First, I would like to inform you that I left my camera at HIS, so I don't actually have any pictures. I didn't take that many anyways since the match was so intense!
We started with an early morning send off at 6:30 am, after the the High School spent the night at school for their "Murder Mystery Lock In". When we arrived at HIS, it was to find a gym lined with championship banners from every sport, from every year. And as we walked up to the net, we found it a good 3 feet higher than our own net that we've been practicing with. Oy. Talk about intimidating!
AM
We started by our co-ed team playing 3 different HIS teams. They were exhausted by the fifth game. But they were winning at several points, they rallied back several times, and they made some really good plays that even HIS parents were cheering for.
- I got some great compliments from parents, teachers and coaches from HIS about how well the team plays together and how hard they work. I'd take these kids anywhere, they're so wondeful :)
- At one point, one of the balls went out of control, and it came down to our shortest little 7th grader to get the last hit over the net. She wasn't even facing the net, but she hit it as hard as she could over her head, it went over the net, over the HIS team, and SWISHED into the basketball hoop on the far side. The whole gym went crazy! After we all picked ourselves up from shock, we restarted the game, and I joked with the ref "2 points?!" He was an injured HIS varsity player, who responded, "That's worth 3!" The scoreboard keepers behind him, also HIS students, motioned that they had given us an honorary point. Too cool.
LUNCH
HIS bought us sub sandwiches from Subway! So spoiled :)
PM
HIS ran a skills workshop. I spent most my time with the girls, since the boys didn't need a cheerleader. HIS had a force of nature as their captain, who ran drills at a yell and never stopped moving. By then end, one of my girls came up to me and said, "Cherry is such a nice name for such a scary person". (The thing is, it worked, our girls can spike now! And two can over hand serve!)
RETREAT
Afterwards we went out for a team retreat in HangZhou. I was a little concerned that it wasn't going to happen. After sitting on the bus for about 15 minutes, when they tried to stand up, they literally all fell/tripped/grabbed the railing for strengh. They found it in them to tour the West Lake and take our own 45 minute boat ride to the sacred area at the middle of the lake. The West Lake is actually on the back of the one dollar bill here, so it's pretty important. We also treated ourselves to some McDonald's for dinner. Students got back in line up to 5 times! They needed to replace all that energy that they used.
PRACTICE
Our practices since then have still been fun, but intense. It seems they are all determined to master the spike/overhand serve after all the individualized tips that they recieved. AIAN sports has never been something to sweat about, but I think after they saw how the big schools train, they wanted to work just as hard, but still keep the fun. Yesterday one of them said, "Wow Ms. Lanham, we're REALLY good!" And they really are, they really are.
When practice was over, I announced that they could gather all the balls into the ball bag, but if they wanted to stay after and work on their serving, that would be fine. When I turned around with the ball bag, I was surprised to find every single student holding a ball, but walking away from me. They were heading for the serving line. Every single one stayed for some extra practice. That's why these kids are good!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
UN Day
Our school celebrates United Nations Day / Interntational Awareness Day every year in the fall. All the students and staff come dressed in traditional clothes from their home countries. There is always an all school performance of music, class by class presentations on different cultures, and all school feast/potluck of international food, and this year the high school studied and debated current resolutions being discussed in the UN.
Dana, myself, Kate and Lara dressed up for UN Day.
Dana is pretty self explanatory I think. Kate and I are wearing our traditional Vietnamese dresses while Lara is sporting her Costa Rican skirt.
UN Day assembly. Lots of musical numbers about culture and diversity. So neat to see some of our students, who maybe can't put together a sentence in class, but all out singing on stage :)
My 2nd grade elves are a little unique. They've been obsessed with Hawai'ian culture ... or what little they know of it, since the beginning of the year. They greet each other by saying "Aloha" and every time we have a Friday dance, many of them pretend try to hula. So when we were asked to choose a country to present, my elves automatically asked for Hawai'i. Of course, there is just one problem with that. Hawai'i is not a country! But, since the elementary is only studying International Awareness, we created a presentation about Hawai'i before it became a US State. We found out that we had to do this presentation on Monday, so they had 4 days to get it ready and present on Friday. Oy!
