That "Bike Life" Though...

One of the first things that people think of when they think about Saigon is MOTORBIKES! I've seen estimates of anywhere between 4-6 million motorbikes in the city alone. It's hectic at all times, but at rush hour you can really feel it. And don't even get me started on how people drive in the rain! Everyone starts driving super aggressively to get home as fast as possible, and it just slows down traffic further.

Traffic circle at night

I've always been adamant that I would not be driving a motorbike while living here. However, upon arrival I found that they were unavoidable. The first issue I had was how to cross the road. The stream of motorbikes is unending, so, contrary to everything I learned growing up about crossing the street, you have to just step out into the sea of bikes. Somehow it works, motorbikes swerve around you, and as long as you keep walking at a steady pace, you'll (most likely) make it across in one piece. Whatever you do, DON'T STOP, this will confuse the driver and they won't know which way to swerve. I'm pretty sure I held my breath every time I crossed the street for a straight week when I first arrived.

Photo from: InHoiAn.com. Bikes as far as the eye can see.

Next up, taking taxis and ubers are super affordable. I thought, "Ok, perfect, I can just get around via car." Not so much. It takes about double the time to navigate through traffic in a car than it does on a motorbike. And, while $3-$5/ride anywhere in the city sounds nice, it does add up.

At this point I gave in to the fact that a motorbike might be a necessary form of transportation, so I started taking "Xe Om's." Xe Om translates to "Motorbike Hug" and is basically a motorbike taxi. I was able to get from point A to point B much quicker, but holy sh*t those dudes drive like maniacs. Using the Grab Taxi app (amazing, definitely download it if you visit) I was able to start using their Grab Bike feature, and those drivers tend to be much more chilled out.

In order to avoid always relying on a xe om, I started riding a bicycle around town. Great for speed and a workout, not so great for showing up looking like a professional. Sweaty mess is more like it. Riding a bike did however prepare me for getting behind the wheel myself. Riding the bicycle taught me how to navigate traffic, which turns out to be semi-organized chaos. I realized that if I could do it on a bicycle, I could do it on a motorbike. In fact, I'd feel safer driving my own motorbike rather than on a defenseless bicycle or at the mercy of a crazy unknown moto driver!

So,...that's how I found myself being the proud renter of one of the cities millions of motorbikes. Now that I've gotten the hang of it, it's actually quite fun!

Picture me rollin'

Goodnight Vietnam, Good Morning Portland!

Packing For a Year in SE Asia

I did so much research before my departure on what to bring. Spent tons of money stocking up on things that the internet thought I needed. I arrived in SE Asia with two huge suitcases, and yet there are still many things I wish I had brought. And several I shouldn't have bothered bringing.

THE USEFUL STUFF
Jogging Strap for my iPhone - I wish I could say this was because I was logging tons of miles over here on the daily, but nah. It's because I can strap google maps on my arm as I'm driving around this city on my scooter. People stare at me with envy at all of the stoplights. At least that's what I think they are doing.
Sunscreen - I can't read the labels and sunscreen is one thing I want to make sure I'm getting right.
Sunglasses - You can buy them super cheap here, but one can never have too many pairs of shades.
iPhone - This thing has been my lifesaver! The first month I existed solely on wi-fi, and was able to communicate with people back home via iMessage, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Facebook, Instagram etc. It was wonderful. Now that I'm settled I have a local SIM card. Unlimited data for less than $5/month. Beat that Verizon. (and it allowed me to capture the lovely photos below, with my luggage all up in the pics.)
My Kindles - I resisted going digital for the longest time. I love physical books. But bringing a ton of books when space is limited just isn't practical. I have a Kindle Fire and a Kindle Paperwhite, I don't leave home without my Paperwhite! (Shout out to the Overdrive App and Kindle Unlimited for letting me check out books at my leisure) (Another shoutout to Kiesha for the hookup.)
Back-Up Chargers - I've already lost at least two. Time to buy another one but that's just annoying.
Advil - Who wants to wander the aisles of a foreign store looking for something to help with your jetlag/occasional hangover headache? Not me.
Tampons - Thank you internet for the heads up. There are no tampons anywhere here! Pads galore though if you'd like to wear diapers every month.
Electric Toothbrush - Gotta keep these pearly whites clean!
Laptop - Cause duh.
Bluetooth Speaker - Thank goodness for Spotify. I need my jams.
My Winning Personality - haha ;-)

