachers with our own classes,  but we were still thanked for our contribution to the students school lives. One of my students brought me pearl earrings (from his parents' company - Hoang Gia Pearl). I'm serious. ..I was NOT expecting that one!  Some teachers had so many gifts they could not even carry them all.  Flowers,  cakes,  money,  dresses,  Channel lipstick...and the list goes on.  It was actually quite overwhelming.  One of the Vietnamese TA's told me that this is nothing...She said that teachers at public schools are treated to a weekend away or trip (overseas). Can you image going away as a whole staff! ? 

It was quite the day. ..Teachers' Day, a first for me on many levels.  Everyone loves to feel appreciated; it was fun being the guest of honor for the day. 

X-Rock and life is good

Saturday morning was parent teacher interview time at CIS. The kids had received progress reports at the end of the week and we were excited to chat with their teachers about how the year was going.  A few things were different for us this time around: we work at the school our kids attend,  so we already know the teachers (actually we socialize with them too, so there is already a familiarity,  which is nice), the interviews were on Saturday...can't see this happening in Ontario...can only imagine what the unions would have to say about it, and it is the first time our kids have attended an English school,  so we were curious to  see how they were transitioning from an all French school to an English school, and also to ask about how we could help them maintain their French,  because neither Stepan nor myself speak French and we speak Czech at home with the kids. So yeah, alot going on. ...

We were so happy to find out that all four  are progressing well. ..their language skills are where they should be and as teachers say "they are a pleasure to have in class"...David keeps the discussions interesting and has great ideas. ..Veronika is a leader. ..Viktor is oh so sweet - and smart,  and Eva loves singing and dancing and art.

Stepan and I are proud and happy parents!

Saturday night we had a bbq at Riverside (our apartment complex) with some of the teachers and their families from school.  It was nice to chill and chat.  We grilled all sorts of things....hamburgers,  pork chops,  chicken,  squid. ..but no steak (streak is extremely expensive here. ..even the burgers set us back way more than at home,  but they were delish). The kids played. .way past their bedtime, but it was great to catch up about life and share ideas and stories.

Sunday morning we didn't really have much planned,  but Mr. Jean (Veronika's teacher) texted me asking if we, or Viktor (Viktor and his son Sammy are good friends) wanted to go rock climbing.  I had never tried it and Veronika and Viktor  had gone on a school trip earlier in the week and loved it, so we decided to go.

It turned out to be an awesome day. The six of us squished into a small UBER and met Jean and his boys downtown.
We went to x-rock in D3. It's a rock climbing facility attached to a larger sport  complex in the center of the city.  The prices were quite affordable,  especially when we compare The cost of rock climbing in Canada (105,000 vnd for two climbs,  150,000 vnd for a one hour pass and 220,000 vnd for a full day pass). The staff were very easy going and helped us find rock climbing shoes for everyone, and before we knew it we were climbing.  Veronika was like a pro. ..can she ever climb! Getting our climbing shoes on. 

Everyone made it to the top. ..multiple times! 

David, Veronika and I...climbing together.

Stepan, aka Spiderman

Viktor and Sammy...coming down. 

Eva...We could not believe what a great climber she is - 5 years old! 

The climbing crew. 

After climbing we were all hungry,  so it was time to take a walk and find a place to eat.  Noon is nap time in Vietnam...you can see people napping everywhere. ..in their shops,  in hammocks they've strung up on the side of the road, under palm trees...even on motorcycles. .. ;-)

There is no such thing as a bad place for a nap. 

On our walk back to D1.

Great restaurant! 

Strawberry smoothie for Eva

Noodles with beef.  David's favourite meal.

Vietnamese pancakes filled with veggies,  shrimp and pork. 

Grilled squid...my favourite!

Veronika showing off beautiful glass vessels of Vietnamese wine. The decor and ambience of the restaurant were beautiful. 

Saw this sign down the road from our restaurant... you see some pretty strange deals here.  I guess it's go big or go home! 

Look at the root system  of this tree.  Incredible.  The kids are working off their lunch at one of the many outdoor exercise parks around the city.   They are very common here. 

Lady at Ben Thanh Market, sitting beside a huge jackfruit.

We finally made our way Ben Thanh. We wanted to buy some dried fruit,  especially dried mango,  ginger and coconut.  We got a lot of attention and heads were turning to look at us.  You see,  we were a big group.  2 men (Stepan and Jean) 7 children, and myself. On every corner, I was being asked if they were all my children. ..it was so funny!  I would just shake my head, put up 4 fingers and say "only" 4 , and I would still receive nods of admiration...4 children is not very common here. Most families have one or two, sometimes three.