Also, in case it was hard to hear, here is the script:
- Did you know that only 50% of Hawai'ians vote?
THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!
- That's because right now Hawai'i is a part of the United States, but before, it was its own kingdom.
NO WAY!
- The Hawai'ian people have their own culture, language and lifestyle.
LIKE WHAT?
- There are only 13 letters in their language and an apostrophe is called an okina.
- The Hawai'ians tell stories through dance. When they move their hands, it means something different.
LIKE SIGN LANGUAGE.
- The Hawai'ians have many legends. Legends are stories that explain the world around us.
- Hawai'i is made of volcanos, so many legends are about FIRE.
FIRST we will show you one legend, THEN we will show you one dance.
- The title is "How Maui Made Fire" ENJOY!
As the girl "mud hens" were setting up for the legend, they accidently knocked over the background set, causing a domino effect which eventually landed on the drums. Oops ... no performance is perfect?
And the actual performance of "How Maui Made Fire"
Dana, myself, Kate and Lara dressed up for UN Day.
Dana is pretty self explanatory I think. Kate and I are wearing our traditional Vietnamese dresses while Lara is sporting her Costa Rican skirt.
UN Day assembly. Lots of musical numbers about culture and diversity. So neat to see some of our students, who maybe can't put together a sentence in class, but all out singing on stage :)
My 2nd grade elves are a little unique. They've been obsessed with Hawai'ian culture ... or what little they know of it, since the beginning of the year. They greet each other by saying "Aloha" and every time we have a Friday dance, many of them pretend try to hula. So when we were asked to choose a country to present, my elves automatically asked for Hawai'i. Of course, there is just one problem with that. Hawai'i is not a country! But, since the elementary is only studying International Awareness, we created a presentation about Hawai'i before it became a US State. We found out that we had to do this presentation on Monday, so they had 4 days to get it ready and present on Friday. Oy!
Also, in case it was hard to hear, here is the script:
- Did you know that only 50% of Hawai'ians vote?
THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!
- That's because right now Hawai'i is a part of the United States, but before, it was its own kingdom.
NO WAY!
- The Hawai'ian people have their own culture, language and lifestyle.
LIKE WHAT?
- There are only 13 letters in their language and an apostrophe is called an okina.
- The Hawai'ians tell stories through dance. When they move their hands, it means something different.
LIKE SIGN LANGUAGE.
- The Hawai'ians have many legends. Legends are stories that explain the world around us.
- Hawai'i is made of volcanos, so many legends are about FIRE.
FIRST we will show you one legend, THEN we will show you one dance.
- The title is "How Maui Made Fire" ENJOY!
As the girl "mud hens" were setting up for the legend, they accidently knocked over the background set, causing a domino effect which eventually landed on the drums. Oops ... no performance is perfect?
And the actual performance of "How Maui Made Fire"
And after the legend, they set up for their hula dance. Unfortunately when I went for my computer to get the music, my laptop decided to restart. I knew it would take about 5 minutes to shut all the way down and be up and running again, and we were the last to perform, so I told the kids I would sing it. Again ... no performance is perfect? I was so nervous, I ended up leading the dance wrong. Poor elves! They really did an amazing job!
Also, the story for the dance, (since we said the movements are very important and tell a story), it's about the lifestyle of the Hawai'ian men. Waking up early, taking the canoe out, throwing out the fishing nets and pulling them back in, then the men try to show their toughness :)
Other than that, we feasted on a potluck that the mom's brought. Such a wonderful day!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
One Week - Two Field Trips
First, this weekend my volleyball students had their first victory at an away game in Ningbo. SO PUMPED!!! They were well organized and all the extra conditioning really paid off, as the net was higher than what they were used to, and they were not as sloppy during the third match. Woot! So proud of these guys.
