Best Smoothies in Town

Max and Lisa spent another day exploring the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City. We traveled on a 20-minute bus ride to District 1 that cost less than $1. We ran into a friend who gave us helpful tips on the best places to shop for souvenirs, chop sticks, cheese, imported foods, and T shirts. We had a wonderful and productive morning of shopping.

Then Stephanie took us to the best smoothie place in town. We were a a bit surprised when she stopped in the middle of an alleyway..... The smoothie shop is just a sign in an alley. And "eating in" means pulling up one of these tiny stools and sipping your smoothie while scooters zoom past your feet. 

Cooking Lesson

Before we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Lisa had hired a housekeeper. Priorities. Nhung (pronounced Nume) is a wonderful 19 year old Vietnamese woman. Her family lives in HCMC and Nhung has worked since she was 15 to help provide for her parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. She is a smart young woman, who speaks English very well, works hard, and is eager to please.

Lisa and Nhung have been learning from each other in the kitchen. Nhung made her first ever batch of cookies last week! The equipment and the method is all new to her as well as the idea of using a recipe.

Then, with Nhung's guidance, Lisa made her first ever Vietnamese meal, called "fry noodle". Yes, that is what it is called by the Vietnamese. It is mostly a stir fry using peppers, carrots, onions, cai ngot ("sweet cabbage" similar to bok choy), green onion, and lots of garlic (11 cloves in this dish!).

Vietnamese cooking uses simple ingredients purchased fresh every morning, and basic spices (garlic, salt, "pork powder"). Only a little bit of meat is used in order to flavour the dish. Lisa was surprised at how many bowls/ dishes are used; the method of putting the stir fry together is very precise, using ingredients in a certain order and then removing from the pan to add the next ingredient. Only at the very end are all of the vegetables, meat, and noodles combined. And it is delicious!

Being a Tourist

Now that Simon and Tim are in school, Max and Lisa are free to act like tourists for a couple of weeks before Max heads off to university. We walked to a local market in our district and were overwhelmed by the number of people and the goods on display.

There was every kind of vegetable, meat, and fish. Even frogs (to be cooked for dinner)! There were many different kinds of rice available and lots of clothing items (although most of it was too small for us). 

Vaccines

Visitors to Vietnam are recommended to have vaccines for several diseases not common in Canada. Besides the usual Hepatitis A and B, we updated our Typhoid Fever, Polio, Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis. Everyone was thankful to not need a repeat of Yellow Fever (it really hurts). But the International Travel Clinic in Nova Scotia recommended that we wait until arriving in Vietnam to receive the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine. The vaccine available in Vietnam is newer than than the one in Nova Scotia and only requires one shot. So today we went to the local Clinic to receive this vaccine. Because of his age, Simon went to the Pediatric Clinic to receive his vaccine. 

First Day of School

This week Simon and Tim began their academic year at Saigon South International School. The school currently has 999 students in grades K - 12. The curriculum includes American Advance Placement courses and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program for Grades 11 and 12. Simon is doing the IBDP with a plan to graduate in May 2018.

Tim is the High School Assistant Principal, a newly created position as the numbers at the school continue to grow. He is excited to be working with a group of expert teachers and administrators from Canada, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

The school website http://www.ssis.edu.vn/

Shipment arrived

Before leaving Doha we sold and gave away a lot of things that we had accumulated over the five years we were there. And we also packed up and shipped those items that held memories or could be useful in Vietnam. Last weekend our shipment arrived and we found ourselves exclaiming two phrases: "I forgot we shipped that!" or "Why did we ship that?"

Shipment arrival day means that our space is once again in chaos. This move went very smoothly and we can't say enough about the expert service we received from Saigon Express Agency Ltd. They effortlessly moved each box to the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd floor, put the piano together, unwrapped action packers and artwork, and took away all the cardboard. They will even come back in two weeks to hang our art on the walls.

Of course our challenge is to unpack each box and find a place for it in our new space. We are taking it slow but it is incredibly comforting to be surrounded by familiar things again. And even better to once again hear Simon and Max playing their guitar and bass.

Fun times

Despite two busy weeks of Orientation and settling in, we have found time for some fun with friends. We have seen two new movies in the theatre and enjoyed both the movies and a couple of nights out!

Haircuts

Settling into a new country is about more than settling into a new home. After feeling comfortable in a house, it is time to explore the other aspects of life. For our family, one of the biggest challenges has always been to find a good hairstylist. Perhaps it is because we all have short hair so will be seeing this person monthly. Or perhaps we are fussy. Or perhaps we have weird hair. Regardless, it is a challenge that we do not take lightly. This week three of us had great success!

  

Max and Simon went to a Salon / Spa where we often go for massage. With some hand language and a few photos, they received excellent cuts from two young Vietnamese men. Their cuts also included a lengthy head and shoulder massage.

Lisa took the advice of several teachers at the school and booked an appointment downtown at the trendy "Hair Bar". The hair washing takes place on a full out chair and includes head, neck, arm, and shoulder massage. Mr. Vu is a wonderful Vietnamese gentleman with excellent English skills and amazing hair skill. It was the beginning of a great relationship! And well worth the 30 minute taxi ride.

Tim is grateful that the shipment from Doha arrives this weekend and includes the flat top comb, clippers, and guides that Lisa uses to cut his hair. He was hopeful that a stylist near the school would be able to manage a flat top. But, alas, the first attempt was not stellar....

Parking lots

Living in a city with millions of scooters, we anticipated seeing many motorbikes on the roads. But we forgot about where all of those scooters would park when they went to the Mall. Indoor and outdoor parking lots have a unique look, not the parking lots that we are accustomed to.

And below is a photo of our driveway on the day that we had people cleaning and working in our house. All of the cleaning equipment, curtains, stools, ladders, and tools came to our house on these scooters..... Can you picture it? The things we see on a scooter will make a great future blog post!

Housecleaning

The house we are renting comes furnished with the basics -- dining table, sofa, chairs, beds, washing machine. All  of the smaller items for daily living are our responsibility to purchase. So we decided to ship most of those items from Doha. The shipment left Doha on June 30 and we expect it to arrive later this week. In preparation, we spent the weekend cleaning the house while it is mostly empty.

It was a beehive of activity as we had curtains washed, sofa cleaned, air conditioner repaired, mattresses cleaned, light fixtures cleaned and lightbulbs replaced.

Everyone pitched in. Max and Simon have been especially helpful because of their height! The ceilings are 13 feet high.....