Commemorations and Con Dao

Another big week has been had, and it was a particularly good one, as I was on holidays.
It has been our final break before Term 4, which is a short six weeks, but also a busy one as the external exams begin tomorrow and their organisation are my domain.

The week began with Anzac Day, and I attended a very nice service here in Saigon at a campus of RMIT university (the site of the original AIS). The service was well attended and focussed not only on the past but also the current unrest worldwide. There were refreshments too - mini sausage rolls and lamingtons, yum.

The city has also been ablaze with posters and celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of Victory Day - the fall of Saigon, which ended The Vietnam War. I was away on the actual day, but did see some of the floats from the parade rehearsal and I was fascinated by the posters. They remain in the old style of the propaganda posters with their bold colours and strong images.  

Victory Day Posters

The highlight for me however, was a trip to Con Dao Island, a relatively untouched oasis at just a 45 minute flight from Saigon. The island has an interesting past, as it was the penal colony from French colonial times and continued its operation until 1975.

A visit to the prison was quite confronting as it was a place of horrendous torture, reminiscent of S21 in Phnom Penh. The cemetery now houses many of the thousands who died there and it was a good location to wander and reflect on the hurts that people have endured. This was particularly poignant in a week that was focussed on commemorating wars, as well as the event of the Nepalese earthquake.

In contrast, the natural beauty of the island was nothing short of spectacular and the lack of overbearing tourist infrastructure was also refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed wandering the wide tree-lined streets of Con Son town with its many French colonial buildings, albeit a little dilapidated, and eating at local restaurants.


A day of snorkelling off one of the smaller islands was a real treat. The number and variety of vibrantly coloured fish was fantastic and the coral was also impressive. Perhaps not as good as in Fiji 35 years ago, but age could be tainting that view. The only downside was the sunburn to the back of my legs and arms! Ouch!!

Hiring a motor scooter to drive on empty roads with jungle covered mountains on one side and beautiful clear water on the other was a rare but welcomed way to travel. Lizards and monkeys were spotted and there was plenty of bird life too. But the pinnacle experience was clean deserted beaches with white sand and refreshing water. It was so nice to just be able to park your bike and go for a swim without any worries of your bike being nicked and to enjoy the lack of other human presence.

But did I mention that it was hot? VERY HOT!

Con Dao - a few more photos
                                                         

Never a dull moment

Two weeks ago my luck with Apple devices took another blow as my iPhone was snatched from   hand whilst enjoying a relaxing Friday night glass of red wine.

How could this happen, I hear you say .. well here in Vietnam it is unfortunately a regular occurrence and when my guard was down I too became a victim.

I was comfortably seated at a new street-side cafe/wine bar and the cunning thief drove his motorbike along the pavement and with one swoop, my phone was gone and heading down the street!

I was speechless!!

The first reaction was to finish my glass of wine (which was on the house) and then off home to track my phone, but no luck so then began the task of changing all the passwords.  
With the very kind help of my real estate agent, I spent two hours of Saturday morning at the police station, as with a police report I could claim the loss on my household insurance. But would the policeman give me a report with a stamp ... No. We had to return on Monday with a different form. However,  the police man became unavailable to meet or even answer a phone call. Humph!! Hopefully, my sob story to the insurance company will be rewarded.
In the meantime, I am now the protective owner of  new iPhone 6. It was time to upgrade anyway!!

Last weekend was a little more relaxing, as Liz and I took to the island of Phu Quoc for some quality sun, sand, seawater and seafood. I refrain from using the word surf as there was hardly a ripple like true Adelaide style but it was so nice to swim in the ocean, read and snooze the weekend away. Plus, BBQ'd prawns, squid and cold beer with your feet in the sand is never a bad dinner option.

Yesterday, I joined a group of students and staff from school attempting to ride the distance from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi on static bikes, all in the name of charity. Mission was accomplished! And, a great view of the lunar eclipse was had whilst enjoying dinner at a new Danish restaurant.

Today, I acted as support crew for a group of staff doing the Dragon Dash - the Vietnamese equivalent of Tough Mudder (but with a monumental lack of any safety standards)!! All was going well, with lots of laughs and struggles but great comradery until one of the final obstacles, when one shoulder was dislocated. Thus, my support crew role really kicked in and a few extra hours at the hospital were spent!

Luckily, the weekend closed off in a relaxing manner with cocktails at The Deck!

Happy Easter!!

A trip to Myanmar

Over the last few days, I have been reflecting on my trip to Myanmar during the Vietnamese New Year break, and I am still processing all that I saw.

The bottom line is that even though Liz and I had a good time, learned an incredible amount, saw some amazing things, met some lovely people and ate some great food, we did not love it!

Firstly, what we did enjoy:

Shwedagon Pagoda is an amazing and imposing structure in Yangon (although, the gems built in to the structure could solve a few of the countries problems!!

Stumbling across the Rangoon Tea House for an almost decent coffee.
The modern luxury coach and the divided expressway for our overnight bus trip to Mandalay.
The temples in Mandalay.
The expanse of the temples and stupas in Bagan. The absolutely incredible displays of workmanship are so difficult to describe. Everywhere you look are stupas and the local people continue to live their lives amongst them.
The sunsets over the stupas and the Irrawaddy river.
The duck, cauliflower and indigenous herb salads at the family-run Mothers Choice restaurant in New Bagan. We only ate their three times!
Myanmar beer.
                               
