Off to Da Lat

Last weekend in Vietnam and we are heading off to Da Lat in the central highlands of the country. I'll catch you all up when I get back on Monday. xoxo

Me and the Kids.

Graduation & Closing Performances

Today was my last day as a teacher here at SEAMEO RETRAC in Ho Chi Minh City...my work is done. It was a great way to end my time at the school. The students were adorable in their wacky cap, gown, and bow tie. Their parents, who were all so lovely, came up to the teachers to express their gratitude for us taking an interest in their children. The performances were great and the amazing energy in the room made it even better. Each teacher was introduced to the audience...I felt like I was at the dance recital...my name was called and the students started screeaming, yelling, and chanting...Ms. E-Ri-Ca. I'm even a celebrity in Saigon! After the ceremony was over a mad rush of students came at us begging for our signatures on the back of their diplomas. I was asked by the director to give a speach about my experience at SEAMEO and tell the audience what I have been thankful for. It was such a beautiful and heart warming experience. I feel blessed to have been given this opportunity. My co-teacher Ms. Hang
My Vietnamese Director at SEAMEO - Mrs. Lieu and her daughter Susan

My Thank You note to the students and the program

Cupcake Update

News from the cupcake front...

Third go at Pacey's Cupcake Shoppe.

Coconut Red Velvet & Chocolate Cream Cheese

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

Motorbiking Saigon!

Yesterday afternoon my teenie tiny co-teacher Hang took me out for a joy ride through Ho Chi Minh City on her motorbike. I' so happy I got to experience this before I left. It's exhilarating insanity! There is no concept of lanes, turning signals, or driving down a one way street the right way. We drove around the local districts and she took me to a local street cart for lunch. We ate our fried chicken leg, spicy rice and lettuce broth on two stools on the sidewalk. The food was great! After lunch she drove me to a tea and herb shop to pick up some nice exotic teas for home. Then, because she is a devote Catholic, she took me to check out this beautiful church. The facade was painted HOT PINK with white curly trim. It looked like a giant piece of cake...mmm I would love some cake right now!

The REX Hotel Saigon

After having spent the last month is a sub par apartment I decided to treat myself to a 2 night stay at a top-notch hotel here in Saigon...well technically Sean treated me...but nonetheless I needed to get the heck out of there! I decided on staying at the Rex Hotel Saigon Tuesday and Wednesday night. This 5-Star hotel is famous for being the legendary haunt of US army officers during the Vietnam War. Located at the heart of central Saigon the hotel was perfectly situated just around the block from the school. Finally...a big, beautiful, comfortable bed to curl up in.
Vietnamese spring rolls from room service, Iron Man 2, and my fluffy bed was all I needed to have a great Wednesday night!

I was in desperate need of a pedicure so I headed to the gorgeous La Cochinchina Spa in the hotel. I enjoyed a 30 minute foot scrub and foot massage + a 30 minute classic pedicure for only $23.00. To prepare myself accordingly for my return journey home I picked the nail polish color Big Apple Red for my toes ;)

Bowlinggg.

Since we've pretty much seen all that Saigon has to offer we've been trying to just live like the locals. Tuesday night we went to the bowling alley located next door to our school on the top floor of the mall. For one game of bowling and shoe rental it was 57,000 VND (Vietnamese Dang) = $2.75 USD total! How much does one game of bowling and a shoe rental cost at home??? I'm quite certain you can't get it for $2.75!!! My total score...58...awesome!

I'm Loved.

As my trip is nearing to a close I am saddened by the thought of saying goodbye to an unexpectedly loving group of amazing children. In the last few days they have expressed their feelings about me returning to New York and how they love me as a teacher. It's always nice to feel validated and appreciated. But I can't help but feel sad that I will not see them again and never watch them grow up. I've learned quite a few things about myself during my time here in Vietnam. One major lesson learned is that no matter where I go or what I do in life people LOVE me! ;) By sticking true to myself and embracing those around me I have the ability to leave an impression on people's lives. How I do it or what I do is still a mystery to me but I have finally accepted that people will love me. If I can make Vietnamese children, co-workers, Dance children, Cardozo faculty, and even that boyfriend of mine embrace my wackiness then maybe I do have something really special to share with the world. Corny...I know...Enlightening...YES! And if people don't love the me that I put out there...well too bad for them...their probably assholes anyway!!!

This is my #1 Fan Bob.

He gave me a gift for the last class...it was a wooden flute!

Watching The Bieb's during the class...today's song of choice..."Never Say Never"

Yogen Fruz...My One True LOVE in Vietnam

This real deal Fro Yo shop has been the heart and soul of my trip to Vietnam. With out this dream in a cup I don't think I would've survived the endless days of eating noodles and rice. Imagine my surprise when I looked up this place on the Internet and found that they have shops in over 25 countries around the world!!! They claim to "provide delicious and nutritious frozen desserts, just what you need to live a healthy and active lifestyle." I heart this stuff!!! Michelle, Christine, Steph...this is your kind of place. The sad part is though that the nearest store location is in the Palisades Mall. Who wants to take a road trip??? www.yogenfruz.com

My Favorites are the Original with Pineapples and Granola and Strawberries, Granola, and White Chocolate Chips!!!!

Sunrise in Mui Ne.

Fresh Seafood Heaven

The highlight of my weekend trip to Mui Ne...Fresh Seafood for dinner!!! My director here at SEAMEO along with her family took us interns out to a delicious dinner. First we went to the fresh fish market to pick up beautiful live crabs, shrimps, and squid. Lieu, our director, filled two large bags with squirming crustaceans and proceeded to take us to her friends restaurant where they would cook our "catch" for us. O-H M-Y G-O-D. I died and went to heaven. This was hands down one of the BEST seafood dinners I have ever had in my entire life!!! With our hands we dug into piles of perfectly pink sweet shrimp, smoky barbecued squid, and tender salty crab. I, nor any one else, could stop eating...it would've been a sin to say..."I'm too Full!" I discovered a fantastic Vietnamese dipping sauce to try...even though it isn't really a sauce. It was a small bowl of salt, black pepper, and lime juice. Wowwewewhaaa! Dip a shrimp in there and it'll take you to Jesus in NO time! Nothing was over done or complicated. It was just simple, delicious, perfect food.

Weekend in Mui Ne.

This weekend we headed to Mui Ne...one of the best beaches in Vietnam...so Lonely Planet and our co-teachers said. Sighhh. Ok so it wasn't that bad just slightly disappointing. First it took us 4 hours to reach the resort town of Mui Ne. Most of that 4 hours was spent trying to navigate this massive bus through a tiny one lane highway. The resort was very cute...beautiful gardens and lovely bungalow rooms. The day was quite hazy so the sun had difficulties shining through. The actual beach was quite sad...due to beach erosion the town had a very narrow strip of white sand left. Although the day was quite blah I was determined to make the best of it....so I ordered two very strong pina colada's and enjoyed the afternoon by relaxing, reading, and listening to the sounds of the crashing waves.

After a few hours of reading my book I looked up at the sky only to find a massive storm cloud rolling in. Although it was dark and angry looking...I threw my middle finger up to it and said "F U I ain't moving until it pours." I continued to sip my drink and read my book!

You'd be happy to know that I did not let that rain cloud ruin my "Day at the Beach." Stayed on my lounge chair until massive rain drops forced me to go inside!

Popped Rice

Did you know you can pop rice just like you pop corn??? I didn't know that until I realized...ooohhh it's the same thing as puffed rice! Popped Rice is a treat that the Vietnamese love to have. We got to watch this man... in his hut... down an alley way make it.