Tetetetetet

Like I said in my last post, Tet has been a bit of an emotional carnival ride (less dramatic than a roller coaster). At good moments, I appreciate the generosity of every person who opens their home to me. At bad moments I wonder whether people only invite me because they want the luck I allegedly bring, or to have the honor of being able to say they were one of my Tet hosts. At in-between moments, it occurs to me that my sometimes overwhelming schedule is very likely a culturally misinformed favor. If solitude is inherently sad in Vietnamese culture, allowing me to be alone during Tet is unimaginable, though at times it's all I want.

Yesterday I was tempted to say I was too tired for my morning plans, but I decided to stick it out. The previous night had shown that I shouldn't assume I know what's in store for me. However, fate took my side and my morning plans were canceled. In the afternoon I met with some student-aged people and we went to the house of a woman I don't know. We had more spring rolls and a new 'treat': rice balls soaked in rice wine. It tasted and felt like eating very fermented dough. I tried to get away with not eating very many, but I was told that they are a Tet specialty and are good for digestion. Since nobody other than the host seemed to have much interest in eating theirs, though, I let myself ignore the insistence that I eat more.

at Mr. Luan's house with him and the students before going to the woman's house

like taking chewy shots

I thought I'd be going home after this, but instead I found out that we were going to the house I was supposed to visit in the morning. Mr. Luan and I were greeted by Mr. Chau. He has, hands down, the nicest house (or perhaps just the most westerner-friendly) I've seen in Vietnam. It has a western-style kitchen, a bathroom the size of my room, and at least two flat screen TVs. The three of us were the only people there, and after a brief look around we sat. Mr. Luan and Mr. Chau chatted and I ate what I later found out were candied lotus seeds. After twenty minutes of tea drinking and the two of them chatting, it was time for me to go home. This visit only furthered my curiosity as to why exactly I was invited to some of the things I was invited to this week.

Fancy, huh?

The dining room, with the kitchen in the background

Today was much more relaxed. I had an early lunch with several female teachers and then had the day to myself. They spoke little English with me, but they didn't spring any extra activities on me, so things went smoothly.

I spent the afternoon finally relaxing and grading an essay assignment I gave right before Tet. While grading I learned some new words from my students: rabbage and gabbage. I'm guessing they come from poor pronunciation and perhaps a combination of the words rubbish and garbage. Most of the papers were on more or less the same level, but a few were quite outstanding. Unfortunately, a few of those outstanding papers had sentences that reappeared in other students' papers. Disheartening to say the least. Here's hoping that some well-distributed zeros (hard to do, but necessary) will inspire some changes.


When I bought my first set of pajamas I thought I'd be buying a new set each month because they're just so darn comfortable. Through a combination of self-control and the fact that no other pajamas have been able to measure up, I've stuck with the one pair. But, as Tet is a time for new clothes, I've been seriously considering finding a second set. Along with this intention, I've been thinking about whether I would wear those pajamas back in the US. I know I still have several months to go, but my future life is feeling more and more like a necessary consideration. Anyway, I happened upon this article in support of pajamas. Who knew Vietnam was so progressive (or lacking in moral fiber, depending on your opinion)?