Throughout these weeks of coaching, I've noticed that the kids don't understand jokes or sarcasm. During one drill, one of my students was being particularly lazy. I joked with him, "Don't move your feet, okay? Don't do it! Just make sure that you don't move your feet." This is of course ridiculous since you should always be moving in any sport really. He didn't understand that I was kidding, and after making the rounds, I came back to find that he actually hadn't moved his feet, though he was quite confused. The next pic shows another kind of joke that I had with them. I explained that in order to be ready to dig the volleyball, you must be so low to the ground that you can almost touch it. Now before they receive every serve, they make each other touch the ground first. Also, taking these kinds of pictures has really helped them to see how their form is.
Seriously, these kids are the best kids in the world. While our athletics director and I were examining the courts and which one we would prefer to play on, the kids set up their own serve-receive drill and started running it, giving each other advice, and encouraging each other to work harder. So good!!!!
I took my 2nd graders to the zoo!! The zoo was gigantic, which is great for the animals because they really get to actually have a habitat instead of a cage, but not so great for us, as we also had nine first graders with us as well. The maps seriously needed some indication of elevation change; at times we were actually mountain climbing.
- It's a little disconcerting when you go to the zoo, and all the other visitors were taking pictures of us instead of the animals. Although I was quite indignant, I think it may have been even more hypocritical for me to take pictures of them taking pictures of us, so you won't see any evidence of that happening, but know that it was a major part of the trip.
- Also this was perfect, because not only are we studying what living things need in science, in language arts we're also writing research reports on animals, and in social studies we're studying maps. At the end of our visit, all of my students asked for a map of the zoo. The lady was reluctant to hand out so many, but they were probably the most used maps that zoo has ever had. They were glued to the maps for the whole bus ride home and the last hour of school! Also, ever heard 20 six and seven year olds say thank you in Mandarin? Most adorable thing ever.
Throughout these weeks of coaching, I've noticed that the kids don't understand jokes or sarcasm. During one drill, one of my students was being particularly lazy. I joked with him, "Don't move your feet, okay? Don't do it! Just make sure that you don't move your feet." This is of course ridiculous since you should always be moving in any sport really. He didn't understand that I was kidding, and after making the rounds, I came back to find that he actually hadn't moved his feet, though he was quite confused. The next pic shows another kind of joke that I had with them. I explained that in order to be ready to dig the volleyball, you must be so low to the ground that you can almost touch it. Now before they receive every serve, they make each other touch the ground first. Also, taking these kinds of pictures has really helped them to see how their form is.
Seriously, these kids are the best kids in the world. While our athletics director and I were examining the courts and which one we would prefer to play on, the kids set up their own serve-receive drill and started running it, giving each other advice, and encouraging each other to work harder. So good!!!!
I took my 2nd graders to the zoo!! The zoo was gigantic, which is great for the animals because they really get to actually have a habitat instead of a cage, but not so great for us, as we also had nine first graders with us as well. The maps seriously needed some indication of elevation change; at times we were actually mountain climbing.
- It's a little disconcerting when you go to the zoo, and all the other visitors were taking pictures of us instead of the animals. Although I was quite indignant, I think it may have been even more hypocritical for me to take pictures of them taking pictures of us, so you won't see any evidence of that happening, but know that it was a major part of the trip.
- Also this was perfect, because not only are we studying what living things need in science, in language arts we're also writing research reports on animals, and in social studies we're studying maps. At the end of our visit, all of my students asked for a map of the zoo. The lady was reluctant to hand out so many, but they were probably the most used maps that zoo has ever had. They were glued to the maps for the whole bus ride home and the last hour of school! Also, ever heard 20 six and seven year olds say thank you in Mandarin? Most adorable thing ever.
 |
| The camels were a little too close for my comfort! |
 |
| Thank goodness we didn't get spit on! |
 |
| Sharing thoughts with a lemur. |
 |
| Baby Lemur |
 |
| Mmmmmm 2nd graders look like a yummy snack! |
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| One was eating the mouse, the other was holding the tail. The kids found this quite interesting. |
Port Festival by Video
Beilun is currently hosting the 3rd annual Port Festival of Beilun. The festival, as I understand it, is supposed to celebrate the deepest port in China, and how it has opened Beilun up to many cultures an international awareness. Last Monday we were asked to attend the "opening ceremonies". As foreigners, they wanted us front and center, raised up where the press could take good pictures and video of us that was broadcast on national tv. Not only that, but we were also featured in a video, which you will see below.
