Pokemon Snap

Okay ladies and gents, so I sometimes like to fart around with my camera. One day I was bored and created a website for my pictures. Whilst in Vietnam, it will be easier for me to upload my pictures onto my website rather than facebook as the Vietnamese frown upon the book that is face. So, here is the link http://www.wix.com/kp_photography89/pictures feel free to take a gander. Don't expect anything too glorious though. Although, Vietnam is pretty freaking cool on its own so maybe my pictures will be fantastic purely because the shots I take will be of a wickedly awesome location.
Also, saw one of my favourite highschool teachers today. She was so excited for everything that is taking place in my life that it made me kind of take a look at what has been happening and realize how lucky I am. Yes, often work sucks. Yes, I miss my Nana. Yes, money issues are stressful and sometimes planning is a pain in the seat (that is what my Nana used to call arse) but really, I'm going to Vietnam in two weeks. I'm graduating a week before then and I've been accepted into the program I've been working towards for the past four years.
So, I need to nut up or shut up. Put a smile on and be excited for the good stuff. VIETNAMMMM!
P.S. The Canucks are going to win the Stanley Cup. I'm probably going to bring my Canucks jersey and have a hockey lesson with the students. Not like a "this is how you play" lesson, more like this is what hockey is in Canada and this is what it means to me sort of thing. Because me trying to teach 20 odd children how to play hockey is just comical. Not much of an athlete. That is my brothers job.

IT IS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Oh hi blog world. Today I got my schedule for work up until Vietnam. It is very exciting, because now I know just how many days I work until we leave. Which is eight, in case you were wondering. Eight days of work. EIGHT DAYS! That is all. Which is hardly anything.
It is good that I know my schedule because that means I can make appointments and run errands. Have to see if my doctor needs to give me a shot in me bum or not. Which I don't think she will, but maybe that is just wishful thinking.
OH MY GOSH I NEARLY FORGOT. Yesterday I got my credit card and my passport. So, everything is finally coming together. Bibbity-bobbity-boo. I need to start packing. Right now my room is in shambles because I've been all over the place.
I wish it to be June 14th right now.....
I had something else to say but it has completely left my memory. Go Canucks?

Free Agents

Today I walked downtown to the little Flight Centre office on Commercial street to pick up our printed tickets, and insurance. The agent who had originally helped us was there and she had put together a nice little package for each of us with a document holder, all of our paper-work, luggage tags, and she had printed out the luggage allowance. I would highly recommend this lady to anyone booking flights or Vacations out of Nanaimo. Her name is Victoria and she was really helpful, she listened to our needs and helped find us the best deal possible.

I also tried to find some cheap Canadian gifts for Valerie's students (ie pencils, erasers, etc) but the dollar store downtown was a little pricey. I need 40 of each item, I did get some pencils but I had been hoping to try and find something else to go with them.

I'm going to Finish all my Books before I even get on the Bloody Plane

I just finished reading One Day by David Nicholls and I loved it. I don't know that I would recommend it to any of my guy friends but if any of you ladies out there are looking for a great summer read I would highly recommend this one. It reminded me of many of the special friendships I have had over the years. Just a really beautiful book. I can't post more than that out of fear of going into spoilers.

Relay For Life

Another friend of mine the amazing Melissa is also participating in the Relay for Life. Please visit her page and donate in the name of a loved one. I donated this time in Honor of Bruce Broadfoot, Allan's father who we watched disappear over a two year period.

Snakes on a Train!

So apparently there is quite a market for Cobra meat in Vietnam. Some person left 4 bags full of cobras under his seat on a train in Hanoi, alive cobras, albeit with their mouths stitched shut. They were King Cobras which is a protected species so the owner took off when the bags were discovered. I actually feel bad for the snakes being stuffed in a bag with their mouths stitched shut, poor things. You can read more about it on MSNBC where I found the original article.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap is the city closest to Angkor Wat, which is the amazing archaeological site that we are visiting in Cambodia. When we go we will probably be staying at the Garden Village Guesthouse. Apparently you can rent a tuk-tuk for the day for about $12 and they will take you to the ruins and wait for you at the end of the day. I know what you are thinking right now, you're wondering WTF is a tuk-tuk right? A tuk-tuk, my Mother tells me, is also known as an Auto rickshaw, which is basically a rickshaw with a motorcycle attached.  We will have to negotiate with the drivers in order to get a good price. I think Kim should be in charge of the negotiating. There are other options available for accommodation, here Kim, if you want to have a look. We also have to decide if we will fly in or bus into Cambodia. The bus trip takes 12-8 hours depending on who you ask but it is less expensive than the flight, by how much I am not sure.

