Teachers for Vietnam @ Can Tho!



Well I'm in Singapore! Who knows why I make the decisions I do. But I'm here! This country is amazing. The city is SO clean and beautiful. But so so so expensive. It's ridiculous. I've overstayed my welcome, but going to stay one more day and fly back to Vietnam for NYE. I miss it. I keep seeing things that remind me of Vietnam and I get all nostalgic and I think, I'm so lucky I'm going back! I'm going to be miserable when I return. I actually am sort of afraid to go home. I've changed a lot and I'm only halfway through this experience! My closest friends have kept up with my and my crazy thoughts, but I know for sure things won't be the same when I get back. I'm not the same person so I intend on moving somewhere where I don't have to fall into the same traps. I read this book called Buddha or Bust... I highly recommend it if you are at all interested in Buddhism, or just reading an interesting book. A journalist went on a trip around the world to follow Buddhism and how it became what it is today, and how it spread across the world. Anyway there were two things I wanted to share. One was this quote about exactly how I feel. He was talking about his own travels and he said,

"As nervous as I was about taking off on this journey, I was getting equally nervous about the prospect of its end... it meant that the magic dust would wear off, that I would be drowning in receipts & financial problems, back problems, and relationship problems. Once the trip was over I worried that I would fall into the same old rut I'd been in before." A little bit more dramatic then I would have put it, but I could have written that. We even have the same specific problems haha. Anyway, I'm not overwhelmed with these thoughts yet, but I know that I will be.

Another good quote from a not worth mentioning book was "The ocean a blank slate, as today becomes yesterday and we cross into tomorrow. It's the closest I'll get to time travel. I like the idea of going into the future and am already lamenting my imminent return to the past."

Anyway, I digress. Buddha or Bust had another great part that I actually coppied down because I wanted to share with you all. It was written by a Jewish / Buddhist / Comic. His name is Wes Nisker. In a stand up show he presented his idea of Zen Socialism - "letting go together" for all literal purposes. Anyway, I thought it was completely brilliant and if I were president.. well,

"The first step would be for the US to resign as a super power. As an ordinary nation, we would redirect our $500 billion a year defense budget to build the greatest education and health systems in the world. To ease the transition I'd introduce a plan, not unlike the New Deal, called the New Age Deal, or the Great Leap Backward. I would establish a US Department of Meditation & Therapy, with deprogramming centers to teach hyperactive people to become less productive members of a less productive society. Then we'd put them to work on disassembling lines shoveling metal back into the ground and deconstructing highways. We'd invite third world countries to send volunteers to teach us how to live with less and how to take siestas. Then we would do what we do best: entertain. We'd invite everyone to witness the worlds 1st international decline and fall at a theme park called Formally Great America. The downhill rides would be spectacular."

I'm not really sure how to follow that, so I'll just change the subject. I would also recommend theh book Dry by Augusten Burroughs. It its very similar to A Million Little Pieces, but a very real book, and a quick read. He also wrote Running with Siccors, which was just as good, if you haven't read that yet. Unfortunately out of all of the books I've read those are the only two I want to recommend. I will admit, however, that I have a book buying problem and I have about ten in my backpack right now. So hopefully at least one of those will be worth sharing again. I also read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which was perhaps too intense for me at the moment, but it is one of those books that will mean something different to you every time you read it, which I love about a book. So if you're into it, you should also read that one.

And as if I don't have enough quotes in this one particular blog (what do you call one blog - one message? I don't know the correct term) I found another one, also from Buddha or Bust (author: Perry Garfinkel) that restates what I'm doing here on the other side of the world.

"That pilgrammage was about discovering the road, about fathoming the scope of the world and the billions of lives lived every day somewhere without me knowing about them"

I love it when an author is inside of my head. I just started reading Revolutionary Road (which is apparently a new movie) so don't tell me what you thought about the movie before I'm done reading. I also read Twilight- I gave in 1) because i was at a book exchange and it was the only tempting offer and 2) because i never game in to Harry Potter, or anything other trilogy or whatever for anything and a few people really don't understand why I haven't. So I gave in - and I was thoroughly disappointed. I really wanted to be hooked - keep going back for me. But it really didn't do anything for me. Anyway Sarah and I went to see it in Bangkok, and I just really didn't like the movie either. And I don't get this whole Edward Cullen phenom - he's not that good looking! So, I tried, but sorry I'm not going to get on that bandwagon.

A new obsession: this song. I heard about all of this a while ago, but one of my students did a presentation on this and I love this song. The lyrics are pretty powerful. And of course the whole "Free Hugs Campaign" was really great, too. I want one of those shirts.

Happy Holidays! Next time I write I'll be HOME in Can Tho :-)