Feeling the Love in Hanoi

It’s incredible how much my life has changed in the past 4 months since I have left New Jersey. I relocated to Vietnam by myself, moved into studio apartment, started working as an English teacher for Language Link, learned how to drive a motorbike, permanently straightened my hair (this is very important), met and befriended a bunch of really awesome and inspiring people from all over the world, and began a relationship with a guy named Ryan from Colorado.

I’ve just been reflecting on these changes in the past few days especially with the oncoming of my 25^th birthday this past Tuesday. Much to the dismay of others this been the first birthday that I have ever had away from New Jersey. This might sound kind of cheesy, but I've really been feeling the love for the past few days...the following will explain:

Sunday night a bunch of my friends and I went out for dinner to a Vietnamese restaurant called Chim Sao (Pigeon). My closest friends came out: Ryan, Ben, Mikka and her boyfriend Iain, Amalia and her boyfriend Bence, Julie and Noa. I wasn’t expecting any gifts, but my friends Julie, Amalia and her boyfriend Bence chipped in to buy me a book on Vietnamese feminist poetry, and a pretty little notebook. Afterwards we went out to my favorite bar called SBB (Special Belgian Beer). Ryan and I go here relatively often and since we are one of their very few customers the manager, Tai, is always happy to see us. Because it was a birthday occasion Tai gave me a free large bottle of beer to share with the table and, as always, it was delicious!
I work with this American man named Jim who has been in Vietnam for 2 ½ years and he has been a sort of mentor for me since I have arrived in the country. I generally bother Jim if I have a question about anything work and non-work related on a daily basis. Anyway, a few weeks ago ago he returned to Wisconsin and Montana to visit some friends and take care of some personal business and while he was there he picked up an Obama button and gave it to me on Monday! It made my afternoon!

That night Ryan gave me his present. I told him that in the states I always wear this big silver ring with turquoise stones in it (people at home: you know the one I’m talking about). I didn’t bring it with me because I thought that I would lose it while I’m here, and it’s one of my favorite things. Based on the description of the ring Ryan walked around the Old Quarter for an hour searching for a gift. He bought me a necklace with a silver chain and a silver pendant with little turquoise stones in it. I usually do not like it when people buy jewelry for me because I am extremely picky about what I wear, but the necklace was absolutely beautiful and I have worn it for the past two days since he gave it to me.

I had to work on my birthday (bummer), and when I walked into the staff room Mikka gave me a gorgeous purple scarf, and Ben gave me a present from his girlfriend Huyen – an orange stuffed teddy bear with a frame inside of it.

I told my devilish teen class that evening that it was my birthday, so I’m not sure if it was just because I was in a good mood, they were willing to be nice to me for the one day, or I just didn’t care either way, but they weren’t that bad!

That evening I had an “excursion” with my beloved 2-hour Elementary 2 class. It was our final session and it is kind of expected that the class do something together whether it’s a party or some sort of outing. The final session just happened to land on my birthday. This is the first class that I have gone through from start to finish. The other classes that I finished were those that I took over from another teacher halfway through, so it was kind of sad to know that I am letting them go.

Anyway, I told my class that it will be my birthday on the day of our final session, so when I walked into the classroom they all sang happy birthday to me. After I handed out their final exams, report cards and certificates they presented me with a gift: a huge framed picture of Hoan Kiem Lake and written on the glass was “Happy Birthday Jessica in Vietnam 9/9/08”. I was on the verge of tears. We then proceeded to go to a Bia Hoi (a restaurant of sorts that make their own beer) and feast on some of Vietnam’s deliciousnesses: duck fried with chile, some sort of salad with green mango, peanuts and dried beef, grilled prawns, fried rice, fried tofu, potato salad, and sautéed beef. At the end of our meal Thuc Anh, one of my students, revealed that she had bought me a birthday cake! The other students helped her light the candles and they sang “Happy Birthday” yet again. I was just too happy for words.

I was unable to drive my motorbike to Ryan’s place with the framed picture and the left-over cake, so two of my students carried them for me and followed me to his apartment.

Almost immediately after I arrived at Ryan’s we left to go to this bar called MyWay. What makes this bar so special is that they serve about 100 different types of beer. I had some sort of German Hefe-Weiss beer, and Ryan had a Belgian Tripel. I love discovering little places like this in the city!

While I was out with my Elem 2 students last evening, a student from my Pre-intermediate 3 class who had found out that it was my birthday (I didn’t tell them), had decided to make something for me and drop it off at reception. I knew it was coming and told her to do so. So this afternoon when I arrived at the staff room I was greeted by Mikka who said, “Well the good thing is that your student’s present is here *pointing*. The bad thing is that mice had gotten into it overnight and ate it.” Apparently, the student, Phuong, had made me some Pho Cuon (one of my favorites!) and put it in a Tupperware type container and overnight some mice had gnawed through the plastic and ate a few. I feel grateful for the thought and I’m disappointed that the mice had gotten between me and some potentially delicious pho cuon.

Just when I thought the birthday love had ended, a student from my Adult Beginner's class walked into the classroom this evening with a gigantic bouquet of flowers. The class shouted "Woooooo!! Happy Birthday!!!!", and since they are only beginners it ended there.