To the Beach and at the Market

Yesterday morning I attended a teacher’s conference here in Da Nang, learning about how to use puppets in teaching English. It was pretty interesting, yes basic. It wasn’t too long, and I got some good ideas for some teaching techniques and activities that are effective and fun for young students. Plus there was a great assortment of fresh fruit, and delicious Vietnamese coffee!
I went to the conference with two other teachers from school, Teresa and Keith, and at the conference we met up with some TA’s on staff at school who are also teaching, or studying to teach.

After the conference, I came home and changed out of my skirt, into some shorts, as to prepare for a ride on Keith’s motorbike. We went to eat Pho (fuh) for lunch, and then across the river, to drive to the beach and along the coast. The beach here is along the East Sea, which if you look at a map close up, there is a peninsula jetting out in the north, which is Monkey Mountain. Driving north along the coast, we were heading toward Monkey Mountain and at the base of it there is a very large statue of Buddha facing the water, which was filled with numerous fishing boats at the time we were there. Keith informed me that in a few hours, these fishermen would move to the street we were driving on to sell what they had caught. It smelled very fishy! I hope to go back soon, after the boats are in, to buy some fresh fish.

Today I had a completely different adventure: going to the market. Teresa is the head teacher at the school I work for. She is married to Hai, the director of the school. Hai is the man who I’ve been talking to for the past few months, planning my trip to Vietnam. Hai and Teresa are both very helpful and welcoming, and are doing so much to help me get settled. So today, Teresa took me to the market. This is where Vietnamese life happens. There are booths, carts, tables, mats, and even women just sitting on the floor with their product, hoping to sell. Any type of food you could imagine, as well as anything you might need for cooking, you’ll find at the market (next time I go, I’ll try to take a few pictures—it really is a wonderful sight to see).

So Teresa took me to show me what things were good to buy, helpful to have on hand, where to get one thing over another, and how to ask important questions in Vietnamese, like ‘What is it?’ and ‘How much?’ She also taught me numbers and measurements for quantities and prices. Another important thing Teresa wanted to help me accomplish today, was simply establishing a relationship with the people I bought things from. She said, “Audrey they won’t forget your face, so remember theirs. They will see you and help you. They will remember what you got last time and help you get what you need, and for a good price.” I’m probably one of 3 or 4 white people in my area, and possibly the only one who will be shopping at this market regularly. Teresa explained (in Vietnamese) to each woman we spoke with that I just moved here and that I will be coming by from now on, and also that I don’t know much Vietnamese yet. They were all so welcoming and wonderful! So full of smiles and questions for me. Teresa told me that establishing a relationship with the vendors through these questions and conversations is a very regular part of the market. They want to know you! I love that. The more I learn about this culture, the more I see Ubuntu, and I love it a little bit more.

We left the market with many, many small bags of my purchases (rice, beef, seasoning, lemons, carrots, lettuce, celery, dried mushrooms, garlic, different beans, limes, fish sauce, fruit), and went home on Teresa’s motorbike. It was quite the balancing act. Teresa came home with me, and showed me how to make a meal using a number of things we bought—it was so great! We made soup but putting lettuce into boiling water and adding beef, which we cooked in fish sauce, salt and garlic. It was incredible. We then fried sliced potatoes, garlic, and the rest of the beef, and scrambled a few eggs. We ate the soup, and then put everything else on top of rice. We squeezed about four limes, added sugar, ice cubes and water, and made lemonade. The whole meal was so simple, and SO good! I’m sure I’ll eventually miss some processed and ready-made food; I just can’t imagine when that will be… ☺

More than anything I’ve done in the past few days, I have just appreciated the basic interactions I have had with people. Keith yesterday, Teresa today…amazing. On Sunday I spent the day with three people, just talking, eating lunch, shopping, drinking coffee, cooking & eating dinner and playing Rummikub. People here take time to rest and be together. There is no urgent need to “get things done” and overwork themselves. Family is valued, and time spent together is precious. I truly believe these to be true and it is encouraging to see it cherished in this culture. Hopefully you all are enjoying your lives this week and have the opportunity to appreciate the people in your lives, and can spend time with them for more than a 20 minute meal.
Ubuntu!

P.S. A weird, yellow, jumping worm/grub looking thing just jumped at me…I’m sitting at the kitchen table, so I’m guessing it came from a plate of fruit sitting by me. It just now jumped again, onto my computer screen!

….squish…