A reflection on the final week - the end of an unforgettable experience

I am writing this from my favorite hostel in Ho Chi Minh City, Madam Cuc, as I reflect on an emotional day and the program comes to an end.

First, I would like to mention that my morning and afternoon teams came in second place overall. The kids were never the favorites to win, and seemed to struggle quite a bit even during the last sports competitions. The last weekend of competitions consisted of basketball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball games organized in a round robin style. My Orange Team (Doi cam) kids played fair and were good sports when they lost a game, although I could tell they were distraught. They would help opposing team players up when they fell and would always cheer on the other teams as they competed. They were bruised up by the other teams, but fought through it to secure a 2nd or 3rd place finish in as many sports as possible. Although rarely placing 1st in sports, the kids stayed consistent in the classroom. Both final exams were given this week, in life skills and academics. So with a combination of solid sports and academics we managed to gain 2nd place overall honors for the camp. The kids were ecstatic when we told them this morning. They were surprised for sure, mainly because many of the other teams boasted about their wins, and we therefore saw ourselves as underdogs. Congratulations Doi Cam Sang (morning) and Doi Cam Chieu (afternoon)!

So before I talk about the today and our ultimate departure, I would like to tell you guys about our going away party last night. When we returned to the center from the school after final competitions we were all exhausted. Many of us had to finish putting together our gifts for the kids. I also was putting together a Mr Coach For College calendar for Khang, for winning the contest that consisted of a photo shoot, talent show, and interview. I came in third behind Graham, who put together a respectable performance, and of course Khang. We enjoyed it very much. The night started out with a game of pass the peanut with chopsticks relay between the 6 Americans and the 12 Vietnamese. They almost doubled our number of peanuts in the 5 minute race to accumulate as many peanuts as possible. We managed to get in some spectacular games of flip cup before beginning our go to game from toga party at the beach, Thumper. With about 20 people we began slow but finished up in a Thumper dance off in the dark - it was unforgettable. We wrapped up the night by learning the electric slide, some swing dancing, and the soulja boy with the whole group.

Our final minutes together as a team were emotional. We signed shirts and hats, exchanged gifts, and many of the student broke into tears. The boys as well as the girls were old enough to realize that we were not coming back the following week, and that the 3 weeks had final come to an end. It is amazing the relationships one can form with students despite not having one conversation with them without a translator. Maybe it was the few Vietnamese phrases that I would say to them every day, good morning/afternoon, how are you?, I am hungry, I like to eat rice and drink coffee, you are a handsome boy/beautiful girl, have a nice day, I love volleyball. From tears of joy for coming in 2nd to tears of sadness for saying goodbye, I would like to mention some of my friends that I will always remember.

Khoi- One of the Vietnamese coaches that worked with me with the orange teams and in sports and health. She was awesome at every aspect of our work with the kids, from helping me with classes, to being a caring friend to the young kids and their fickle emotions. Her openness and honesty struck me as very similar to myself, and the relationship we had, while slightly hindered by the language barrier, was created by daily interactions, mannerisms, and emotions. Thank you Khoi for an incredible experience.

Khanh- Khanh was my other Vietnamese coaching companions, and although we were not able to converse much I admired his passion for teaching the kids, and his courage for entering into a position that was demanding and stressful for many more reasons than I can mention. Thank you Khanh.

Khoa- Khoa helped me with sports and health. I can't say enough about his integrity and character. He was such a crucial component for our teaching, he is very smart, and knows how to work with kids well. Thank you Khoa.

Nam- Nam was the captain of my morning Orange Team. As the days passed I felt closer and closer to Nam even though we never could say much to each other. He began as just a student, but developed into a leader. On the last day of teaching, I encouraged the kids from the morning session to come in the afternoon to hang out and practice volleyball for the games the following day. Nam came and hung out with me for the entire day. I could see his maturity, I could sense his value of relationships, and I could feel his presence as a friend. It could have been the fact he just loved being near me, watching me, and letting me know he cared about what we were doing in his life. On the last day of competitions he emptied his tank, and was frustrated when we struggled. He was joyous when he found out we placed 2nd, and finally, he was in tears when he realized his coaches were leaving for good. I will miss you Nam, thanks for everything.

Van- Van is a Vietnamese high school student who was assigned to help me with volleyball. She did not speak English, but helped me in every other way possible. She was a true friend, she worked harder than anyone at the camp, and is one awesome volleyball player. Thank you for all your help and the very thoughtful gift.

Finally I would like to thank Nghi, our Vietnam Director, Nam, our Vietnam coordinator, and Khang, Den, Nhan, Vien, Hai, and An, the rest of the Vietnamese coaches, who made my experience special.