Working for the Weekend.

Woof. What a day. I must say the closer we get to leaving the harder it is to go to work. And the longer my work day is. And the more I look at the clock. I'm a bad employee, and I'm going to get a kink in my neck.
Honestly, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. This is why I want to be a teacher. I can't handle doing the same thing every day. It isn't that I don't like the people at work, on average they are very pleasant to be around. I figure that no matter what my job is, there will be certain people I enjoy spending time with and others I would like to fling black forest ham at. Either way, that isn't the problem. The problem is that I am not built to repeat the same actions day in and day out. I'm not trying to slander the people who have careers in grocery stores. I respect the heck out of the people who are insanely good at their jobs, who are great at customer service and who work their butts off each day. What they do isn't easy. It just isn't for me.
The first few months at a new job are fine, because I'm learning. When I'm learning I'm not bored. But as soon as I understand something and start doing it over and over again, my brain goes bye bye. It isn't that I don't work hard. I try really hard to have good work ethic it is just I don't want to spend the rest of my life just wasting time so I can have money. I want to do something I love. And I love theatre and I love learning. They are like crack for me. Not that I know what crack is like, because drugs are bad--but I assume that the way in which I'm highly addicted to theatre somewhat parallels the addiction crack lovers have to crack. How many times can I say crack? One more time, crack. Heh.
Anyways, I just had a frustrating day today. So I'm full of angst, when really I shouldn't be because we are leaving incredibly soon. Like, two weeks soon. And the itinerary Naomi and her Mother dreamed up is beautiful. I can't wait to relax on a beach, adventure through ruins and sail between islands. Quite literary, I'm having a lot of trouble waiting. Can't I just nap until the 15th??

The Mother of All Planning Sessions

My Mother and I skyped today for two hours and forty minutes. What Kim doesn't know yet is that we have already planned out her first 19 days in Vietnam and Cambodia. We arrive on the morning of the 15th and Valerie is going to take half of her day off so she can meet us and get us settled. We have no plans for the 16th but we can explore the neighborhood or go to the school if we like. On the 17th we will leave for a place called Mui Ne which is apparently a beach-side resort. We will be going there with a bus full of teachers to celebrate someone's birthday. We arrive back in Ho Chi Minh City on the 19th and we have no plans from then until the 21st when we will be flying or busing (depends on what is cheaper) to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We will spend two whole days there exploring and then we will return to Vietnam on the 24th. We have a day to breath. Then on the 26th we will fly to Ha Long Bay where we will spend two nights on the boat and return on the 29th. Then on the 30th we will report for work at the school.

Valerie has given me a list of locations to google in relation to Angkor Wat, so I need to get on that. She has also asked us to pick up a bunch of Dollar store Canadiana stuff for her students. I think I can probably do that on Tuesday when I pick up our travel stuff from Victoria at the Flight Center.

                                                                 

WE HAVE TICKETS!!!

Well we aren't on the flight we thought we would be on and we are paying a little bit more but we have our tickets!!! We are flying with Cathay Pacific which is a really nice airline.

We leave Vancouver International Airport on June 15th at 2:45a.m. <---This is actually a really good thing. The flight we had thought we might catch was going to leave at noon which meant either coming over on the 5:45 a.m. ferry or coming over the night before. This way we can catch an afternoon ferry and meander our way to the airport.

We arrive at Hong Kong 13 hours and 10 minutes later. We will have a two hour stop-over which is perfect. The flight we thought we would be catching had a nearly seven hour long stop over.

We then leave Hong Kong and arrive at Ho Chi Minh City around 10:20 a.m. which is not so ideal. The other flight came in at 10:45 p.m. which meant Valerie could come and get us. At 10:20 in the morning she will be at work. This isn't a really big problem, I can get directions from Valerie that will get us to where we need to be. There are 2 or 3 really well regarded taxi companies in Ho Chi Minh City and several not-so-well regarded companies, it is just a matter of getting the right company names from Valerie.

We both bought health insurance. We are now just waiting on our visa paperwork from the school.
Phew! I can't tell you what a relief it is to know this is taken care of now.

And the Award Goes To....