Viewing the simplicity but hardships of everyday life as we traveled the countryside.
Seeing the leg rowers on Inle Lake and their abundant vegetable gardens. 
The colourful local produce markets.Talking to our guides and learning more of the complex history of the country.
The smiles of the people.



The challenging aspects:

The traffic in Yangon. No motorbikes are permitted therefore the traffic is horrendous.
The state of decay of the beautiful colonial buildings in Yangon. Who will be able to afford to restore them?
The betel nut chewing, YouTube watching,  restaurant eating Buddhist monks. How can the poor of the country keep supporting these religious icons?
The poverty and lack of street lights.
Women working to make or repair the roads by hand.
The dust.
The endless construction.
The feeling of despair for the people - how will this country lift its standard of living in a fair and just way.

Obviously, I have been in these types of environments before and I know that other people have loved their time in Myanmar, but my experience did not leave me with a positive and uplifting sense that this country is heading in the right direction. Hopefully I am wrong and that in 10-20 years it will be the vibrant and go-ahead country that is Vietnam.

More photos of Myanmar

Not the holiday I was expecting!

Lovely though the holiday was, feeling like I had been hit by a bus on the last two days of term and then a diagnosis of Dengue Fever, did not set a great scene. Those pesky mosquitoes!!

I was able to fly back to Australia but then a couple of days later ended up in hospital so that my platelet and white blood cell levels could be monitored. It was a little bit of a circus, as there aren't that many cases of Dengue in Adelaide, yet the relief was that I was home for Christmas.

I was certainly not at my best as much time was spent on the couch and much cricket was watched but I slowly felt better and began to have more energy. I was just lucky to be with family and enjoy most of the Christmas treats, as well as tomatoes, cucumbers and apricots straight from the garden.

I managed to make a quick trip to Melbourne to attend the Job Fair; this time on the other side of the fence, as a recruiter for AIS. A very interesting experience!
Catching up with a few good friends and eating some great food were also highlights.

Now that I am back in Saigon, I am going to work and doing not much else, as I still don't have my normal energy levels back, but I am enjoying being  in the land of pho and banh mi and the very mild weather.

To keep me entertained, I have read a couple of great books: Stoner by John Williams and The People Smuggler by Robin de Crespigny. TV viewing has included series of Orange is the New Black, Borgen and Newsroom and now, the tennis!

So, all in all life ain't that bad - maybe I just needed a gentle reminder to slow down.

Ho, Ho, Ho

Merry Christmas to you!

I hope that wherever you are and whoever you are celebrating with, it is a time of joy and gratitude.

 This time next week, I will be in Adelaide and I am very much looking forward to my time with
family and friends.

Another term has flown by and it has been filled with fun, food, friends and a little teaching and learning!

I had three sets of guests in a month, so I was kept on my toes and loved sharing the highlights of this city with Val, Charlotte, Knut and Jenny, as well as my 'local' buddies!

 Obtaining my Vietnamese Driver's Licence was a highlight of the term! It was quite a process, involving four different offices and six separate trips. Having my teeth checked, was an interesting aspect of the saga - not sure how having, or not having teeth would affect my driving ability, but a grip strength test certainly made more sense. During the actual test, I did well to navigate the obstacle course without crossing the lines - but some money still had to be passed under the table! So, I am now legal and covered by insurance which provides peace of mind and I know two particular Lawsons who will also be pleased to know that I now wear a denim jacket and gloves, as added protection!

Professionally, I have been pushed and challenged as I connected with other international educators at a leadership conference on Kota Kinabalu. The sessions provided much food for thought around quality educational processes as well as the Do's and Dont's of effective leaders. 

A job opportunity then emerged in Singapore and although my quick trip down south proved to be  unsuccessful,  the process further clarified my views of effective education and that the grass is not always greener!!

So, I will continue to enjoy my new formed friendships, fabulous students and a very comfortable lifestyle! 

Best wishes for a fruitful 2015!

The term that was ..

Yes, another eventful term has come to an end! My role as Deputy Principal became permanent and I began teaching yet another new curriculum, IB Diploma. Never a dull moment but I am enjoying both, although a little less marking would suit me nicely.

As you can imagine, there have been a few interesting moments in my role as Deputy: setting up new systems, managing staff and students and dealing with parents. Managing my time will continue to be a challenge next term.

I have continued to enjoy my exploration of the city and venturing further afield on my motorbike has really made this much easier.
I have discovered new art galleries, interesting buildings filled with period charm and of course new restaurants.


A relaxing holiday was in order, at the end of term and mission was accomplished. My colleague and good friend, Liz, and I flew to Hue and spent three lovely days relaxing at Vedana Resort. 


There was very little to do here, which suited us perfectly.
Unfortunately, we didn't have blue skies, but the glimpses of the surrounding mountains were spectacular and we enjoyed watching the fishing boats ply the lagoon.

Then, once we ventured into the local village, and viewed the simplicity and hardship of the lives of the people we were very grateful for the jobs we have!

In Hue, we enjoyed going to see the Citadel, and eating the specialty foods - variations of rice cakes with prawns (and being served by a 93 year old waiter). But, the highlight was our XE OM tour to the nearby covered bridge, tombs, pagodas and temples. Taking the back alleys and seeing life on the streets was fascinating, as were the views of the Perfume River and learning more about the history of the country.

         

Photos of Hue

Now for Term 2!