That "Uncle Ho"

I did not get to fly on a Hello Kitty Eva Jet. What a disappointment, because the lead-up was so dramatic with the pink striped gate in the waiting area with all of the little pictures and the playground. The gate seemed way too special to lead to nothing. My brother, who called me on Skype right after I posted (and yes, we talked through the internet for free while I was at the airport in Taipei and the connection was better than the one between our cell phones from Seattle to Bellingham) asked if he could have my Hello Kitty tray (what nerve!). Well, Brian, neither of us will get one now.

Anyway, I'm retrieved from the airport by a cute girl named Tu (pronounced "Du") holding a card with my name on it right outside the airport. She introduces herself as the "Director of Student and Staff Relations." During the bus ride (the Mercedes Benz bus is owned by the school) to the hotel (which is in District One, the most interesting district, according to my Eyewitness Travel guide), I ask her what her job entails. At first she says she is not exactly sure, because she is new along with most of the teachers, and then she lists a variety of duties and says, "And I have the most important job there is. I count the days you work and am in charge of payroll!" (she cracks up). Then she hands me a new SIM card loaded with time as well as one million Dong (the name for money here, which is ripe for fun). "Now I am making you a millionnaire!"(cracks up). I ask if Ho Chi Minh is on every bill. "Yes, he is. We call him Uncle Ho!" (cracks up.) "Just like you have Uncle Sam, right?" (cracks up). Well, I guess...except her uncle is real and inspired a gritty movement for independence, I think.

The ride there reminds me of my passenger days in China, where Amy and I uttered The Lord's Prayer in taxis on many occasions. "Motorbikes," pedicabs, cars and buses swerve in and out in front and behind, wherever there is space. I read that HCMC is filled with motorbikes, but I would describe it as a motorbike army. Most people on these scooters are wearing bandanas or face masks, but it doesn't seem particularly smoggy, and, thank goodness, the heat is not sucking the air out of my lungs. I think that my summer experience in Shaoxing toughened me up for life regarding heat and humidity.

We arrive at the hotel, Tu hands me a map and points me in the direction of the famous market just two blocks away and leaves. "Have a good time! See you tomorrow!" (she is taking me and some others apartment hunting after the parent orientation at the school). It's a nice hotel, and it's my home for the next two weeks.

After getting somewhat organized, I head toward the magnet which is the market--because I am hungry, and so, so excited. On the way there... I pass carts with fruits, vegetables, steamed banana leaves filled with rice and mung bean paste, salad rolls, sandwiches, fried fish and pho. I was too young to be a real "That Girl" fan, but the way I feel is like Marlo Thomas in the opening credits, where she is wearing the pink suit and the pill box hat and purse with the white gloves (is this an accurate memory?) and she is so overwhelmed by New York City and her freedom and love for her surroundings that she throws her hands in the air and spins around as the camera zooms out, capturing the moment. This is how I feel now, as I take in the food options in my path. I need an overhead camera...I take one of everything, and it is all delicious.

When I head back to the hotel, I run into a group of teachers. I like them all immediately. They invite me out for a drink and we are out for hours, just laughing and talking and planning excursions for the year...

OK, now, go back to the part that reads "on the way there..." I will now tell you how it really happened. There are no food carts, and I am gripped with fear at having to play Frogger across the street, a game I learned to play so well in China. I can hardly muster the courage to cross. Outside of the market there are numerous people with deformed limbs. They approach me, point at their deformity and ask for money. I enter the part of the market where women are hacking away at meat with cleavers, then move to the area where women are hacking at Dorian, the stinkiest fruit on the planet. The market must be ten blocks by ten blocks and it reminds me of the market in Oaxaca, only the goods are just a little different. Just like Oaxaca, there is an area of counters where women are serving pretty much the same foods: noodles, fried fish, snails, meat on sugarcane and salad rolls instead of enchiladas, tamales and chili rellenos. Every time I pause at a stand, a menu is shoved into my hands and I am commanded to "Sit down." Finally, I choose a clean-looking stand and order the shrimp salad rolls. They are chewy, not fresh, not even close to Tamarind Tree delicious. While I am eating, I see flies landing on the rolls in the case. When I stand up, jet lag hits and the market with its smells and sounds starts spinning, a spin quite unlike the spin in the "That Girl" opening credits.

I head back to my hotel--it's 3:30 in the afternoon and I'm going to sleep, just for a few minutes. I wake up and it's midnight. I'm starving, so I eat a Power Bar. One of my lights flickers on and off even though it's turned off, so I have to stand on a stool to unscrew it. Did I mention that I'm starving? And I haven't met any teachers.