So my bank does not get the best bank award. My credit card did not come in the mail today. Needless to say, I freaked out. I had a little cry and then I attempted to begin problem solving. I tried to call my Mom, but she was no where to be found. So I decided to call the bank hotline. I figured if the damn credit card was showing up on my profile maybe I could get the number and then use it without actually having it. That, as it turns out, isn't possible. Stupid bank, stupid piece of plastic, stupid Kim. So I tried calling my Mom again a whole bunch. That didn't work.
Then, I went where I always go whenever I have a problem..... My Dad. He has been there for me every minute of my twenty-two years. But he has been less than stoked about Vietnam. So I thought that if I went to him with my problems he would say "Oh dear me, it appears you will not be able to go to Vietnam for a month and a half and will have to stay with your brother and I forever and ever, amen."
So when I called him at work I was like a dog with a tail between my legs. It was literally my last resort.
My Dad, unlike my bank, gets an award. He is buying me the ticket and then is letting me pay him back when we get paid from CIS.
I can't really even wrap my head around it. We are going. We are going and I don't have to worry about running out of money because my Dad chose to support me even though he doesn't agree with my decision to go.
I told him on the phone that he was the best Dad ever and he laughed. I said "Dad, I'm not even kidding. I'm for reals. Thank you."
Ugh. I can't believe it. The next two weeks are going to go so fast and then we will be going on the biggest adventure of my life. THERE IS SO MUCH FOR ME TO DO! I have to get off the computer now.
BEST. DAD. EVER.

YAY!

WE ARE BUYING OUR TICKETS TODAY!!!!
No, the credit card didn't come in but good things are happening anyway. Its Kim's story so I will leave it to her to post. For now I just want to revel in the fact that things are going our way!!!

Frustration

We got a bit of reprieve this week what with the delay of the mail strike. However the latest news tells us that tomorrow the Postal workers are giving their 72 hour strike notice. So as of Monday unless issues are resolved there will be no mail. Kim's credit card has not arrived. We are also getting perilously close to our flight date and the ticket prices are fluctuating. Everyone who reads this please cross your fingers and think positive thoughts for us. We need that fucking credit card to come in the mail tomorrow!

Waiting is for Chumps.

I stalked the post(wo)man today like some kind of wild animal. I spied her drive up through my bay window, ran and got my shoes and as soon as she drove away I was out the door in a flash. I was filled with excitement as I put the key in the mailbox, could we buy our plane tickets tonight?
NO. NOPE. NADA. NOT EVEN A LITTLE.
No credit card was delivered to me today. I am trying to remain positive. Good karma and all that stuff, but I have been patient for what has felt like 8 years. Can't they just give it to me? I thought credit card companies WANT you to have your credit card.
I was so full of poi joy this morning, but once again I have lost faith in the Canadian post. I better get it before they go on strike. After Vancouver Island University went on strike and generally messed with my life, I have had enough with job actions. I understand why they happen, but the selfish bits of my brain don't really give a care at the moment.
Okay. Tomorrow. Postive thoughts. I shall recieve my credit card after work. Yes siree.
In other news I cleaned Clifford (my red Volkwagon Beetle) today. I actually don't think I've done that since forever, so it is nice to have a clean car.
Harumph. Okay. Thats enough whining. Tomorrow I shall post that I got my credit card and all is right in the world, right? I also may take a video of me and Naomi spinning our new awesome poi so that you all can see how incredibly talented (ahem) we are.
Most likely you will see us hit ourselves in the brain a couple times.
Tam Biet! Apparently that means goodbye in Vietnamese.

The Book of Face

Facebook is not always accessible from Vietnam as it has been blocked since 2009. Once you do access it, it can be very slooooow to load. I have found this wonderful article about how to get around the block. However, we may be updating the blog more often than facebook simply because it is easier to get to.

Poi! Poi!

The Poi are here!! I got this fabulous rainbow tailed poi and Kim got crazy jail-house light up fancy poi! I am so excited I can't wait to hit the park and play with my new toys!

If you are interested in purchasing your own poi I would HIGHLY recommend Home of Poi, there is a link in our side bar and it gives you 13% off!

I want to get away...

We are waiting on Kim's credit card. As soon as it arrives we will purchase our tickets and be on our merry way. Every day I check to make sure the tickets are still available and every day the price changes, it has gone up, down and back to it's original price. I have been planning as though we will catch this flight. We would leave Vancouver International airport at noon on the 15th and arrive at 10:45 p.m. on June 16th which is a Thursday.  It is nice that we will be arriving in the evening because Valerie will be able to meet us. Then we can spend Friday decompressing and if Kim feels like it we can do a little tour around the neighborhood. I think it would be wise for us to go downtown on Saturday and book the rest of our travels as well as explore downtown Saigon. We have been asked to do some drama with a few classes before school ends so it would be good if we planned our travelling around our volunteering schedule. We have a six hour stop-over in China on our way to Vietnam and we will have a 20 hour total travel time. I am curious about the China stop-over, I don't know that we really have enough time to go anywhere but it would be cool if we are in a part of the airport where we can try real Chinese food or at least get some postcards.

