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Published: November 3rd 2011
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View from Casa SoodPav Just found this from a couple of weeks ago...enjoy!
I have officially been inaugurated into gringo life here in Saigon as someone attempted to snatch my bag the other night while cruising home, after a delicious curry, on the back of Ian’s bike. Luckily for us, a multitude of factors came together meaning that the would-be thieves only got away with my bag strap. Ha ha! So, a run-down of how it happened...as they swung past us on their bike, I instinctively grabbed the bag back, Ian sensibly slowed down and the crooks obviously shot off super rapido stylies thinking they’d bagged a bag...but unlucky for them, they hadn’t counted on my bag being from that well-known and loved institution of high quality products, Primarni. All these factors conspired in our favour meaning I still possess the bag, sans one strap however.
Apart from this wee mishap, all is fine and dandy here – been out and about a lot recently (hence lack of Skype, sorry!), what with all the rugby to watch, a mate’s leaving do (the transient side of the life we lead is pretty sucky in all honesty), friend’s families here to entertain and managing to
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The Vietnamese way of fixing cables win the pub quiz the last few weeks, which means a bottle of rum getting necked at midnight on a Tuesday. I have re-discovered that despite my penchant for rum, it is my nemesis and I should not be allowed to consume it. It’s hard to say no though, especially if you’re on the winning team...maybe I’ll give it one more chance to prove its love to me! I also went to a water puppetry show, something of an art form here in Vietnam. Of course I didn’t understand a word that was being said/sung but got the gist of the story and it was pretty impressive. It basically works with the shows being performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod is used by the puppeteers, who stand behind a screen, to support the puppets under the water and control them. And so it appears that the puppets are moving over the water. Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery as the show started so no pics.
Work is going well, I passed my probationary period and I got my first proper full pay cheque – a cool 60million. I love going to the ATM and seeing the
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Chris O'Dowd!! millions we are amassing. The students are opening up more now and one of my favourite classes invited me for coffee last night which turned into a thoroughly Vietnamese affair with us sat on newspapers on the pavement on the edge of a park (they call it Cafe Bet), drinking coffee, eating soft peanuts, green mango dipped in salt and chilli, banh trang nuong (a paper thin, fried pancake with veggies and pork) and quail’s eggs. My Xe-Om guy Van decided he wanted to come to, even with the 30 year age difference between him and my students which simply added to the oddness of the evening. My students are sweet hearts though and chatted away to him no probs and it was a very pleasant evening. Talking of coffee, I am now addicted to caphe sua da – yummy iced coffee made with condensed milk – so bad for you but sooooo good! We still haven’t managed to cook a meal yet – think Ian has won that battle - as it turns out it is actually just as cheap, if not cheaper, to eat out or get delivery as it is to buy and cook your own grub.
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And again!! Other big news of the month is that we extra-ed in a movie. It’s an Australian production called Sapphire, about a girl group who come to Vietnam in 1968 to entertain the troops (coming out next Spring so keep your eyes out). So, with Ian dressed as a US Marine and me dressed in some dubious sixties gear, bee-hived up and donning some ridiculous glasses, we basically sat around for hours and will probably not even end up being in the film! Ah, the life of an extra. Actually, I was in 2 different scenes so hope to at least get a toe in shot! It was fun (for the first few hours anyway!), getting hair and make- up done, chatting to the film folk and other extras, but the real saving grace and what made it all worth-while was meeting Chris O’Dowd, funny guy extraordinaire from The IT Crowd and Bridesmaids, who is truly lovely and extremely tall. The main actress was the Aborigine girl from The Secret Life of Us if any of you remember watching that...
We’ve got our first houseguest arriving in 2 days time – Jamie, one of Ian’s buddies, is stopping by
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Terence, John "The Cheapskate" and Frances on his way back to Australia, so he’s got a week here in HCMC while we have to work and then we’re all off to the beach for a few days which I cannot wait for. Mui Ne is supposed to have a micro-climate and guaranteed good weather so keep your pinkies crossed people. Although knowing my luck whilst travelling, we’ll arrive in the middle of a typhoon!
Anyhoo, gotta run as Wales are hopefully about to thrash France in the rugby and then I’m off to Oktoberfest (the largest in Asia apparently) to get my fill of beer and sausage.
(Unfortunately Wales did not win - a travesty!! – but I did get a rather large helping of beer and sausage.)
Missing you all as always,
Lisa and Ian
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Shea
non-member comment
hello
sounds like you're having a ball. Very jealous of all the lovely food you guys are having, other than the coffee - I remember it tasting like ear wax. Disgusting stuff (maybe it's better with condensed milk). Take care and take more photos! X x x x