It was a 6 hour drive to Ho Chi Minh City, and we arrived around 5pm today. My flight leaves Tuesday at 6am and I will return to the U.S., and will end an incredible journey around the world. It was one filled with emotion, experience, uncertainty, and joy. I thank God for being with me on my journey, for watching over me, and for providing me with such an incredible opportunity - Amen.

Second week of competitions and our weekend at the beach

The Friday competitions are great. It is almost like organized chaos at times because we are all so competitive, but we need translators to convey our message to the kids during the competition, so we are never sure how our screaming actually is interpreted.

My orange morning team, despite a tough week of volleyball practice, did pretty well in the competitions. For us that means top three out of four. With only 7 kids, 6 when one misses competition day, and 5 when one hurts his wrist, we give it our best and do it with class.

My orange afternoon team is a little is very sporadic. They either come in first or last in everything is seems. They work hard but take their time, so relays are not our best event. I am not sure where either of my teams stand at the moment, but I will be very happy if we get second place overall.

Academically, we had the highest score on the life skills test (thanks to a near perfect score by one of our team captains Duc). Leadership and team building is more difficult than you would think to teach to kids who have never even heard of such concepts, let alone had to be apart of a sports team.

For our third weekend in Vietnam we went to a beach resort about 4 hours south east of where we stay. The resort was very nice and the beach as quite. The weather was nice and the people were hospitable.




A view of the coast as we leave on our boat toward our semi-private island.



The Vietnamese students and I on the boat. It was about an hour boat ride to the island where we stayed for the day. The island was near the well known Mouse Island, and had a sand bar connecting it an adjacent island. The boat ride was very nice on the way out to the island at about 8am. It was already about 85 degrees and the sun was just coming out from behind a curtain of clouds.
As we move away from the coast we can see our resort hotel. Each one of those little villas is a separate set of rooms, each one with a view of the ocean.

We pulled up to a small fishing island and docked the boat. Here you see a small fishing boat the locals use. To the right is the island we stayed at for the day, and to the left is another island - the two are connected by a giant sandbar where we spent the day swimming. We were able to walk across the sandbar to the other island and have someone climb a tree and get us fresh coconuts. We ate some and drank the fresh coconut milk. I love coconut, but the coconut milk is not my favorite. Regardless is was really cool to hang out and walk around the island. It seemed like only a handful (10) people lived on this island.


There was a family on the island that fed us an amazing seafood feast of a lunch. They had hammocks up all over the place so everyone had a chance to relax and let the sunburns cool down before heading back.

A beautiful ending to an awesome day on a remote island. It was very relaxing, and a perfect getaway from the hectic weekly routine we have had.

After getting back to the center, Graham and I immediately took a taxi with Nghi back to Can Tho city to try on our suit jackets at the tailor. It looks like they are going to be very sharp.

Broken bridges

This week is going smoothly. We are all settling into our roles and it is nice to find a routine. Earlier in the week our director was visiting kids at their homes to talk about the next session of the camp. She was telling us that she had to cross like 10 small bridges to cross rivers or creeks on her way into the forests to find the houses. She said that the bridges were very old and rickety. Well, on the way back from the houses, one of the bridges she was on actually broke and she fell through it into the water. Nghi, the Vietnamese director was with her and when she jump in after her the rest of the bridge collapsed. It seems too crazy to be true, since you really only see that stuff in movies. It just makes you think about what these kids have to go through just to get to school everyday.

Yesterday I went to the local market after work and bought some hooks and fishing line for this weekend. We go to a uninhabited beach and I play to have a go at fishing. Since I do not have a fishing pole, I asked one of the Vietnamese guys that works with us if I could use some bamboo. Today he brought me two 10ft green bamboo poles that he said could handle up to a 2kg fish. Although we may need something stronger for the ocean, these will be quite fun to use this weekend and in the local rivers.

The kids are having fun, as are we, and as we get more comfortable together the harder it will be to say goodbye to everyone next weekend.

Cheers for now!

Kids, Fruit, and weekend in Can Tho

My morning class of rising 7th graders doing a team building exercise where they have to build a 5 level pyramid with tennis balls. Although we did not win, the kids had a blast. My teaching/coaching schedule is laid out like this: Monday-Thursday I teach four Sports and Health classes a day, and coach four volleyball practices a day. In addition I teach a life skills classes like leadership, team building, or higher education. There are morning and afternoon students so I work with two groups a day. I also work with two Vietnamese college students from Can Tho University and one Vietnamese high school student. Every Friday we have competitions and academic tests. My morning orange team took first place twice in the competitions last Friday.



Hard at work on the pyramid.


My evening orange team (The Orange Sky Dragons). Slogan, "Train your body for sports, train your mind for school", and "Doi cam vo dich (Team Orange is the champion)."