Electonically (dis)inclined.

Tomorrow is the day where I find out if I get a) my credit card and b) my poi. Both of which I am literally itching to receive. I want. I WANT I WANT I WANT.
If you couldn't tell, I'm beginning to get antsy. Naomi and I have been looking at flight prices and I really don't want to pay 200 dollars (or something) more because I stupidly sent my application through snail mail. And I say snail mail and mean it--vehemently.
Anyone want to send me positive thoughts? I will send some back to you, I promise.
I started playing with my KOBO ereader last night. I decided that I couldn't wait for my credit card to come, I want to fart around with it despite the fact I cannot purchase any books. There were a few bugs, one being that my computer didn't like the download files. It thought it was a virus. So I called tech support three times (the first two times it didn't work, which I found amusing, and annoying) and got that sorted out. Also, I am confused because there is a certain number of books on my KOBO that is not showing up on the KOBO (I like saying KOBO) app on my computer. Even though I pressed the sync button. My knowledge of electronics is limited, so any further than pressing that sync button 8 times, I'm not sure what to do. Oh well. Maybe it will fix itself? I don't want to use my usual method of beating it on the counter as I think that will break it. And it is so new and pretty!
Anywhooooo. 23 days until Vietnam. And then you all will get to read posts about actual travel! What an idea!

Postal Update

The Postal workers did not give their 72 hour strike notice on Sunday as was expected. The earliest they could go on strike, as of now, would be Friday.

Please find it in your heart to give

We have some wonderful friends who are taking part in the Relay for Life in Port Alberni.

What is the relay for life you ask, this answer is taken from the website.

The Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life is a celebration of survival, a tribute to the lives of loved ones and a night of fun, friendship and fundraising to fight back against cancer. Relay For Life involves teams of up to 15 people who participate in an overnight non-competitive relay. Participants take turns walking, running or strolling around a track. Teams consist of people representing corporations, communities, families and friends.

Where does the money go?

The funds raised through Relay For Life help the Canadian Cancer Society fund promising research, provide information and support services for people living with cancer and advocate for public policies that reduce cancer risk and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease.

After the link to this event was posted on facebook I started thinking about the people I know who have been afflicted by this disease. There is my fearless friend who at thirteen was diagnosed and decided to shave her head and cover it with fake tattoos. There was my inspiring Proff who put off treatment so that she might have her baby, there was a kind family man who was consumed by this disease in a matter of months, there is a rock 'n' roll Mama who lives life to it's fullest, there is a supportive Mother who is getting by, and there was my Grandmother. It was in my Grandmother's name that I chose to donate $5.00. I know that isn't very much but if everyone gives a little a lot of good can come from that. In honor of the rest of my friends I am asking you to donate to my favorite Relay For Life team. Remember: every little bit helps.

Postman Pat

There is an impending postal strike. Any other time I would be fine with it but right now it would make things rather difficult. We are still waiting on Kim's credit card she needs it to pay for her ticket, two text books I ordered for my Mother and our poi. I am also wondering if the postal strike will affect the pick-up of Kim's passport. This is vexing.

Dear Readers

Dearest faithful readers, if you truly exist... COMMENT! At the moment Naomi and I are the only ones commenting.... on our own posts..... it makes us look like losers!.... ahem. We aren't losers, in case you were wondering....
Also, hoping the world doesn't end tonight. That would ruin my plans.

For the Record

I'd just like to point out that my to do list is much shorter than Kim's.

English for Beginners

I swear a lot. My personal favorites are, in no particular order:

Fuck this noise
Fuckadoodle-doo
Anya mana
Fuck your face
Mother-fucker.
Fucks-sake
Cock.
However an off-the-cuff comment by my friend Cody, HI CODY!, about how in the education department students must use the unisex everyone rather than the more masculine you guys when referring to groups of students got me thinking: I need to start paying more attention to my language. The swearing doesn't have to disappear entirely, in fact, I am not sure if that is possible at this point, but I do need to start cutting back my cursing. I also want to start working on sounding a little bit more professional. When I was in Egypt I heard myself shouting, one day, YAH NEED TAH BE QWY-ET! I have never been so aware of my West Coast Canadian accent. I am trying to focus on saying you instead of ya, and to instead of tah. I do love to swear though so this is an up-hill battle. There is something so wonderful about the word fuck, I think it is that hard consonant CK at the end of the word, it really rolls off the tongue when you are angry or frustrated.