I am not discouraged --just hungry and there aren't any Hello Kitties --or windows--in my hotel room, where I am wide awake and did I mention- hungry. I just got an email from another teacher who is also wide awake, so I suggested a hotel lobby meeting at 1:30 am. Not sure if she will think that is really weird, but we'll see. Someone go and eat a salad roll at the Tamarind Tree for me, OK?

**One hour later: Cynthia did meet me in the hotel lobby. She is my new hero. She is from San Diego and has only left California twice - she has never been overseas. Because California is laying off so many teachers, she decided to look "elsewhere." She is in her 50's and has three kids in their twenties; her two sons are freaking out about her split second decision to pick up and move, but her new husband of two years is supportive. She thinks it's good that he is out of touch in Dublin on business at the moment, because he "doesn't do well when I cry." Like when she tried to convert traveler's checks at the bank and they told her they "didn't do that anymore." She talked to her 80 year old dad on Skype today, though, and she was able to cry with him. She's teaching second grade. She is looking at this as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Like I said, she is my new hero. She can be your new hero, too.

Hello Ho Chi Minh City Kitty

Wow, this 13 hour flight from Seattle to Taipei was the best ever. I boarded a half-full Eva Airbus at 1:30 am, found my entire row empty, took a sleeping pill, woke up for meals only and suddenly it was over. My two hour trip to San Francisco last month felt three times longer. Now, sitting at the Eva Air gate waiting for my flight to Ho Chi Minh City, I feel so, so....happy. Here's why: First, look at the seat I am sitting in while I enjoy free wireless service:

And now, see the gate to which I will enter my what-will-now-surely-be-a-magical year in HCMC:Who could deny the power of HK's extreme cheerfulness? Behind me is a Hello Kitty Playground, around the corner I can see what Hello time it is all around the world, and I can use a pink Hello phone to call home if I want. I am hoping that I will get to board a Hello Kitty Jet for my next short flight...I saw one when we landed. You know that one of these planes would never "fly" in the uptight US. Here's an explanation of Eva Air's Hello Kitty Jet:

"EVA repeated the livery theme inside the cabin by creating a Hello Kitty fantasy with sweet Hello Kitty paintings on the walls, and by outfitting flight attendants with Hello Kitty ribbons for their hair and Hello Kitty aprons. Passengers booked on EVA’s Hello Kitty Jet will get pink Hello Kitty boarding passes and luggage tags. Onboard, they will enjoy a series of inflight Hello Kitty service accessories, Hello Kitty meals, and have access to exclusive EVA Air Hello Kitty duty-free shopping."

I really, really want a Hello Kitty meal.

I have three hours to wait in this very happy place, which makes me even more happy. After two weeks of packing up my life and executing countless details to make this happen, and after a great sleep, I can just sit and relax with all of the kitties. Next week, I will have to start worrying about whether or not I can be Smarter Than an ESL Vietnamese 6th Grader in matters of ancient history.

Oh, you probably noticed my blog name: "Pho~ a long, long way to run..." courtesy of my #1 fan, Karyn Norris. I may have been tempted to choose hers no matter what, because she is my #1 Fan. But this one just grew on me more and more. Dennis says that the lyrics are actually "Far~a LONGER way to run" and he threatened to never read the blog if I dissed Julie Andrews by misquoting her. Well, "longer" just doesn't make you SING it, does it? By the way, I was asked for a pho-netic spelling of pho: it's "fuh."

Well, I am off to find some food. Hello Food?

Evangelism

The other day my brother and sister-in-law asked me what I would miss most from home. They claim that I answered "tacos" before they added the caveat "besides friends and family." Well, they have yet to experience the Taco Bus on Rainier Ave. S and Court St (and they didn't think about the fact that I interact more with them when I am gone than when I'm here and that tacos can't post witty things on my blog).



I posted about another taco bus last summer, one just south of this one in Columbia City "Taco Bus=Happiness." That bus is great, but JP, who knows both humbao AND tacos (and what else, JP?), was quick to set me straight. And I listen to JP. Ever since December, I have taken at least one person per month to the bus (which you actually climb into to order, instead of ordering through the window) and my efforts have resulted in many conversions. The truth is that there is no better taco, in Seattle or Mexico (or Texas, so I've been told). My search has been thorough. Now, only through this posting, can I continue to spread the word while I am gone.