Just around the corner from the Ben Thanh Market, on our way to the bus stop,  we passed a Japanese festival, complete with giant Pikachu. 

Attempted selfie...We need practice.

We tasted  a few Japanese specialties, saw some crazy comic characters and made our way to the bus.  It was just rounding the corner as we were nearing the stop so we all broke into a run - yep, all 10 of us...The bus driver let us get on,  which was great, because sometimes they don't even come to a complete stop and you are literally hopping  on.  We found seats mostly at the back of the bus and the kids started singing.  It was so funny.  Everyone was looking back - and the bus was full.  We were obviously the only white people on the bus and we were the entertainment. ..again.  I have no doubt that every single person on the bus thought I had seven kids. ..it was just too funny. Luckily the bus driver came to a complete stop when it was time to get off,  so we all made it home safely and had another great day in Saigon.

Saigon Sightseeing

Sunday, November 8 we headed into the city.  We took the bus downtown and thought we would take a taxi to the Central Post Office, but in the end decided to walk, because the weather was great and it was just under 2km...so totally doable. Plus, walking in the streets provides you with so much opportunity to notice the details and venture into little shops, that would otherwise be overlooked.

Evi looks so thrilled here... ;-) It was at the end of our trek to the post office.

We were actually on a mission.  I have spent the last month trying to find a post office near the school.  I've been told it's there by some, but others I ask say they know nothing of the place.  It's eluded me so far,  so we decided for the sure thing.  The Central Post office in HCMC. It's a beautiful historical building and it's on our list of 23 things to do and see in HCMC.  

The Central Post Office is at number 2, Paris Commune Street, District 1. This is one of the oldest buildings in Ho Chi Minh City. The Central Post Office was built around 1886 – 1891when Vietnam was part of French Indochina.  I have found conflicting  information regarding the design of the building,  but from what I have read it is either credited to two French architects Auguste Henri Vildieu and Alfred Foulhoux or the infamous Gustave Eiffel.

In front of the Central Post Office.

Before heading into the building we decided to take a bit of a break, plus we had bought a couple more cards to send so we had to sit down somewhere to write.   The kids spotted a Dunkin Donuts and on their request we Sat down for a snack and rest and took pens to start writing. 

Oh the selection!  From pumpkin and flower donuts to coconut cashew flavour. ..how do you choose? ?? The kids had a difficult time deciding.

Beautiful and intricate pop up paper cards. The detail is incredible! 

Our timing was perfect, because as we sat and wrote and drank our lattes, it started to pour...a lot. Luckily the rain here never lasts long,  so we just sat tight and within a half hour continued on our way. 

We saw a man outside the post office selling a Vietnamese version of donuts with lost of sesame seeds and honey. I asked for 4 and made the mistake of not getting a price before I ordered, so we were gouged and paid 100,000 dong for them...crazy, that's almost $5US. But at least we had some photo opps and we supported a local vendor. Note to self. ..next time ask for price before ordering...that is a must.

All the kids tried carrying the tray of donuts and they said it was really heavy. 

The interior of the post office is beautiful.  So ornate! It really reminded me of Europe.

On the far wall is a huge portrait of Ho Chi Minh, or as some of my students have referred to him,  Uncle Ho (it took me awhile to figure out who they were talking about,  but I finally got it). He is considered by many, to be a great Vietnamese hero. 

Evi posing again...she is so popular.  Almost celebrity status...;-).  Every outing we go on there are at least a few people who stop  her for pictures.

Fun in the phone booths. 

The Notre Dame Cathedral is literally across the street from the post office. 

Inside the post office there are also some cool souvenir shops.  Unlike the market,  the prices area fixed,  so its kind of nice because there is no bartering and negotiating.  We bought a map of Vietnam and HoChiMinh City so that we can finally get a grip on where we are and start planning our next weekend trips.  Otherwise,  we were not out to buy anything,  although we did see a lot of interesting things there.  

Posing beside the cathedral before heading out for dinner. The cathedral was closed,  so we will have to come back another time to venture inside. 

We finished off the day with dinner at Bahn Khot CoBa in D7 (close to home)...with delicious veggie and shrimp filled rice pancakes wrapped in fresh greens. My phone had no battery power left so I will have to get some pictures next time.