WARNING: Reader Discretion advised.

So, perhaps not the best thing for a future teacher to write a blog post that will reveal her complete lack of maturity but.... Oh well.

Yesterday Naomi and I got our offers of employment. It was all peachy-keen, but we found out that we won't be getting paid in US dollars as previously expected. Instead we will be getting paid in Vietnamese currency. This is fine, we just have to make sure we exchange our money in Vietnam, as we won't be able to when we return home.
This is the funny (immature) part. Vietnamese money is called.... DONG. Heh. So last night when Naomi and I went out for dinner with a group of friends the dong jokes ensued. I kept saying "I will be paid in BILLIONS OF DONG" and "DONG FOR EVERYONE". Like I said, incredibly mature and completely lady like.

I am sitting in front of my computer laughing right now, that is how awesome I am.

So, in honour of all of this hilarity, here is a lovely picture I title: Fist full of dong. If any family members are reading this....... yeah I'm not even sorry. It is too funny.

Details

So if we get the flight we want to take it leaves Vancouver on the 15th at noon. Getting there may prove interesting. We should catch the 5:15 or 7:45 a.m. ferry out of Duke Point, or we could go over on the 6:20 out of Departure Bay. Taking Greyhound isn't really practical since the first one of the day arrives at the airport three hours and forty-five minutes after we should have left. I like to be at the airport about three hours before the flight, it gives plenty of time to do everything that needs to be done and assures us a comfy and close seat to the boarding gate which means we should be at the airport around 9:00. Another option is going over the night before and possibly crashing at my Aunt's place. The problem is going to be our large luggage, getting it to the ferry isn't a problem but getting it to the airport or my Aunt's place might prove problematic because we will each have a large suitcase, carry-ons, and ourselves. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to pay a friend or relative to take us over on the ferry? Someone with a pick-up truck?

Fun Times

Kim and I went shopping today in the used bookstore district of Nanaimo, Commercial st. Anyway we found a whole bunch of fun books to use as templates for performance pieces. When we got back to the house we discovered that we had missed the Postal worker and that a package had arrived that we could pick up Saturday after 1:00. This package might be Kim's birthday present from her brother, the cool light up poi. I can't get to the post office tomorrow before 5:00 when it closes so we won't be able to get to the package before Tuesday seeing as the office is closed Sunday and Monday due to the holiday. I can picture Kim crawling the walls right now muttering "BUT I WANT IT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!"

I want to fly away

I am trying to find us a good deal for our trip. Valerie suggested I check with EVA air, but the cheapest I could find with our dates June 15-Aug 1st departing from Vancouver was $1648.00

Air Canada = 1733.17 as their cheapest option.
Travelocity = 1650.00  as their cheapest option.
Expedia = 1579.60 as the cheapest option.
Travel Cuts = 1650.12 as the cheapest option but with them you have to hold an ISIC card, which we could get but if they aren't that much cheaper why bother?
So that all seemed excessive so I checked the prices leaving from Victoria and they weren't any better. I think we should probably go and talk to some travel agents because I have found that they are frequently less expensive.
I just found a $1227 price from Flight Center.

I really do think it will be cheaper if we go into a travel agent. As soon as Kim has her credit card I think we shall start bothering travel agents.

Money money MOOOOOOOOOOOONEY. Money.

So, last night I prayed to the credit gods to make my VISA come today. I think they tried their best, but they didn't come through 100%. However, this morning I got a letter basically saying "We want to give you your credit card, but we don't quite believe that you make money. Prove it, and we will hook you up". The good part is that they want to give me the full amount that I requested. Which means I'll be able to pay for my flight with it and still have stuff left over for backup in Vietnam. So, I called Scotiabank and said "Holla, I make money. Check my account." And they were like "Ooooookay, but your Dad needs to prove it too. Get him to fax his stuff." .....perhaps not a completely accurate re-enactment of the conversation, but close enough.
So, my Dad is faxing his info today. No more mailing for this Kim. Like I said, never mail an application it takes forever. I think if we had of made an appointment all this junk would have been avoided. Sending stuff in the mail is a romantic idea, but unfortunately in this day and age it is just far too slow.
However, I will be sending postcards fer sure.
So. I should have my credit card by June 1st. Hopefully sooner. Sooner would be better.