WHY'D I BRING THIS CRAP?
5 scarves - I always like scarves, I have a ton, but I very rarely wear them. And who needs them in this heat?!
She-Wee - I was advised by one of the many blogs I read to get a She-Wee. I haven't used it once. Squat and deal with it. (Definitely had to deal with some REALLY disgusting bathrooms out here though. Ew.)
Shampoo/Conditioner/Soaps - They make that here too. And I'm not even picky about the type I use.
Costco sized containers of like 5 different OTC meds. They sell them here. Much cheaper. . Should have left it at the Advil and kept it movin. Ha.

THINGS I WISH I BROUGHT
More Clothes - I pictured my self in vacay wear all the time. Sundresses and sandals. But I find that I wear all types of things, jeans, leggings, nicer clothes for work etc. They sell those here, but I have an entire closet FULL back in PDX.
More Sneakers/Flats/Sandals - See above
More Workout Gear - I've been pretty consistent with my yoga game, and it's annoying handwashing the two sets I brought all the time. Namaste.
Stain Remover - They don't sell it here. WHY? I'm a slob, I need it!
Movies - I can't always find English ones, and when I get off work late and have to work early it would be nice to have a selection to pop in. Or a netflix account. Who wants to hook me up?

After actually making this list, I guess I didn't pack that poorly. Always room for improvement, but hey, I've never lived here before! And minimalism is on trend, so really I should be culling down my wardrobe anyway. Or something like that.

Goodnight Vietnam, Good Morning Portland!

Hilarious Signs Throughout SE Asia

I never laugh at my students at their English attempts. They laugh at me all the time when I try to say their names, but whatever. I do, however, crack up when I see some of the signs out here.

My favorite part of this restaurant was the signs. And the view.
The food was gross.
(Vietnam)

The no squatting signs always make me laugh.

This has to be intentional...right? Seen in Malaysia

Interesting depiction...

Good to know. Seen in Cambodia.

Great, so much for the stew I was planning to whip up.
(Cambodia)

No, no, the pleasure was mine.
Thanks for telling me how to flush.

Uhhh...ok?
(Cambodia)

I can't remember what the sign actually says,
it's not what it looks like, but from that angle HA!
(Vietnam)

UGH, they won't let us do ANYTHING here!
(Cambodia)

Errr.....

Caution old people crossing?
(Vietnam)

I'm sure I'll have more material for a follow up post to this one in the near future. ;-)

Goodnight Vietnam, Good Morning Portland!

It's Official, I'm a Teacher!

I just looked at the calendar and was blown away. Nearly a month has gone by since I officially started teaching. I guess a teaching update is a little overdue.

The kids are adorable. and super smart. I've been attempting to learn Vietnamese, and the language is about as far from English as possible. So props to the kids. Although it's summertime, there's no break from English class. The kids still have to attend twice a week, 2-3 hours each time!

Some of my first students, during training

One of the biggest surprises so far is my favorite class. Teenagers. A bunch of wild teenage boys, who I teach on Fridays nights. They have me cracking up the entire time. I thought the teens would be the worst, but they are great. A close second is my 5 year olds class. They couldn't be cuter if they tried. I've never been one who likes the spotlight or enjoys putting on a show, but somehow I walk into a classroom and become a dancing puppet. It's a lot of fun, but it's exhausting as a mo! Anyone want to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"? I've gotten pretty good at it.

Case in point: "King Pig. Like a BOSS."

