May your days be merry and bright!

Hello Friends and Family!  I have to admit to being extremely lazy about my blog the last couple of months...Sorry:)  We have been so busy!  Blah Blah Blah, yes, I know, you hear that all the time, we're all busy right?  My other excuse is that we haven't had a camera, and what's a blog post without a picture to go with it.  However, the holidays are here, we are getting a new camera for Christmas and I am making it my New Year's Resolution to write more!  I can't explain everything that has happened over the past few months, but I'll do my best to give you the abridged version.   Here it goes:  I have successfully performed in two parent meetings this month.  Although I disagree with having them and think they are a pain in the 'you know what' to plan for, they played out nicely and the parents were happy.  I went to a Ladies Luncheon/Christmas Exchange with a group of 20 lovely ladies, organized by the extra lovely Liz.  When the luncheon was over, I had a belly full of pizza, a cute new purse and Vietnamese doll and a handful of new friends that I looked forward to seeing again.  Meanwhile, Piotr was continuing to try his hand at surfing.  He never fails to come home with an injury, but he is now able to stand up on the board!

We both had Friday and Saturday of Christmas off.  We both missed our families. We were both happy to have each other.

Santa wasn't able to bring our families to us this year, so instead, he brought us 2 days FULL of sunshine, which we both agreed made the holiday seem extra special.  Christmas Eve day started with  the neighborhood boys, teaching them how to cut out snowflakes, which we decorated our doors with.  Around 3pm, we went to Bread of Life for their annual staff Xmas party.  It was a wonderful event!  Kathleen (owner) gave a touching speech to the staff about how much she loves and appreciates them, and then one of the deaf staff members told the Christmas story in sign.  We ate.  We laughed. We cried. Then we played!  Kathleen organized a gift exchange, kind of like a white elephant exchange, only she had provided all the gifts.  Each person got a number.  The higher your number, the more gift options you had to choose from.  So, number 1 started by choosing a present and opening it.  Then number 2 came up, chose a present and then had to make the difficult decision of keeping the present (without knowing its contents) or trading with number 1.  We were number 32 out of 35.  When it came round to our turn, the hot item seemed to be the huge bulk size jug of cooking oil.  Without a second thought, Piotr took a present from under the tree, handed it to the guy who was currently holding the oil and snatched up the oil.  Unfortunately for us, number 33 had her eye on the oil too, and within minutes it was gone.  We ended up with a girls shirt.  Sorry Piotr :(  

From Bread of Life, I went to the physical therapist and Piotr went to pick up my computer, which had completely crashed the night before.  My session at the therapist left me feeling relaxed and aligned and ready for the evening ahead.  Piotr had made reservations at the Life Resort for their Christmas Eve Buffet.  We were joining a couple that lived down the street from us, who also happens to be the guy Piotr works for at InDanang.com.  We ate again.  We enjoyed the company of others.  We came home.  We went to bed.

Christmas Day, like Christmas Eve, was full of sunshine!  I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.    After talking with my family (funny that it was already Xmas day for us and still Xmas eve for them), we headed straight for the beach.  I caught a few rays and Piotr caught a few waves:)   A few friends joined us on the beach, and then later we joined them for my first ever vegan Christmas dinner.  The dinner turned out to be fantastic, which didn't surprise me, but pleasantly surprised Mr. Meat and Potatoes, Piotr, who thinks a meal isn't a meal unless it has meat and potatoes.  We ended the evening with the classic "A Christmas Story", which was better than I remembered it.  I really enjoyed the narrative.  It was Piotrs first time seeing it and he agreed, the story is really well written and told perfectly from the memory of a young boy.

Sunday.  Boxing Day.  Chill out.  Make a run to Metro.  Cook up a huge batch of flour tortillas, which should last us the week.  Eat quesadillas.  Drop by the Boxing Day party at Liz and John's, enjoy a couple glasses of wine, some good conversation, and call it an early night.  With work again on Monday, the holiday was coming to a close.  All is all, it was a wonderful Christmas!

Side note:
We now have 2 bikes, which I tend to use more often then Piotr, but we love taking them to the market in the morning!  I also got a pair of rollerblades!!!  The best location to blade...up and down the beach.  Amazing!  We bought X-mas presents for the 3 neighborhood kids who ALWAYS come over and hang out with us (Cam, Thinh and Hung)... the kids were sooo happy and surprised and I'm pretty sure we were a huge hit with the parents!  Piotr's present to me was a Vietnamese rice hat, 2 pairs of faux sunglasses, and a surprise still to come when our friend gets back from the states.  I got Piotr a nice silver money clip with a diamond in it.

Merry Christmas!