I really enjoyed the show and the idea of celebrating how Beilun's port has opened up this village to the ways of other cultures in the world. I felt that the spirit of the festival was to celebrate the international relations that are formed when we trade freely. So you can imagine that I became very frustrated when I was asked to sit in the front row, but the officials wouldn't let my guest sit with me. Shelley works in the library at AIAN, and so she was also able to get a ticket, but she was told that she couldn't sit with me as they wanted only foreign faces in the front row. I ended up giving up my seat, but we still definitely got a good view :)
First, we arrived a little early for the pre show. We didn't really know what to expect at the opening ceremonies, but this definitely wasn't it:
I really enjoyed the show and the idea of celebrating how Beilun's port has opened up this village to the ways of other cultures in the world. I felt that the spirit of the festival was to celebrate the international relations that are formed when we trade freely. So you can imagine that I became very frustrated when I was asked to sit in the front row, but the officials wouldn't let my guest sit with me. Shelley works in the library at AIAN, and so she was also able to get a ticket, but she was told that she couldn't sit with me as they wanted only foreign faces in the front row. I ended up giving up my seat, but we still definitely got a good view :)
First, we arrived a little early for the pre show. We didn't really know what to expect at the opening ceremonies, but this definitely wasn't it:
Several dances from the world were performed including an Afican dance, Islanders dance, some kind of Samba/Salsa, and more!
The most embarrassing moment of the night. A film crew came to the school to interview teachers about why we like living in Beilun. We were supposed to volunteer to be in the video, but as I was walking my kids out to recess, I accidentally passed the director of the film, who actually said, "Oh she looks colorful! Let's get her!" You know when you're talking to someone who doesn't know English very well, and so you slow down your speech, maybe use simpler phrases, and your voice gets louder. That's EXACTLY how I sound in the video. My Mandarin could use a little work, and I've spent the whole weekend studying to make up for it.
Chinese acrobats. We think these guys were dressed as zebras, because at the end there were a lot of horse sounds in the music.
An island fashion show. This was really cute :)
This guy is a former pop star in China. He is now the equivalent in famous-ness to Simon Cowel as he is a judge on The Voice of China. He was REALLY good, and it's cool because now I recognize his music on the radio.
He also seemed very down to earth. I love it when the camera tries to get a few close ups and he just walks away.
So that's it. Pretty crazy conglomeration of a show!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
This Week in Highlights
Vietnam is just way too much to write about, so I hope you enjoyed the videos. I HIGHLY recommend a vacation in Hanoi, Vietnam. Fantastic hotel, delicious food, the nicest people, and incredible views. The cruise was so wonderful. Just a good time all around :)
The most exciting thing to happen this week, is that my Mandarin comprehension is finally come together. I can actually listen in on conversations and understand some things. HUGE improvement!
- Alice and I went out to dinner at a hot pot restaurant. They give you soup, and you order what you want to put in it, and just eat/cook at your own pace. I usually let Alice order everything, but I heard the waitress ask if I wanted my Sprite to be cold. Alice looked at me for confirmation, so I told the waitress, "Yes, cold please". She just about dropped her pen and paper, I scared her half to death! She had no idea I was listening or that I was even capable of responding.
- After dinner we went out to a new salon to get our hair washed. I think we were the first laowai (foreigners) to ever walk down this street, let alone enter the salon. They were in shock. The guy who did Kate's hair was overly excited and made Kate his masterpiece. He was very particular about every strand of hair, and wouldn't let Kate touch anything, not even push her bangs out of her eyes. Kate made a grumpy comment, and when her hair stylist asked what Kate had said, Alice translated something like, "You are doing such a good job". I looked at Alice and said, "That was not a very accurate translation." Even she was surprised that I had understood, and started laughing.
