Happy Birthday Simon!

Simon turned 17 years old this week.  We celebrated by going to the movie theatre to watch Rogue One with family and friends. 

Together for Christmas

Christmas is a time for families to be together and we are thrilled to be back in Canada and reunited with Max!  

Sights near our home

Phu My Hung in District 7 is the part of Ho Chi Minh City where we live. This area of land was created by reclaiming the swamp that was here. Special engineering is used to ensure that the buildings are stable. But the sidewalks need to be adjusted every couple of years as the stones settle and the swamp comes closer to the surface. Recently, this area of patio stones was lifted and returned to level the walking area.

This week we also witnessed a re-planting of the grass in the park next to our house. We are not sure of the entire process but it appeared that the old grass was rolled back, lots of top soil added, and blades of grass were removed from the "sod". Then individual clumps of grass were replanted by hand.

Frequently we see people carrying a variety of items on their heads. This man got our attention downtown.

Russian Trainer

Three mornings a week Lisa spends an hour with a Russian trainer, working on balance and toning. She is a tough one but there is also lots of laughing. She is a foodie too! The training is bearable because there is lots of discussion about local restaurants, new recipes, and delicious fruit!

Sneaker Fest

Earlier this month there was a gathering of sneakerheads in Ho Chi Minh City. We were there among hundreds of young people talking about creases, stitching, colourway, year of release, retros, tags, defining features, soles (transparent, icy blue, or gum), outsole softness,..... It is a fascinating piece of youth culture that exists even here in Vietnam.

We spent a couple of hours looking and talking and taking photos. We saw collector shoes on feet and on tables: Yeezy ; Kobe 8 'What The' ; Jordan 11 'Space Jam' ; NMD 'Human Race' ; Jordan 6 'Slam Dunk'. Some shoes were priced as high as $2500.

We met some wonderful teens and Simon felt that this was a "proper" sneakerfest.

Movember

Thank goodness December 1 is here and "Movember" is over! This year Tim participated in a mustache-growing competition at school. Lisa was not thrilled about this.




Tim chose to grow a full beard then trim it to a mustache for the final day.





At the end of the contest the students also participated in a video wearing mustaches.

Thao

Tim's Administrative Assistant is called Thao. She is a fiery Vietnamese woman with excellent English skills and an amazing ability to multi-task. She is warm and funny and she has been Tim's right hand during these beginning months of his new job. On Fridays they even look alike!



Thao is traveling to Canada in December, so this weekend we made a trip to the Russian Market to get some warm clothes.


Thao has lived her whole life in Vietnam. Getting off the plane in Toronto is going to be quite a shock! She is very excited to see snow!

Birthday!

This week Tim celebrated another birthday.  His coworkers recognized the day with a delicious cake and a beautiful orchid plant for his office. We also had a delicious meal and gifts at home with friends.

Meanwhile Back in Canada

Max and his roommate Neil

Living apart from Max has been a difficult thing for us as a family. However, Max has made an incredible transition to university and to Canada. We are very thankful for many things: Max's determination and discipline; the Grebel Residence staff and friends; the wonder of technology which allows us to text daily and Skype weekly; and special family members in Nova Scotia who give Max extra support in our absence.

Last weekend was one example of how our family members have prioritized Max this semester. Uncle David flew to Toronto and drove to Waterloo to spend a weekend with Max. They spent time exploring the campus of U Waterloo, eating great food at Grebel Residence, and meeting some of Max's friends. They also took advantage of a trip to the Mennonite Farmers' Market at St. Jacobs.

Max enjoyed touring around the communities near Waterloo. They visited David's relatives in Elora, and went to Brampton where Max will be doing a CoOp placement beginning in January. In our stead, David was able to meet the family that Max will be living with and offer advice on Max's first work experience.

It was a special time for nephew and uncle! 

A Christmas surprise!

On the weekend we were doing some walking in District 1 with friends and discovered a new shop with Christmas decorations and supplies! This was a big treat for us, having lived in the Middle East where Christmas is not celebrated. And we didn't expected these decorations in Ho Chi Minh City because this is primarily a Buddhist culture. It was thrilling to see beautiful hand-made cards, tags, papers, strings of lights that are delicately crafted here in Vietnam.

After getting our fill of Christmas sparkle we got our fill of the best BBQ ribs in Ho Chi Minh City!

Volleyball Weekend

On the first weekend in November Simon (#8) traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for the Mekong River International School Association (MRISA) Senior Volleyball Tournament. The Varsity boys and girls teams from SSIS joined seven other schools from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand to compete for the MRISA championship.

Tim and Lisa also made the short trip to Cambodia to cheer on the team. The students were all billeted by the local students of the International School of Phnom Penh. The parents stayed in a hotel and had a fascinating ride to the school each morning in a Tuk-tuk with a Cambodian chauffeur.

Simon's team was undefeated throughout the round-robin and semifinal round. They were a fun team to watch and they played well together. Simon plays the front positions and because of a great setter and great passing, he often has opportunity to spike or tip the ball over the net.  Unfortunately the SSIS team lost in the championship game to the host school, ISPP, for a 2nd place finish at the tournament. The girls team placed 4th overall.

We were very proud of this group of young men and women who supported each other, demonstrated the joy of playing volleyball, and were gracious in their defeat. We also appreciated the expert coaching and tireless efforts of the coaches throughout the season.

Kuala Lumpur

Last week Tim and colleagues attended the East Asia Regional Council of Schools conference (EARCOS) in Malaysia. Having never been there before, Lisa tagged along to do some sightseeing while Tim was in meetings.

Our first stop was the famous Petronas Twin Towers (the tallest twin towers in the world). We went to the Skybridge and then to the Observation deck on the 86th floor. These are really beautiful towers with a spectacular view.

One day Lisa devoted to parks: the Bird Park, the Orchid Park, and the Butterfly Park. It was a relaxing day of strolling through beautiful tropical flora and fauna. Lisa kept her distance from the birds, especially the very large peacocks. There was a photo opportunity with some parrots, which went badly when the blue one starting eating Lisa's hair.










The week also included lots of walking to ChinaTown and Petaling Street market, eating delicious Mexican food, and sitting by the pool at the Shangri-la hotel (one of the nicest we have ever stayed at). It was a wonderful getaway!

The Butterfly Park

The country was celebrating the Hindu Festival of Lights,
Diwali, and this elephant appeared in the hotel lobby
-- made completely of flowers!

Petaling Street market

Bikes

One of our favourite forms of entertainment is watching the streets to see what items are being carried on scooters. Almost everything that comes to our house arrives on a bike. Weekly groceries and water jugs, propane gas for the kitchen, and a new chair for the dining room are our most recent deliveries. Below are photos that we took last week when out and about: cases of beer, reams of paper, full water jugs, large propane tank, bags of ice.

Staycation

Last week was a school break week for SSIS. Tim and Lisa had a "stay-cation". One of the highlights was a Vietnamese cultural show called the AO Show. It is a wonderful acrobatic display using baskets and large bamboo sticks. The show tells the story of the Vietnamese people's daily lives in the country, working on farms, and in the cities, living in close proximity to millions of other people. Truly an amazing show and an unforgettable experience at the Saigon Opera House!

Another unique local experience was a visit to an orphanage outside the city where children living with the effects of Agent Orange are cared for by a team of Catholic nuns. These children are third generation victims of the American War.

A trip to the Saigon Post Office was another fun and functional activity. It costs about $1 to send a card to Canada and takes about a month to get there.

During the break Simon went to Doha to visit friends. He was busy there being a tourist, eating with friends, attending a day of classes at his old school, practicing with the QF Basketball team, and catching up with Ana and her family.