A Good Life

This year has been incredible. It is and has been a time of transition, conflict, loss, success, graduation, growth, and acceptance. One percent of the world's population has College or University education, and even less than that go onto post-degree programs. We are lucky to live in a part of the world where attending school is possible and we have worked hard. We are getting ready to travel across the Pacific to teach in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Ha ha I just wanted to take a moment to honor this time of transition and our accomplishments.  I feel that if we survived this year, we can survive anything!

Zumba!

I am currently over-weight and I don't want to be anymore so I have started doing Zumba and hope to continue doing it while in Vietnam. Last time I was there I saw it advertised outside of a local gym.
What is Zumba? Well this is a quote from their website:

Zumba Fitness^® is the only Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music, created by Grammy Award-winning producers, and contagious steps to form a "fitness-party" that is downright addictive.

Since its inception in 2001, the Zumba program has grown to become the world's largest – and most successful – dance-fitness program with more than 12 million people of all shapes, sizes and ages taking weekly Zumba classes in over 110,000 locations across more than 125 countries.

So far I like it. I am not a fan of relentlessly perky instructors so sometimes I feel like punching the T.V. but aside from that it is fun.

These Shoes are Made For Travelling

So, the last few days have been somewhat trying. I've been incredibly busy with familial affairs because my Nana passed away. Extremely sad and exhausting situation to lose a loved one. That being said I know my Nana lived a very happy life full of love. I will miss her every day, but am happy to know she will be looking out for me--especially during my upcoming adventures.

Life goes on! It does not stop because you are sad. It continues to speed forward whether you want it to or not. Which can actually be a blessing. The fact that I have things to look forward to means I can't sit and wallow, which is the last thing my Nana would want.

I have a couple of things to report. First of all, if anyone out there is thinking of getting their passport soon I highly recommend going to the office rather than mailing it away. I was lucky when I went because there was hardly any wait. Basically you go in and an elderly man tells you what is up and where to line up. You take your application, which is hopefully all filled out correctly (which is a pain in the bottom) and you go and speak to a nice lady who looks over your passport. She then highlights all the things you have forgotten (and it is likely you forgot things, I did) and then you get a number and go sit down. Then you get called up and give them your application, your passport photos, your birth certificate, your drivers licence and your care card. Just in case you weren't who you say you are. But! The cool thing about doing it at the passport place is that you don't have to send away any of that stuff. They give you back all your cards and identification. So there is no risk of losing those important little pieces of plastic. Also, it takes way less time to have your passport processed this way. I actually paid 10 more dollars in order to be able to pick it up on the 27th of this month. Because I don't trust them mailing it back. Not until I get my credit card will I trust the Canada Post.

But on to more important business: SHOES. I have bought myself some shoes. First of all, I bought some Sanuks. These shoes have become quite popular here on the West Coast. Apparently some surfer guy decided he wanted to combine his sandals with his shoes, and so Sanuks were born. They can get wet and in theory not start to smell. They are also extremely comfortable. I figure I will wear them to Ha Long Bay and on some of the field trips we go on with the school. Here is the website: http://www.sanuk.com/womens-vagabonds

Then, my loving and kind Father bought me Toms, which are really neat because not only are they fashionable, every pair you buy one pair of shoes go to a child in need. They are also fabric shoes, and I will probably be wearing them a lot at the school. Once again, cushy and comfortable.

Finally, my hiking shoes are not new but I still wanted to include them because I will probably be wearing them if we do any hiking or jungle type tours. I think when we go to Angor Wat I will be wearing them. http://www.tomsshoes.ca/

So I've basically got my feet figured. Here is a picture of the shoes. Brown ones are the Sanucks, black ones are the Toms and the purple and black ones are my all terrain hiking shoes. Unfortunately the quality of the photo isn't top drawer but you get the idea? I think it is important to be comfortable. Especially since it will be roughly 500 degrees in Vietnam. You can't exactly wear flip flops because they will destroy your toes.

Anyways, that is all for now. Tootles!

Pole, pole...

Pole, pole is Swahili for slowly, slowly. Our tour guide in Kenya used to say it as we crept up on wild animals in the bushes.

Pole, pole is how this whole process of getting things together before we go feels. I have my suitcase open on the floor of my room as I type, in it are a few assorted summery things I know I won't use until I reach Vietnam and a few small gifts for Valerie. The list of things to do seems to be getting longer even as I am crossing things off, argh.
I'm just not feeling very motivated. I look around the house and see all of the stuff that needs doing and I think to myself...I'd rather have a cookie.