- I think this is going to be a fun new game! No one knew red heads could speak Spanish. I feel like a triple threat now!
Fun Day
We had the PTA "Fun Day" yesterday, All sorts of games, relays and a big potluck at the school with all of our families.
- I had the volleyball team on hand and they were challenged by most of their dads. And they rocked it!!! We still lost, but they played INCREDIBLE. I got soooo many comments. I'm so glad that we played the teachers at the beginning of the season, because everyone can really see how hard they are working and how much they have improved. So exciting!
- Maybe the other exciting thing was, for the potluck, someone brought Krispy Kremes doughnuts. The closest store is in Shanghai, so this was a real treat. Not quite Lafine's, but I'll take it.
- I played a fun little soccer game with one of my kindergartners last year. One of the parents came up and told me that I am an amazing soccer player and that I HAVE to coach the AIAN team. I tried to point out to her that anyone can dribble circles around a 5 year old, but she is insisting. I think I am looking forward to coaching soccer too, even though it's a lot more difficult than it looks!!
Soccer
Speaking of soccer, I had a personal victory this week! The team actually let me take a free kick, this doesn't happen ever. One of my team mates indicated to me that he wanted to head the ball into the net. When I did cross it, I placed it right on his head, it was perfect. He even got a running start! The ball hit the crossbar, but it was still beautiful. Maybe they will let me take free kicks more often?
Classroom
The fall is SO busy with all the holidays. Notable things happening are:
- Lara is moved in and started her first week teaching our high schoolers English.
- I now have NINE students. Woot woot! The class is growing! :)
- We're going to the zoo this week, so expect to see pictures of that.
- There is so much happening, so many trips to plan, I am so exhausted that I actually left the keys to my classroom in the lock twice this week!! Time to get some sleep!
Fun tidbit: Believe it or not, this lady is in fact not getting beamed into outer space, she's getting a perm.
The most exciting thing to happen this week, is that my Mandarin comprehension is finally come together. I can actually listen in on conversations and understand some things. HUGE improvement!- Alice and I went out to dinner at a hot pot restaurant. They give you soup, and you order what you want to put in it, and just eat/cook at your own pace. I usually let Alice order everything, but I heard the waitress ask if I wanted my Sprite to be cold. Alice looked at me for confirmation, so I told the waitress, "Yes, cold please". She just about dropped her pen and paper, I scared her half to death! She had no idea I was listening or that I was even capable of responding.
- After dinner we went out to a new salon to get our hair washed. I think we were the first laowai (foreigners) to ever walk down this street, let alone enter the salon. They were in shock. The guy who did Kate's hair was overly excited and made Kate his masterpiece. He was very particular about every strand of hair, and wouldn't let Kate touch anything, not even push her bangs out of her eyes. Kate made a grumpy comment, and when her hair stylist asked what Kate had said, Alice translated something like, "You are doing such a good job". I looked at Alice and said, "That was not a very accurate translation." Even she was surprised that I had understood, and started laughing. - I think this is going to be a fun new game! No one knew red heads could speak Spanish. I feel like a triple threat now!
Fun Day
We had the PTA "Fun Day" yesterday, All sorts of games, relays and a big potluck at the school with all of our families.
- I had the volleyball team on hand and they were challenged by most of their dads. And they rocked it!!! We still lost, but they played INCREDIBLE. I got soooo many comments. I'm so glad that we played the teachers at the beginning of the season, because everyone can really see how hard they are working and how much they have improved. So exciting!
- Maybe the other exciting thing was, for the potluck, someone brought Krispy Kremes doughnuts. The closest store is in Shanghai, so this was a real treat. Not quite Lafine's, but I'll take it.
- I played a fun little soccer game with one of my kindergartners last year. One of the parents came up and told me that I am an amazing soccer player and that I HAVE to coach the AIAN team. I tried to point out to her that anyone can dribble circles around a 5 year old, but she is insisting. I think I am looking forward to coaching soccer too, even though it's a lot more difficult than it looks!!