Here is what I order, every single time, clockwise from the left: 1) Mulita with avocado 2) Sopita 3) Taco. And I always get them with carnitas: roasted pork, rendered crispy fat on the edges. Squeeze a lime on all of it and don't forget the hot sauce.


Go forth, and tell me when you do.

My Soul is a Good Student. (Can it name my blog?)

At the end of January - on Super Bowl Sunday, in fact- I attended a "Soul Collage" party/session at my cousin Lisa's house.

Here is a very simplified description of the Soul Collage process: a group of six of us went through stacks of magazines looking for cool pictures, cut them out and arranged them on cards. A very gracious facilitator named Mary guided us through the process. According to the website, the goal is:

"Cards containing the images you select --- or the images that select you --- come straight through your Soul, contacting the intuition, bypassing the mind."

To tell you the truth, I just enjoyed the day and had very little expectation from my soul. Lisa has interesting friends and her house is cozy and she makes great food. So at the end of the day, I went home satisfied with my little "art project." I put it away and didn't look at it again until just a few days ago, when I was packing things up for my trip to Vietnam.

When I saw the first one with the orca tail, the eagles and the flying squirrel riding the wave I laughed. When my quest for a "next step" began this July in a serious way, I signed up for a Kayak trip to the San Juan Islands...something I have always wanted to do. I went with a company called "Outdoor Odysseys" for the sole reason that they emphasized gourmet camp food on their website. The name of the tour? "Eagles and Orcas: San Juan Island Kayak Trip." I am not making this up...here, look at their website (and sign up, because they make coconut curry vegetables and tortilla soup and eggs fritatta and teach you about island history): http://www.outdoorodysseys.com/

At the end of the collage process, we chose one card to write about in a structured manner. I wrote about myself in the place of the flying squirrel (which one of Lisa's friends gave me at the last minute to complete my picture) and I mentioned wanting to jump in, loving freedom, being ready to fly somewhere new and tap into that adventure part of myself.

So, THAT is cool and fun and everything, and it is what I have been talking about all year: needing change. And adventure is not something new to me.

But then I pulled out card #2 and felt chills. Look at it! I had forgotten about these completely. If that is not a Vietnamese child, maybe she is Cambodian, but still...by the way, I just got word I am teaching sixth grade instead of high school. What age is this child, anyway? And is that the universe in the background? With a transparent plastic bag? Did my soul know about the beginning of my quest and the end result of it back in January? Did it know it was going to last most of the summer until I had two weeks to pick up my life and rent my condo? Could it maybe have given me just a little heads up, if so?

Simple little art project? What do you think? I am of the opinion that my soul was paying much better attention at that party than I was. Now I'm thinking that if I had "bypassed the mind" -as the Soul Collage mission states- during college, and sent my soul to class instead, I would have earned much higher than the 3.0 that is now on my transcript.

Now, onto something so simple yet so elusive: I have not named my blog yet. You all have offered such great names, and SBill, I kind of like your Nummy Nammy one best (locker partners forever!). But none of them are quite right! Maybe if I tell my soul to name it, it will happen. But here are all of the suggestions:

Brian: What the Pho? Eating and Teaching in Vietnam

Miriam and Jo: Pho for Me and Tasty Times in Ho Chi Minh City

Dennis: Mekong, You Read and Vietnamerica

Sbill: Pho'n and Pho'nics in Nummy Vietnammy

Mine: Pho Pho Sho

Dennis, who named my China blog "Noodle by Noodle in a State of Confucian" and who was surely laughing when he read about my soul, says he is "A Slave to IT" and IT must come to him to name my blog again. He says this thing a lot, like he was a slave when IT made him stuff a few heads in a refrigerator. Dennis, can you at least try to tune into your soul to name my blog because your IT isn't even getting close? Just try it. You can borrow Jimmy Jack and my leftover Soul Collage cards if you want.

OK everyone...keep trying! It's getting close to the wire (a week from yesterday)~

Motivations

Last week I interviewed for a teaching job in Ho Chi Minh City through Skype, an internet phone...thing. If you must ask, Ok, yes, the job was posted on Craigslist. Where and how, other than on Craigslist, do people conduct their lives? I don't remember! Anyway, at first they told me I was inter

viewing for a K-5 position. I thought, well, that will be different and I want different. Then I was told they had an opening in high school social studies. I thought, well, OK. Then they found out that English was my "thing." The end of the story: I will be teaching English at the American International School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. That's right...two nights ago, I bought a one-way ticket to Saigon. Pushing the "purchase" button for a one way ticket to Saigon was a little weird.