This weekend I worked 15 hours. Was there at 7:15am both days, and didn't leave until 9:30 at night on Saturday. The week is much quieter, only 3 hours in the evenings, and I have the whole day to explore, have lunch with friends, etc. Today I treated myself; yoga, an afternoon at the spa, and some wine and cheese for the win.

On that note, I'm about to continue my "treat yo'self" day, and watch movies in bed. :-)

Goodnight Vietnam, Good Morning Portland!

My Week in Malaysia Pt. 2

A friend of mine from my TESOL program went to Kuala Lumpur today. I was so excited to direct her to my KL post, because I know she's an eater like me. I then realized, oh yea, I never posted part 2. There are so many things to do beyond eat, so I wanted to share a few highlights of my trip.

I had a week in Kuala Lumpur, so I took full advantage of my time. When I wasn't stuffing my face I was busy sightseeing and having fun catching up with Allison. I'm pretty sure I only scratched the surface of all that KL has to offer, but from what I saw I'm a fan.

So small compared to the statue!

Batu Caves: Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, however it is also home to the largest and most popular Hindu Temple outside of India. The Batu Caves feature a massive gold statue of the Lord Murugan, and about a million stairs that lead to the temple, situated in the caves above. The site is really impressive, and I imagine it's an incredible temple to worship in. The caves also feature one of my favorite animals - Monkeys! They were everywhere and were so cute! I'm wary of getting too close to wild monkeys, but I definitely took about fifty-leven photos of them. The Batu Caves are home to the annual Hindu festival Thaipusam, which if you happen to visit the caves at that time would definitely be a sight to behold. Take a look at the hashtag #thaipusam on Instagram, you'll see what I mean. Note: If you visit, bring a sarong to cover your legs or be prepared to rent one. Uncovered shoulders are allowed here though!

Oh hey cuties!

Batu Caves

My Week in Malaysia Pt. 1

I spent a week in Malaysia visiting my friend Allison before starting TESOL class in Cambodia. Allison is from Phoenix, AZ and has lived in Costa Rica for a year, Panama for 3 years, and now she has been in Malaysia for a year! She's quite the worldly woman, and I knew a visit with her would be a great way to kick off this adventure.

Best tour guides a girl could ask for

I was pleasantly surprised by all that KL had to offer! The city felt much bigger and more modern than I had expected. I'll be honest, the extent of my Malaysian knowledge was pretty limited to the recent plane crashes. Oops, ignorant American. What I found upon arrival was a diverse, fast paced city filled with delicious food, friendly people, luscious greenery, and a fabulous skyline.

Kuala Lumpur skyline at Sunset

Let's jump right into the important info. I had so much delicious food during my visit, a few highlights included:

Who, What, When, Where, Why...wait what??

This post was intended to be created prior to departure, but I'm a bit of a procrastinator. Better late than never right??!

While nobody was super surprised by my Vietnam announcement, they did have a lot of questions. Here are my answers.

Who: Me, duh. I've always loved to travel, in fact after traveling in Europe for 6-ish months in 2007, I had planned to move home, save a bunch of money, then go travel and teach in South America. Instead life happened, I wound up finding a great job working with some even better people that sent me traveling me around the world. My wanderlust was satisfied for a while and I never ended up heading South. Fast forward to 2015, and things were finally aligning for me to take the leap. It was now or never and I chose now.

What: Move halfway across the world to a country that I've never visited and don't speak the language. Shrug, why not. I can travel, help people learn a language, and get paid to do it? Sign me up! Originally I had planned to get an online TESOL certificate (neccessary to get a legit job) and find a teaching position immediately. I had read that it is super easy to find English teaching jobs in Vietnam, and I was ready to get started. However, the more I thought about it I realized I want to be a really good teacher, and I wasn't sure I could learn enough from an online course; face to face teaching seemed like a better option. I found a month long TESOL program that took place in Cambodia for two weeks, then moved to Vietnam for the second two weeks. Sounded like a good option to me, I got to check another country off the list while working towards my goal, so I signed up for the class, bought my plane ticket and started making solid plans.