<3 angie

My Year in Status

Mosquito Zapper 5000: A Must Have

The mosquito zapper is a must have in Vietnam.  It can be plugged into the wall to recharge, swings like a tennis racket and makes the sound and spark of an outdoor bug zapper.  The one night we didn't go on a mosquito hunt before bed, I woke up the next day with bites up and down my body!  Don't go to bed without one!

Baby look at me, look at me. You're money, and you know what else? You're a big winner tonight.

I was looking forward to the end of today, and now that time is here.  It feels good to be done with my first parent meeting at Superkids.  I hate how nervous they make me feel!  7 years of teaching and parents still manage to put me in a tizy.  Fortunately, this year,  I managed to control "pre-meeting" anxiety with a trip to Hoi An, which occupied my mind and my Sunday.  Sunday turned into Monday, which came with a phone call from my friend Carol.  She had arranged for an impromptu lunch made especially by her, in honor of our friend Ashleigh, who is moving back to the states on Wednesday.    Spicy lemongrass chicken, along with banana flower and mint shrimp, green leafy vegetables with a name I can't say, and loads of rice were served and I got to watch and learn from the whole process.  Hopefully, I'll be able to duplicate it and serve it to my babes.  The meal filled all the spaces in my head that were full of scary, bad parent meeting thoughts. Thank You Carol!

I have a tendency to get ridiculously worked up sometimes and forget to trust my own confidence.  Hello Angie?!$  You're money baby, money baby and you don't even know it :)   If I had known it,  I would have known that all of my worries were just a big waste of time.. but.....  because I didn't "know it" I wasted at least an hour of time that could have been spent on painting the rat on my wall that I've been talking about for the last week, but not doing anything about.

 So instead of painting, I got to school two and a half hours early (surprise surprise), ran thru "my lines"(over and over),  added a few minor decorative touches to my room (totally unnecessary), and got ready for my "teachers day" debut.  It wasn't until my students walked began walking into the class, excited and all aflutter to show off to their parents, that I realized I wasn't the star of this show.  They were.     Their lively and perceptive personalities shined, and the room lit up with smiles. I couldn't have been more proud of my beautiful babies:)

Highlights of Hoi An

It's that time of year again - tis the season to be jolly!  What better way to spend this time of year than to spend the weekend in Hoi An, a retail Mecca, known for its handmade clothes and shoes.  Only a short 45 minute drive from Da Nang, Hoi An emanates pure charm. Vibrant and modern scenery mixed with the ubiquitous fingerprints left over from China and Japan make this "Ancient City of Vietnam" a place definitely worth seeing.

The streets in the Old Town are stacked, one after another after another, with clothing shops, shoe shops, lantern shops, painting shops and more.  If you see something you like in a clothing shop, simply point to the mannequin thats sporting your future fit, the salesperson takes your measurements, and the next day you'll have a custom outfit made specifically for you.  Alternatively, you can also look through one of the giant catalogs they invariably have in the shop, or bring in a photo or drawing of the look you want and they’ll sew it up for you.

The funny thing about the shops in Hoi An, is that almost every clothing store displays the same style garments.  I wonder if one shop started selling a wool coat with an asymmetrical collar, and then all others followed suit, or if the shops are just fronts for the same 2 or 3 "sweatshops" aka "tailors" that offer the exact same garments.  In any case, it makes it very difficult to decide which store to choose.  This is where the bargaining begins.  Such a large proliferation of almost identical shops makes the competition fierce, and when faced with the customer making a purchase elsewhere, any salesperson is bound to lower their prices to keep your business. 

The vibrant and bustling open air market mixed with the proud old buildings, elaborately carved wooden facades and exteriors colored blues, yellows, greens and reds, from paint made of shells from the sea, make this town's old fashioned charm always visible. 

In the evening, the quiet streets of Hoi An are at their most romantic, bathed in a rainbow of glowing paper lanterns in all manner of shapes of sizes.  I purchased a beautiful orange one that I have hanging over our kitchen table.

Although the city is known for its retail, you can't visit the city and not try one of their specialty dishes.  Hoi An is famous for its Cao Lau dish, which consists of flat noodles mixed with bean sprouts and greens and topped with pork slices. It's served with crumbled crispy rice paper immediately before eating.  Cao Lau is said to be unique in Hoi An because the water used in the preparation of the authentic dish must come from a particular well in town.  I have heard that they sell Cao Lau in Da Nang, but that it doesn't compare to the one in Hoi An.  All I know is that the Cao Lau I had was DELICIOUS, and would be hard to beat!

The alluring, attractive and appetizing atmostphere of Hoi An works its magic on you within a few hours of being there.  At the end of our first night there, we sat in the Cargo Bar, overlooking the Thu Bon River and watched the sun slowly color the buildings of the Old Town as it descended into darkness.

Our evening ended with a boat ride down the river from a husband and wife duo (not the ones seen in the picture.)

Good Times Good Times!  Thank You Hoi An!