When I called to tell my parents, my mom responded with the usual. "We never know what you're going to tell us when you call." I responded with, "Just think how I feel." This couldn't be any more last-minute.

Back to the interview...when the principal asked me why I wanted to teach in Vietnam, here's what the thought bubble above my head looked like:

...so I paused. "Well," I said. And I paused again. Finally, I said, "Um, honestly, I want to teach in Vietnam because of the food." He laughed. He said, "I eat pho ga every day!"

Here are a few details: the school has gone from 70 to 700 within one year. Vietnamese parents want their kids to get an English education so that they can go to University in the states...and Vietnam has a red hot economy now, etc. This recruiting company is hiring 30 new teachers for this school year. It's a brand new facility, and they follow the California State standards-based curriculum. Thirty teachers are now in the process of picking up and moving with very little notice; it will not be dull. To use Jaci's comment, "They should have a Real-World camera on all of you!" They are putting us up in a hotel for two weeks, assigning us a Vietnamese "buddy" who will help us find an apartment. The pay is good for Vietnam...I will be making $2600 plus a $300 stipend for housing. They were thorough in their interview process. I don't know what else to say...

Here's the school's website: http://www.ais.edu.vn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=44

Many of you remember my trials teaching in China--no air conditioning, no curriculum among those trials. I said to my mom, "I am going to die in the heat!" She said, "Well, just remember how you endured it in China. Because, you know, you DID endure it." All I remember is that I endured it by promising myself I would never again go to a place that sucked the air out of my lungs. It has been confirmed that the heat in Ho Chi Minh City will suck the air out of my lungs. But then, I know people who FOUGHT in Vietnam, so I can probably walk to school there. My former neighbor, Patti, married to a Vietnam Vet, said, "At least you won't have to drop your pants and check for leeches." I sure hope I won't have to do that.

To summarize and reflect, in 2001, about two weeks after 9-11, I got on a plane to teach in the food pit of the world (with apologies to Cecilie, who is reading this. Norway has wonderful pastries, and she herself is an amazing cook. And it's not that I don't love hot dogs wrapped in bacon and meatcakes and potatoes and waffles). But it's seven years later, and I am getting on a plane to teach in the food mecca of the world. And that makes me pretty happy.

Please help me name my blog for this next chapter~

Drinking Coffee, Saving Turtles, Expanding Horizons

So, the short story is this: I am taking 24 Scriber Lake High School students to Costa Rica this spring to scan the Caribbean beaches and rescue eggs that are laid by the endangered Leatherback Turtles (which might otherwise be collected by poachers and sold at local bars with a beer).

The somewhat longer story is here: The kids going on this trip are special - I know them really, really well. Many of them I have taught for four years -- since they were freshmen. I have seen them struggle with difficult family situations, drug addictions, and learning disabilities. All of them have overcome many obstacles in order to graduate in 2008. Scriber is a school of choice, and many of them chose to attend simply because they needed a place where they wouldn't get lost in the big crowds of the mainstream schools.

Anyway, I kind of love these kids, and there is nothing I would like more than to see passports in their hands and an experience like this to expand the shape of their horizons prior to graduation. This will be the first taste of international travel for all but one of them, and they are thrilled with the idea of making a difference for our planet and creating environmental awareness in our community.

In addition to the work with the Leatherbacks, we will also trek to a school in the mountains to experience a cultural exchange with indigenous students. We will learn about rain forests and cloud forests and volcanoes. We'll be looking for monkeys, sloths, iguanas, coatis, and a large variety of birds and hummingbirds. Our trip is being organized through EcoTeach, an organization with a strong commitment to supporting community-based educational and environmental groups in Costa Rica.

Each student is committed to raising the $2200 fee required for the trip; however our students are predominantly free or reduced lunch kids, not very well- connected to relatives or businesses available to help with our cause.

So here is where your coffee drinking can make such a huge difference: We have hooked up with an award-winning coffee company that buys coffee from small, family owned farms in Costa Rica, and our group will receive $4 for every bag sold in our name. Tortuga Coffee is purchased from cooperatives where participating farmers receive living wages, family medical/dental services, high interest savings and low interest loans and free sustainability support for their farms. For easy ordering instructions (orders are shipped directly to you), see the directions below.

