Welcome to traffic chaos!!!

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Xin Chao from Saigon!

I arrived safely at Ho Chi Minh on the 29th although my plane found itself in the middle of a thunderstorm before landing at Saigon! The lightning was immense!! I was met at the airport by Hien who has been extremely kind at helping me to settle in. Another of the Language Corps girls, Julie, arrived half an hour after I did, so it's been great to have a partner to wander around the streets with.

I have had no trouble with jet lag! It worked out perfectly as I was so tired from my trip that as soon as I got to out guesthouse I passed out on the very comfy bed! I have air conditioning, a fan, a fridge... I even have a private bathroom so I am well happy 😊

The day we arrived we went out for a little walk in search of some food (well... I was in search of some food and dragged Julie along with me) and I was ROYALLY ripped off! I bought a corn on the cob from a street vendor without asking how much it was first and got over charge by a long way!!!!!!!!!! I'm still feeling bitter about it!!! It was about 2,000 Dong and I paid 50,000!!! LOOSER! Once I find that lady in the conical hat.... she'll be in toruble!!! (As you may or may not be aware of conical hats are hugely popular here...)

Yesterday we went on the hunt for rain ponchos. It is still the rainy season here and we have been lucky enough not to have been caught out in any of the rain showers, however it is a necessity over here. The heat is also unbelievable due to the humidity. Once it rains it is so bad as the temperature cools down. The guy who invented air conditioning should be awarded a medal! I have had no trouble in settling in with the food around here! It is amazing! I can't stop eating!!!! I haven't had any of the more exotic food yet but will have to be a little adventurous and order some dog/cat/snake and so on at some point, but maybe in another month or so!!!

So, the most noticeable thing here in Saigon is the traffic. I have some pictures but haven't brought my USB cable but will put them up here as soon as possible. It is truly unbelievable and nothing prepares you for it! Choi oi!!! I am not sure whether or not that is the right spelling but it translates to OH MY GOD!!!! I will be using this phrase the most when crossing the roads here!! And you thought they used the horn a lot in Portugal?? How wrong you are!! here they beep at nothing... they just beep!! It's a kind of "I'm here" beep rather than a "What the hell do you think you're doing?" beep (most often heard in Portugal!).

We're off to do some sightseeing whilst we can. We met up with some of the other teachers who have been here for 1 month already and some of them work 40 hours a week so we want to get the touristy stuff done and out of the way before starting. We are starting the Vietnamese language course and culture on Monday and then next weekend we are off to Nha Trang (has some of the best beaches in Asia, I hear!).

So, it's all looking up!!!! Another girl from our group arrived yesterda (Sarah from the US, Julie is from Brighton) and we're waiting on another girl and 3 guys I think. Should be a fun group!!

Anyway, I really don't want to be posting long entries cause you will be bored by the end of it. It's very exciting for me obviously and just wanted to share some of it with you!

Keep your comments coming! I LOVE reading them!! Hope everyone is ok and keeping well

Rooj xx

PS: Another oddityu here - the girls/ladies are all covered up because of the sun. They will be wearing a tshirt with full arm length gloves so as not to get tanned! Being tanned is a sign of poverty in Asia, as it means that you may work in the fields, so girls go to extreme lengths to not tan! There are even whitening creams in the shops!

Tia, isto e mesmo igual aquela reportagem que lemos na revista do publico! As mulheres cobrem-se todas pra nao apanhar sol!!!

Internet is widely available here so will be posting regularly!!

xx

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Comments

[Bev Benyon]

re: arrival
Wow! It all sounds very exciting. I loved reading your message- felt like I was there. Don't play too hard, save some energy for work!!! Love Bev x

[bábi]

... forbide you to eat dog or cat meat!!!!!!!!!
I’m very happy that you are enjoying!!! Reading your travel blog makes me anxious on going on my externship!!! However, I have to advise you not to send me the blog where you are going to describe that you have already eaten dog/cat meat... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR :) kiss

[rush]

mrs!do u wanna write a longer log??ive printed it off and will have it by the toilet for a bit of poo time reading!he he he! and i will report back with a real comment after ive read the 2 essays!!xxxxxxxx

[madison]

oh my god
It spells TROI OI, but southerner tends to pronounce choi oi.