Signs of Christmas

In a country that doesn't have snow or the usual natural clues of Christmas, we still see the commercial clues and are surprised by the decorations that appear in stores and malls.

But last evening Tim and Lisa had a real shock  -- two real trees in the grocery store! But the shock wasn't their presence as much as their price. The small one was selling for 8,000,000 vnd (about $450 CAD) and the tall-ish one beside Lisa was 15,000,000 vnd (about $850 CAD)!!!! The tag says these are from Norway.

"PTA Moms" and Dads

Shopping for supplies

Lisa has been supporting the SSIS community by volunteering on the PTA as the secretary. The PTA coordinates school-wide events for students, interest clubs for parents, appreciation activities for teachers, and support for High School and Middle Club activities. It has been a busy semester!

At Teacher Appreciation Luncheon with HOS, Mark Sylte

Registration Team at Family Fun Day

Canada Cultural Booth for International Day

Bollywood Dancing

Friday afternoon social

Digital Scrapbooking Club

New BBQ Grill for Booster Club

Another Birthday!

Tim's birthday lasted a whole week long this year! There were celebrations at school, at home, and with friends. This year his Admin team surprised him with comfort food from Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts! An hour later they all agreed that it is a younger man's food. 

Volleyball champions

During this first season of athletics Simon has played on the SSIS Varsity Volleyball team. The final tournament was held in Vientiane, Laos. Lisa and a friend traveled to Laos to watch the weekend tournament. It was a well organized and exciting tournament.
Two full days of play and the SSIS Dragons came out on top of the eight schools participating. The SSIS Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys teams were both champions!

HaLong Bay

About four hours east of Hanoi is a UNICEF World Heritage Site and one of the new Natural Wonders of the World. HaLong Bay is an area of the South China Sea with remarkable limestone karsts. It is a very popular tourist destination (as you can see from all the tour boats)!

We spent one night on a boat amidst this beautiful landscape. We had hoped to spend a second night but a typhoon moving into the area brought wind and rain which forced all boats to leave the area. Our evening entertainment was to watch the thunder and lightening from our cabin while the movie KONG 2017 was playing on our TV. The movie was filmed in Vietnam and HaLong Bay. It was a memorable movie!

The Bay also has many large limestone caves that give an interesting afternoon adventure and beautiful views of the landscape. 

Hanoi

During the school October break, Tim, Lisa and Simon traveled to northern Vietnam. They spent a couple of days exploring Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. It is a smaller city than Ho Chi Minh and has a different feel. We stayed in the Old Quarter and enjoyed discovering small cafes, restaurants and shops. We took in some of the local attractions and walked a lot.

Of course we couldn't resist the urge to eat at Bún Chả Huong Lien, the restaurant made famous by Obama's visit in 2016. Bún chả is a delicious pork soup and this small, very crowded restaurant truly makes a delicious bowl!!!

Volleyball Season

The first athletic season of this academic year is Volleyball. Simon is playing on the Varsity Team and recently took a trip to Bangkok, Thailand for a tournament. This was a new tournament for the team and the level of play was higher than the usual. Simon's team performed very well with a respectable fourth place finish. It was good practice for the end of season tournament, which will be held in Laos.

Chocolate Stout

Tim and Lisa were exploring in District 1 last weekend. They spotted the famous Pasteur Street Brewing Company so stopped for a refreshment. On the menu was a Chocolate Stout that has won awards for the "best chocolate beer in the world"! It is made with Vietnam's own Marou chocolate, cinnamon from Saigon, and vanilla beans from Mui Ne. 

Mui Ne Field Trip

 As part of the IB Higher Level Geography course, last week Simon and his classmates traveled to the small tourist town of Mui Ne. Four hours north of Ho Chi Minh City, this town became famous in the mid 1990s when it offered the best views of a solar eclipse. Since then the tourism industry has developed the area which is known for its beautiful beaches, red and white sand dunes, and mysterious "Fairy Stream".




Simon's task during the 3 day adventure was to collect data for a research paper on sustainable tourism. Through surveys with tourists and shop/ hotel owners, and observations of the land formations and tourist participation, he and his 20 classmates have received a wealth of data about the area.

It also happened that Lisa and Tim went along as chaperones for this trip. It was another hot and humid destination. But the beauty of the area made the heat worth it. This is the off season for Mui Ne; the winter has more tourists from Russia and other northern climates.There are quaint restaurants, stores and many kite surfing shops.

Moon Festival

This week the Vietnamese celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Vietnamese calendar is based on the cycles of the moon. The fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Lunar calendar was, traditionally, a time to express the values of family, education, togetherness. It is a time for children to make paper lanterns, eat "moon cakes", sing, drink tea and remember the old principles.

Week Without Walls in Vietnam

Again this year, Tim traveled with a group of 100 Grade 9 students and teachers to northern Vietnam for a week of house-building and exploration. Like most international schools this "week without walls" is part of the curriculum to expose students to new cultures and new activities. It is also a great time of team building with a class.

Tim's week was very hot and very humid. Activities included hiking in the mountains, working on the building site, learning to weave.

With help from local construction workers, the students finished the house during their week of working. On the last day of their trip they had a ceremony to hand over the keys to the family that would live in this new house. It is a gift beyond comprehension to these people from a very poor village in Vietnam. 

Adopted !

Lady Di

Charles

This week we adopted two cats from the Animal Rescue Centre here in HCMC. We have named them Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Charles has adapted very well to our home. He is social and loves being where the action is. Lady Di is much more shy and loves to find small places to hide. We have had a cat in our lives since 2006 and were feeling a bit lonely for a pet. We are looking forward to years of fun and affection.

Simon's Summer Adventure

In July Simon attended a Biology Expedition with two Biology teachers from his school in Vietnam. This was a two week experience in the remote South Sulawesi region of Indonesia. His first week was in the jungle of the Buton Forest. He worked with scientists who were studying various aspects of the ecosystem. He conducted habitat surveys, bird surveys using distance sampling, patch occupancy surveys for megafauna, amphibian river night walks, and butterfly surveys. He also gathered data on bats for his IB Extended Essay and learned about harp traps and mist nets. He made a spectacular 40 meter climb to the canopy of the rainforest.

Simon's second week was at the Hoga Island Marine Research Station in the Wakatobi National Park. He spent a week diving, snorkeling in the mangroves, conducting coral reef surveys, and learning about the marine ecosystem. He visited a floating village and lived among the seakraites (the most venomous serpents on earth).

It was a two week adventure of living in very rustic conditions (sleeping in a hammock under a tarp), experiencing local culture (eating rice and fish every meal), and learning hands-on research skills (from the Operation Wallacea Research Team). Simon's biggest disappointment was that he did not see a pygmy tarsier -- the South Sulawesi is the only place on earth where these creatures live. He heard one very nearby but could not see it.....