Today we won our soccer game! I didn't do anything spectacular, but I definitely played better than I did last time, and I almost scored a goal! I know almost doesn't count in this situation, but I was pretty excited about it. All of my students noticed my improvement, although now they expect me to be even better next week, which is a of of pressure! Either way, it was a lot of fun, and followed by my team going out for sugar cane juice (delicious) and lunch (some sort of chicken/rice/catfish/veggies meal.. also delicious). This all happened during game six, so I'm sad to say I missed it, but it does not matter because we've forced a game seven! And I don't have anything to do tomorrow morning! FANTASTIC.
Friday night Julia, Alice, Ben and I spent the night in and invited over two Belgians we met the night before. It was overall a really good time. Fun, relaxing night, dance party included. Towards the end of the night I got into a pretty heated discussion with one of them Belgians about Vietnam. I found myself defending the country as if it were my home. I had been having small problem with people I have met who are "set in their ways." Not to say that I'm not stubborn, but I am absolutely open to others thoughts and opinions. Nothing frustrates me more then someone who just willing to consider that maybe their might be another way to look at things. This guy brought all my frustration back when he started knocking on Vietnam and how poor they are, and how sad things are, and a lot of other things I've chosen to forget. I just kept saying how Vietnam was growing and how it wasn't the same Vietnam as it was two years ago and it's not going to be the same in two years and that the people here are unbelievable and so friendly and learning English, and how much they love and are grateful to spend time with foreigners. It was like he wasn't even listening and just continuing with his thoughts. I don't really understand how someone like that can embark on a trip to Vietnam, of all places, if he isn't willing to open his mind up to the possibilities of this country, especially this city. Frustration. Luckily the night proved to be a success as I just walked away and did not spark conversation with him for the rest of the evening.
Then yesterday Julia, Alice, and I spent the entire day at one of my students houses. Her name is Thao, (English name, Michelle) and it was a really great day. The three of us were in a pretty silly mood, but we basically sat around and helped prepare food, and were fed all day. Her mother was so nice and helping to teach us how to cook. I am gaining such an appreciation for food that I never had before. Being a ballerina and everything that comes with it never really made me like food very much, and I definitely always took food for granted, mostly because I really didn't like it but you just have to eat you know? And i love junk food more then anything. Plus it was always so much easier to go buy something terrible for you than to get food and spend the time preparing it. In college I started to cook a little bit, at least a few staple meals that I perfected over the last two years. But here.. it's so different. The markets with fresh EVERYTHING is definitely the most exciting thing. I loved going to Haymarket on Saturday mornings in Boston, but this is so much better, and it's all day, every day, everywhere. You can literally find anything you need at a very reasonable price. Spending the day preparing food and then having a feast was so great. It is so nice to eat the food after putting so much work into it. And to see that everyone else enjoys it too. We have been spending a lot more time cooking and I can't wait to perfect some recipes and cook actual good food for myself and not have to eat out all the time when I go home (wherever that may be..) So to summarize: all I do is eat, and while everyone was worried I would come back too skinny, well I think we'll have the opposite problem. But I don't even care! Well not today at least..
So we all know that positives some with negatives right? Well...
1- Friday I locked myself out of my house. Because I had a lot of things to do I didn't get home and realize it until around dinner time, by which time the cleaning lady had gone home. I found someone to translate Vietnamese for me and we walked around trying to find a spare key to my house and I was told she wouldn't be back until Monday. I was so tired that I didn't even fight it and I slept next door. So when I got back from Thao's house on Saturday it was after five and I was so worried that everyone had gone home again. After walking around and trying to speak Vietnamese (and finally, calling An and giving someone my phone) I got into my house, finally.
2- As a prerequisite to this story - I AM FINE. Mom, Dad, everything is perfectly fine. However, while riding my bike home from class today, I got hit by a kid riding a motorbike. A few things to mention - A) he was literally a kid, couldn't have been more then ten years old, and I know there aren't a ton of laws around here, but I am pretty sure that's illegal. B) It was both of our faults. I was starting to turn left and he wasn't looking, so we kept going and hit my front tire and I sort of flew off of the bike. It all happened pretty fast. I'm sure I should have looked before I started to go, and I'm sure he should have been looking in front of him and also not driving his motorbike in the bike lane, but I also don't know how much of a "law" that is. Luckily there were about ten guys watching me who helped me get up and shake it off. One of them drove me to a doctor and I got cleaned up. I really only fell on my left leg and my knee and ankle are a little cut up, but I'm superrrrr lucky that that was all that happened. Oh and my bike was smashed up pretty good, but they said they would fix it for me. (I again had to call An and hand over my phone) C) You could say that I "got it out of the way." I sort of figured it was inevitable that something would happen sometime. So it happened. And nothing bad happened besides a few scrapes and bruises. I lived. So besides having to pay to get my bike fixed, there was nothing else terrible about this situation.
What i am worried about is... do things happen in three's even if you're in Asia?
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