Soccer
Speaking of soccer, I had a personal victory this week! The team actually let me take a free kick, this doesn't happen ever. One of my team mates indicated to me that he wanted to head the ball into the net. When I did cross it, I placed it right on his head, it was perfect. He even got a running start! The ball hit the crossbar, but it was still beautiful. Maybe they will let me take free kicks more often?
Classroom
The fall is SO busy with all the holidays. Notable things happening are:
- Lara is moved in and started her first week teaching our high schoolers English.
- I now have NINE students. Woot woot! The class is growing! :)
- We're going to the zoo this week, so expect to see pictures of that.
- There is so much happening, so many trips to plan, I am so exhausted that I actually left the keys to my classroom in the lock twice this week!! Time to get some sleep!
Fun tidbit: Believe it or not, this lady is in fact not getting beamed into outer space, she's getting a perm.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Vietnam by Video
Most people we met in Vietnam spoke English, but if not, no problem! This store owner whipped out his ipad to find out what Kate wanted. Yay google translate! We were looking for the same shirt in a different color.
Watching others cross the street. We watched this group cross safely, just to make sure it could be done!
And we ourselves crossing the street. Make no sudden movements! I actually can't watch the traffic while I cross, or I get a little freaked out, so I'm just holding the camera in that direction without looking.
Sunrise in Halong Bay. A fisherman uses drums to encourage the fish to surface. I wanted to ask him if that really works. I was on the deck with several Chinese and French tourists on our boat. We seemed to be the only ones up though. Other than the fisherman.
Typical driving in Vietnam. We're in the country side on the way back from Halong Bay. We had 4 couples in our van with us (I forgot Southeast Asia is a honeymoon spot). The gal from Poland is describing crossing the street in different countries.
We used a rickshaw as a taxi one day. Daily life of the locals, just passing by.
Ever heard Vietnamese? I thought Mandarin was hard! But Vietnamese has SIX tones. Mandarin only has four. Can you hear them all? These ladies explained the stories performed during the water puppet theatre, and also provided the live music.
The Vietnamese used water theatre as a form of art during the rainy season in the rice fields.
West Lake is a great spot for a morning work out. We cracked up when we found some type of Latin partner dancing right next to the Zumba style dancing. You bet we joined in!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
They say ...
It's one of China's "Golden Weeks", the time when EVERYONE in China has a national holiday, so Kate and I planned a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. We booked separate tickets, so we both arrived solo. They say the greatest adventures in traveling are the ones we least expect ... Here is how my journey went:
Ningbo Airport.
- I arrived only to learn that our aircraft had not even left Hong Kong yet, we were 4 hours delayed.
- One of the families from school was on the flight, so I had good company.
- I also met 2 Israeli brothers in Ningbo on a business trip. After listening to my life story, they concluded that Tel Aviv is the place for me to settle. It definitely sounds like a place worth visiting. And Hebrew is VERY nice to listen to.
Ningbo - Hong Kong:
- I studied my Chinese characters on the flight, catching the attention of the Hong Kong-ese gentleman, who kept leaning into the empty middle seat to meticulously watch me practice my character strokes. Talk about pressure to do it right!
Surprise! Hong Kong - Bangkok, Thailand:
- Since we missed the connecting flight on to Hanoi, another couple and I were sent on to Thailand.
- I met a very enthusiastic young American traveler on the flight. He will be visiting Seattle next month so he was picking my brain for things to do. I think a walk down 1st Ave is worth it, since there are so many shops. He asked for my favorite and I mentioned a vintage clothing store on the South End. He commented how he thought he could see me in a store like that. Then he asked about what my "thing" is, what is it that I do for fun in Seattle. Somehow after mentioning my favorite store, this guy was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that I would swing dance every night if I could. I'm talking bug-eye bewildered. I had a good laugh.
Bangkok, Thailand:
Three very surprising things occurred in Bangkok.