The fruit here is so different than back in the U.S. There are miniature bananas and watermelon, and then some dragon fruit, and I forgot the names of the other fruit, but as you can see it is very colorful and it tastes pretty good as well.


We went to a floating market, which is a market on a river. We had to get there at 5:30am, and Nghi (our Vietnamese program director) told us that the locals get there at 3am to buy food to bring back to their villages. In the above picture we are eating a fruit pronounced mit yet I do not think that is how it is spelled. It actually tastes just like yellow laffy taffy, and even has a similar consistency.


Here you can see one of the vendors at the floating market. The giant bamboo stick holding produce is how the vendor displays what he is selling. Some boast sell only one item while others sell a wide range of vegetables and fruit. There are even boats described as coffee shops that offer you coffee, soft drinks, and small snacks while you shop. Were were escorted around by a boat as well.


On our way to the Hoa An research center where we stay, we stopped for a Mekong River tour. The Mekong is actually a huge river and this is just one of the smaller rivers running through one of its islands. We actually all were given those hats you see, but there is no way I am posting that picture on the Internet, those you want to see how funny we looked will have to wait.

Right now I am at a hotel in Can Tho city. We have spent a few days here and yesterday I was did some shopping at the local markets. Graham, a Duke alumni that also played soccer, and I made the effort to get tailored suits made. We first went to the market and bought some fabric we liked (color and quality/feel) and then brought it to a tailor. We chose the style of pant and jacket and he took measurements. The full suit will only cost about $50, and what I have heard they turn out really nice.

I also ate some more interesting food since I last posted. I had frog legs and snake at dinner Friday night, and was able to eat pure sugar can freshly chopped down from the yard at the center where we stay. They snake was not very tasty, but everything else has been fine. I am not sure if I already mentioned this, but I tried the partially developed chicken and duck eggs. They are eggs that have a recognizable embryo in them. They taste good but it is a little weird to eat them. Last, I had dog. I will not ever eat dog again, but I had to try it. Just to let everyone they usually do not just kill their pet dogs, but they buy the dog meat from the market that comes from wild dogs. Anyway, it has all been an experience.

First week: coaching, teaching, learning

We left Ho Chi Minh city on Saturday morning, and after a tour of the Mekong river, we arrived in Hoa An around dinner time. The tour of the Mekong was pretty neat, I opened a coconut with a machete and drank snake wine. The snake wine is different than snake blood. Snake wine is very strong wine that has cobra and other snakes in it for taste. Ours even had a dead raven. We all took a shot of it, and it was horrendous, but an experience nontheless. We also got to hold a giant python and a rack of about a 100,000 bees. After that we listened to some tradition Mekong vietnamese music and tasted queen bee honey, which is the special honey designated just for the queen bee.

We are staying in a Hoa An research center for biodiversity in rural Vietnam, which is right down the road from the middle school we teach/coach at. I am teaching health sciences (sport and health/ the thao va suc khoe) and coaching volleyball.

I even was able to eat some sugar cane right after they chopped it down from the field outside where we stay.

I love it.

Pictures to come soon.

Cheers!

The CAT MANDU burger

Dad and Ian, you guys won't believe what I had for lunch at the BLACK CAT today.



Above is the menu from this semi-american restaurant that serves some awesome burgers. They had this chicken burger called the CAT MANDU and it was awesome. For those who do not understand why that is cool, you can ask my dad or just don't worry about it.




Here are the snails I had for dinner last night while the slimy things were still in the shell....

...and here are the empty shells.

Also, I found out that the pork balls were not actually pig testicles. When I told Thai that I thought I was eating pig testicles he got a good laugh in. As you can see I am preparing myself mentally for the food as well, so this sort of thing is just preparation for what is to come. Thats what four years of division one sports will do.

Cheers

Snails, Pork Balls, and Vietnamese Pancakes

Dinner was great. I had some real Vietnamese cuisine. The snails came in a coconut cream sauce and I had about 20-30 of them to suck out of the shell. They were pretty difficult to chew, but the sauce was tasty and the snails were not bad themselves. I also had pork balls which I am pretty sure were like sliced pig testicles with some noodles. They were actually the best part of the meal and kind of tasted like meat loaf. Finally I had some good old deep fried pork ribs and a Vietnamese pancake, which is a thin crepe-like patty with pork, beef, and shrimp that you put into a lettuce wrap and dip in this orange sauce. It was a very interesting night out for dinner, but well worth the $9. We were three, the dutchman, his friend, and I, so there was a combination of dutch, english, and vietnamese being spoken at all times. Tomorrow I leave the hostel and head to a very nice hotel with the rest of the group as they arrive throughout the day. We will stay for only one night before we head out into the more rural areas of Vietnam for the start of the program.