I have started reading my next book which is One Day by David Nicholls. I can not tell a lie, I found out about this book while watching the trailer for the movie adaptation. I think it looks like they will do it justice and not make it too Hollywood. What do you think?

This link shows the movie cover edition. Personally I like my day-Glow 80's cover version better.                                                      ---------------------------->

The Help

Blogger has had some problems over the past few days and we have been unable to post.

Anyway, I got started on my summer reading and I am loving The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Initially I wanted to read it because on the front cover there is a quote comparing it to my all-time favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Then I saw this trailer and I got even more curious. It looks as though Hollywood has cutsified the book more than a little. I am going to give this novel to my Mother as a Birthday/Mother's Day present. Also I may or may not have finished the The Help in one sitting. It is no To Kill a Mocking Bird but it is still really good.

Chocolate Cake and Birthday Presents

I'm sitting in my living room watching Julie & Julia which has inspired me to write a blog entry, even though I don't have anything incredibly interesting to report. Other than this movie makes me want to eat a huge chocolate cake. Not just a piece but pretty much the whole thing. If you're reading this and you care about me in any way, you can prove your affection by delivering me said cake. And a fork.
Getting all the information needed for a passport application is like participating in a very difficult, very frustrating scavenger hunt. I've currently accumalated two passport photos (which are not cute), the information of two people who have known me forever, a copy of my drivers license and my care card and signed my signature about a million times. I still have to find my birth certificate (does my Mom have it, or my Dad?) and get my friend Nick to be my gaurantor. Luckily the passport folks have eased up on the gaurantor rules. It used to be that you needed someone who was a doctor or a teacher or a government official to be your gaurantor. Now it just has to be a person who has a passport and is over 18 years of age. But they have to sign a bunch of stuff and generally prove that I am who I say I am. Because I am, in fact, Kim.
I really really hope that I dot all my i's and cross all my t's. I want to do this passport business right the first time so that it only takes the estimated 10 days to process. If I mess something up it could potentially go very badly. Every time I talk to someone about this whole passport business I get "Boy, you sure are leaving this late. It took me five months to get mine"... I obviously don't have that option. But I hope actually going down to the passport office will cut out a lot of the time and confusion.
I found out today that my brother has been trying very dilegently to order me my very own set of poi! He had some mishaps. So, he told me what he has been trying to do and now he is teaming up with Naomi in order to get me a set! I have chosen LED Glow Sock Poi.
These are them... I'm very excited. Even though Corey told me about my present before it came, it was still a big surprise. He is kind of a good brother. Now I am going to have to find him something really excellent from Vietnam for his birthday, since I'm missing it and all.

Well, that is all I got. Tootles.

The Best Things in Life are Free, But You Can Give Them To the Birds and Bees, I Want the Money.

It is my Friday!!! I have worked the past 7 days in a row and the next two days I have off. It is a Christmas miracle. Every time I go to work I have to give myself a little pep talk: you need money, you are going to Vietnam, you aren't working here all summer. Don't get me wrong it isn't a bad job, I've just been there over two years and I'm ready to move on.
I wanted to let all you readers know a very important tip. It may seem obvious to everyone apart from me, but I'm still going to say it. If you want a credit card, do not send your application in the mail. Go to the bank, or call it in. If you send it in the mail it takes roughly a decade to process. I applied for mine about three weeks ago now, and it still hasn't been entered into their system. Apparently it takes 4-6 weeks. This in itself scares me because I worry that they didn't get the application at all.
I need that credit card. Reals bad.
On the plus side I'm going to get my passport all figured out tomorrow!

Going Postal

 I LOVE sending postcards, I can not deny it. I have a huge collection of postcards that I have collected over the years and I love an excuse to drop a note in the mail. If anyone would like postcards from Vietnam please message me your address. There is another reason why I particularly like sending postcards from Ho Chi Minh City, the post office downtown is beautiful, and it is in a part of town where a lot fantastic architecture. Those of you familiar with the British Television series Top Gear might remember the square they are in at the beginning of their journey, that is the area where the Post Office is located. If you haven't seen the Top Gear Vietnam episode I highly recommend it, it is one of the funniest pieces of television I can remember seeing.

Decisions, decisions...

I received an email this morning from my Mother asking if I would be interested in working for another summer school that starts June 13th and ends just as the one I had already been hired to work for begins. I emailed her back asking the following:
1) Is there a job for Ms.Kim?
2) How much are we being paid?

I will probably take this job because I need the work.

We will for certain be working at C.I.S. but it would be fun to try and work at two different schools this summer.

I finally found my camera cord, so I could upload some images!