- The first, when I finally arrived at the hotel at 2 am, I turned on the TV for background noise to fall asleep. I literally pressed the power button the TV. The radio came on in the bathroom.
- The second happened when I caught the shuttle back to the airport at 5:45 am. I may have been a little bit tired a few hours before... The shuttle was full so the driver offered me shotgun. I politely accepted and ran over to the other side of the car, opened the door, and stared a the steering wheel. Somehow, 4 hours earlier, I had missed the fact that in Thailand, they drive on the other side of the road, therefore the driver sits on the opposite side of the car. The entire shuttle giggled, as much as you can at 5:45 in the morning, and I went back to where the driver was still holding open the left-front door open for me. Oops.
- Also, I had some frightening visa issues when immigration thought I was trying to smuggle 8 other people into the country with me. So that got sorted out as I was running to last call. But I boarded!
Hanoi, Vietnam:
I'm finally safe and sound here, reunited with Kate, and ready to explore Hanoi. The hotel staff have been absolutely fantastic. They sent an extra car for me, welcomed me with fresh watermelon juice, set us up in their family suite, and rescheduled our two day boat cruise. I feel well taken care of.
So there you go, a whole blog post about my trip to Hanoi, almost none of it involving actually being in Hanoi. I was so lucky to have chatty travelers to keep me company along the way!
Ningbo Airport.
- I arrived only to learn that our aircraft had not even left Hong Kong yet, we were 4 hours delayed.
- One of the families from school was on the flight, so I had good company.
- I also met 2 Israeli brothers in Ningbo on a business trip. After listening to my life story, they concluded that Tel Aviv is the place for me to settle. It definitely sounds like a place worth visiting. And Hebrew is VERY nice to listen to.
Ningbo - Hong Kong:
- I studied my Chinese characters on the flight, catching the attention of the Hong Kong-ese gentleman, who kept leaning into the empty middle seat to meticulously watch me practice my character strokes. Talk about pressure to do it right!
Surprise! Hong Kong - Bangkok, Thailand:
- Since we missed the connecting flight on to Hanoi, another couple and I were sent on to Thailand.
- I met a very enthusiastic young American traveler on the flight. He will be visiting Seattle next month so he was picking my brain for things to do. I think a walk down 1st Ave is worth it, since there are so many shops. He asked for my favorite and I mentioned a vintage clothing store on the South End. He commented how he thought he could see me in a store like that. Then he asked about what my "thing" is, what is it that I do for fun in Seattle. Somehow after mentioning my favorite store, this guy was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that I would swing dance every night if I could. I'm talking bug-eye bewildered. I had a good laugh.
Bangkok, Thailand:
Three very surprising things occurred in Bangkok.
- The first, when I finally arrived at the hotel at 2 am, I turned on the TV for background noise to fall asleep. I literally pressed the power button the TV. The radio came on in the bathroom.
- The second happened when I caught the shuttle back to the airport at 5:45 am. I may have been a little bit tired a few hours before... The shuttle was full so the driver offered me shotgun. I politely accepted and ran over to the other side of the car, opened the door, and stared a the steering wheel. Somehow, 4 hours earlier, I had missed the fact that in Thailand, they drive on the other side of the road, therefore the driver sits on the opposite side of the car. The entire shuttle giggled, as much as you can at 5:45 in the morning, and I went back to where the driver was still holding open the left-front door open for me. Oops.
- Also, I had some frightening visa issues when immigration thought I was trying to smuggle 8 other people into the country with me. So that got sorted out as I was running to last call. But I boarded!
Hanoi, Vietnam:
I'm finally safe and sound here, reunited with Kate, and ready to explore Hanoi. The hotel staff have been absolutely fantastic. They sent an extra car for me, welcomed me with fresh watermelon juice, set us up in their family suite, and rescheduled our two day boat cruise. I feel well taken care of.
So there you go, a whole blog post about my trip to Hanoi, almost none of it involving actually being in Hanoi. I was so lucky to have chatty travelers to keep me company along the way!
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