Or, of course if any of you would like to donate money, that would be great, too. Checks should be made out to Edmonds School District (Scriber Lake Costa Rica Trip) and can be sent to: Scriber Lake High School, 23200 100th Ave W.,Edmonds, WA 98020. EcoTeach is a 501c3 organization, so your contribution is tax-deductible.

OR...another choice...they are putting together a PowerPoint presentation about the trip and we would love to come and present it to whomever will listen - businesses, a collection of friends, etc. Just let us know where and when!

We will be inviting all supporters to share in a fun night of pictures, videos and dessert following our return (Tiffany, will you help me with this?).

To order Tortuga Coffee:
1.) Go to http://www.tortugacoffee.com/
2.) Place a coffee order for yourself, family, or business.

3.) When checking out, under “Organization Selection,” please be sure to select “Scriber Lake High School” on the scroll down menu next to “Please select the organization you are fundraising for:” This ensures that your order(s) will be used to support our trip.

4.) In addition, you may select an individual from our team that should be credited with the coffee sale. There is a scroll down menu here that contains the acronym SLHS (Scriber Lake High School) and each of our team member’s last names. Even though my trip is covered, my last name is listed, too. I plan to credit a student's account with anything in mine. Or, you may simply choose “none” from the scroll down menu, making the donation one that would be evenly divided among the students going on the trip.

Thanks so much for your support--every little bit will help us. Please...forward this link to anyone you know who is a lover of coffee, turtles or teenagers.

JP Knows Good Humbao

by Brian

It was the best of bao, it was the worst of bao. Our quest had the focus of JP's list (see previous post) and, therefore, very high expectations (although we tried our own thing three times before getting on JP's righteous track). Here's our list of humbao joints from worst to best, which is also, coincidently, from first to last:

Winner! No Humbao: Shanghai Garden
This place had no humbao, and they weren't even nice about it. Just a terse, annoyed, repetitive response from a lady who said "No bao! No bao!" Sorry we asked.

Winner! Worst Humbao: Honey Court Restaurant
This place had humbao, but the humbao had no flavor. It was lukewarm and very sweet, but that was it. You couldn't taste the pork, it was just sweet. Like honey. Like their name. Clever? No; just disappointing bao. (I mean, look at my fish face when I'm eating it).

Winner! Second Place Worst Humbao: Purple Dot Cafe
At this point we were still doing our own thing, not yet getting to JP's recommendations. In Marjie's previous post about humbao, she had listed Purple Dot as being tied for her favorite, and JP shamed her for it. We were here to set the record straight. They gave us baked bao instead of steamed bao. It was heavy on the onions, and again, it was lukewarm.

Since her record could not be set straight, Marjie said, "Well, JP is kind of a know it all," because she hates it when other people know more than she does about where to get good food. But, after three failures, she was on track to a place on the JP List.

Winner! Very Close Second Place Best Humbao AND Dumplings that Approach Ultimate Dumpling Status: Jade Garden
Marjie cannot pass up a dumpling recommendation, and thankfully, she did not today, either, even though dumplings were not the day's quest. These shrimp and chive ones were packed with shrimp with a rice flour wrapping. Yum. The bao were delicious, and, finally, HOT. I thought that they might have some kind of bean paste added to thicken them up, and the dough was soft yet moist...just right. Suddenly, JP was a likable know-it-all.

Marjie said, "These humbao kick the last humbaos' ass!"

I said, "JP kicks ass!"

So we headed to our last, and best, JP List destination:

Winner! First Place Best Humbao: New Kowloon
Yep, the restaurant you always see from the freeway when traveling north on 1-5. Tasty, not as gooey but even more flavorful. If only the dough was as good as Jade's, but oh well, what's inside is what matters most.

Winner! Best Non-Humbao, Sandwich and Jello Thingies: Saigon Deli
At this point we got off the humbao track and headed to Saigon Deli for a bahn mi sandwich, since I had never had one before and Marjie loves to prey upon people who have never tried something that she loves. We got carried away with all of the colorful jellos, cakes and coconut flavored thingies, too....and something called Pork and Sour, which is a deceptively cute but actually evil, more sinewy cousin of Spam (pictured, center, the only non-green thingy). The ID pigeons couldn't stomach it either, if that tells you something. Although they tried really hard to.

The sandwich was delicious, and I am eternally indebted to my sister for introducing me to this sandwich (I already owe her my existence because of the turkey wishbone...another story). Toasted tofu, shredded carrots, cilantro, daikon and jalapeño peppers in a crunchy French roll. Sound un-American? Yeah, obviously. But also a truly delicious combination.

Hey, JP, where to next?