This is Hue, I had hoped we might go here for a weekend. You can take cooking lessons, visit nearby ruins, frequent one of the many tailoring shops, and this is where I bought the Gong.

One of the tailor shops.

The flag.

Cyclos! Awesome method of transportation. 

Lesson Planning

The plan is to teach groups of 20 children from grade one and up something that they can perform for their parents. We have about six hours total time to do this in, which is not a lot. Kim and I will be working separately as well. We also don't know how many groups we will be working with until registration starts to pick up. Last year there were students from kindergarten all the way up to grade ten enrolled.

We had previously thought that we might take some of our favorite childhood authors and dramatize some of their works, like Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. Given our time restraints I think that is now out of the question because of it's length. Perhaps though we could do some of Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes, Shel Silverstein's Light in the Attic or Where the Sidewalk Ends, and maybe even some Dennis Lee; like Alligator Pie.  Brevity in this case being a major virtue. It might also be fun to throw in some Dr. Seuss perhaps a snippet of One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish for the grade one students. If anyone has some suggestions of more contemporary fun poetry please feel free to suggest it.

It would also be cool if we could do something a little bit different with each grade for instance; the grade ones make prop fishes, the grade twos make sock puppets, the grade threes make masks, grade fours act theirs out, grade fives do a movement piece, grade sixes do a shadow puppet show, the grade sevens and eights do poi, and we can actually develop something collectively with the upper level students.

My reasoning behind having both the sevens and eights doing poi is because they are all at that *special* age where they are very concerned about what others think. I think doing something that they perceive as cool or perhaps a little dangerous might appeal to them (it is totally not dangerous).

Great Expectations

So I got another email today that said:

The camp is from July 4 – 29 and will run from 8am to 3pm (Monday through Friday), but teachers will stay until 4pm to prepare for the next day.


So we have our dates and we can start making definite plans. We also know what our salary is going to be and I am pleased.

How it works

I got this email from the Summer camp organizer:

The English program to be used will be our new e-Study curriculum, which is online and uses Smartboard/mimeo boards.  Much of the program is interactive, so students can physically participate in the lesson.  Lessons focus on reading, listening, speaking and writing with aspects of grammar and pronunciation integrated. 

The creative/physical activities will include art, digital music production, film making and drama balanced with Aikido, volleyball, dance and swimming.  We will also use the cinema and bowling alley. 

Naomi, you mentioned before that you have a plan for what to do for the younger and older students regarding drama.  I just have a few questions for you both:

1.       Can you drama plan be applied to all ages (although not together) from grade 1 and up?

2.       Can 20 students participate in a drama class at one time?

3.       Can you apply the plan separately, as separate teachers working with different groups of students on different days?

4.       Would 6 hours over 2 weeks be enough time to produce a result that could be watched by others?

a.       I ask this because my idea is for students to alternate between 2 different creative and physical activities for 2 weeks, then they switch to what a different group has been doing

b.      For example, see below:

We are going to holding the camp at the Maple Leaf Centre this year. 

Sample 1 week schedule that runs for 2 weeks

Time / Day	Mon	Tue	Wed	Th	Fri
8:00am – 8:45am	Skill: Reading 1a	Swimming	Skill: Reading	All day field trip	Skill: Speaking
8:45am – 9:30am	Skill: Reading 1b	Swimming	Skill: Reading		Skill: Speaking
9:30 – 9:45am	Snack	Snack	Snack		Snack
9:45 – 10:30	Skill: Writing	Skill: Speaking	Skill: Writing		Skill: Listening
10:30 – 11:15am	Skill: Grammar	Skill: Listening	Skill: Grammar		Skill: Listening
11:15am – 11:45pm	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch		Lunch
11:45pm – 1:15pm	Drama	Art	Drama		Art
1:15pm – 2:30pm	Volleyball	Basketball	Volleyball		Basketball
2:30pm – 3:00pm	Journal & depart	Journal & depart	Journal & depart		Journal & depart

  

So it looks as though Kim and I will each have our own homeroom in the morning and then in the afternoon we will have a variety of different grades cycling through like in high school. I am not sure about putting together a performance in six hours and I told the organizer that, maybe it could be done in a pinch. Kim was very excited when she found out that the school has a bowling alley. I am looking forward to the field trips, last year I saw a lot of Saigon that I would not have normally seen on those trips. There are water puppets that the other grades got to go and see that I really wanted to see but because it was kindergarten we were sent to a ball park instead.

Photo credit: Valerie Harrison

note: I couldn't edit the schedule down so that is why it overlaps the menu.