Weekly Update 1: In which Elizabeth tries to be disciplined (sometimes)

Dear Internet,

In an effort to encourage myself to try new bars, restaurants and other activities here, I am going to attempt a weekly update. We will see how long this lasts since I have demonstrated many times over that I have little discipline when it comes to writing posts. Anyway, here goes.

On Saturday, David and I tried out a coffee shop that’s on a cute little wooden boat on the river in front of my house. Zack and I have been talking about going here FOREVER, so I felt pretty accomplished for actually making it happen.  It was super charming and super tasty, although the service was a bit slow, and we NEVER remember to ask for our smoothies without sweetened condensed milk.

I also checked out Indochine spa in district 1. I’d heard good things, so wanted to give it a try.  It's more expensive than most of the places I go, but I think it may have been worth the price due to both quality and cleanliness.  It was definitely more atmospheric than a lot of the spas I’ve been to here.  They were diffusing essential oils everywhere, so it smelled divine. They also brought me tea and a little dish of candied coconut and ginger after my session. All in all, very relaxing. I will definitely go back to try some different treatments.

On Saturday night, some of the awesome ladies from my school got together at a really charming Vietnamese place called Cục Gạch Quán. It’s in an old French colonial villa and the décor is really lovely (seriously, check out some of the pictures on the website). The food was super delicious as well. Like, we had an epic spread – we had spring rolls, two types of softshell crab, fish, tofu, and piles of fried rice and rau muống (morning glory, aka my favorite Vietnamese vegetable). I wish I’d taken pictures, but honestly I was just feasting too exuberantly to pause for a photo.  Sorry.

After our beautiful dinner at Cục Gạch Quán, we headed over to see my brother at Biacraft, the brewpub he manages in district 3. The beers there are SO nice, and I got to try their newest addition, the imperial bacon stout (which is every bit as ridiculous and delicious as it sounds). From there the night devolved a bit and I ended up at Rogue where I forgot how to set boundaries and send myself home at a reasonable hour. So. Sunday was necessarily a quiet day, although David and I did have my friend Matt over for wine, cheese, cookies and an epic train game session.

Whew, first weekly update accomplished!  Now let's see if I post in like a year about how I never did another one.

XO E

i made a blog post yaaay

Hey everyone.

First post, I'll try not to ramble too much. I've been living in Ho Chi Minh City for almost 2 months now and things are going great so far! Within 10 days of moving here I found a fantastic job managing a brewpub called Biacraft in D3 of Saigon. My official job title is actually "beer guru" but I prefer to think of myself as a "beer wizard." Basically, I work with the brewers of all the microbreweries around the city to get their beers on tap at our bar. We also stock imports from Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and California. My job involves sampling beer all day to make sure that everything tastes right. I'm also in charge of maintaining our beer walk-in and making sure we have enough stock of everything--something that can be difficult, given that most of the brewers here have been doing so for less than 2 yrs. And it's Vietnam, so some of the equipment is hard to come by and has to be made from scratch by people who may or may not know what they're doing. Since the craft beer scene is so new here, sometimes brewers have a contaminated/weird batch, so I am the last line of defense before the beer reaches customers. At this point in time, there are about 10 breweries and cideries in the city, with more popping up all the time. We currently have 8 Biacraft beers, ranging from summer ale to a double IPA and even an "Imperial Bacon Stout," which is every bit as ridiculously awesome as it sounds. I'm working with people from all over the world, and meeting even more people every day. Our bar has 30 taps and ~40 varieties of bottles, and everything is constantly changing so it's very exciting to be a part of this growing scene!

Life in HCMC is pretty sweet. It was challenging to get around at first, but I'm finally beginning to feel like a local. Zipping around town on my motorbike is still fun for me, even at peak traffic hours. And with almost 8 million motorbikes in the city at any given time, peak traffic hours can be pretty crazy. I have seen several gnarly accidents in which motorists were either A) not driving in the correct lane, B) going the wrong way down 1-way streets, or C) going like 100km/h through the city center. But most of these things still happen every day without accidents--it's common to see someone just casually run a red light in the middle of rush hour, not because they're in a hurry, but because they just don't care (there are no rules). I'm still living with Elizabeth, who has been a most gracious host, but I'm looking at apartments in the D1/D3 area (city center) so I can be close to my job but also close to all the goings-on in the city.

Things I love about Saigon

-the food is absolutely amazing. it’s so fun to walk around and try different street food all the time, and my stomach doesn’t (usually) hurt afterwards anymore.

-the way that traffic moves. there is no rhyme or reason, and barely anybody actually follows all the traffic laws (speed limits and red lights might as well be nonexistent to some people). and yet, everything just flows naturally. you just gotta go with it.

-Vietnamese people love drinking. a lot.

-the majority of the expats I have met are super nice and love to talk about travel. some of them can be real assholes, but that’s true of any demographic I suppose, and it’s not that common here, from my experience at least.

-did I mention the food? but really, even besides street food, there are so many different dishes and ways of preparing food that I’d never even thought of before. even though I’m not working in a kitchen anymore, I can still appreciate dank food so so so much.

I haven't ventured too far outside HCMC yet, only going to beach towns such as Mũi Né and Vũng Tàu (and a place called Monkey Island which is exactly what it sounds like). In October, though, I will be going on my first visa run to Cambodia. I'm planning to visit Phnom Penh and Siem Reap/Angkor Wat while I'm there, so it should be a pretty cool few days of traveling in another country.

I'm going to be much less diligent than Elizabeth about updating this blog so don't expect much for a while, but thanks for reading! If anything significant happens, maybe I'll update it. But for now I'm having the time of my life figuring out how to operate by myself on the other side of the world.

much love,

Tinnon

The start of a great tinventure

Dear Internet,

I would like to take a little trip down memory lane, back to December 28, 2014, when I made this very bold statement:

As I promised many of you, I am starting a blog about my time in Vietnam. I also promise that I will try my VERY best to update this one more than I did when I was living in Paris :)

I think I updated this blog exactly two times after that post because I am responsible and have my life together.

Since that time, I have traveled through Vietnam and to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. I have run trail races and road races. I have learned how to ride a motorbike.  I have performed in three plays. I have taught students I cherish and students who drive me crazy (and students I cherish who drive me crazy). I have finished an M.Ed. I have learned a little Vietnamese and read a lot of books. And, looking back over the last 18 months, I really wish I’d been writing about all of this as it was happening.

(clockwise from top left: Dad and me in Saigon; Jess, Liam and me in Inle Lake (Myanmar); Kate and me practicing yoga in Kerala (India); me hiking in Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam); Allison, Jess, Perry and me at Mirissa Beach (Sri Lanka); Dad, Katie and me in Thailand)

(photos from Lysistrata, Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged)

I am inspired to rectify this sad state of affairs. Also, when I was home this summer Carrie demanded that I start writing my blog again. And, for those of you who haven’t been paying attention, DAVID TINNON MOVED TO VIETNAM!

So, I have rechristened this blog “Tinventures,” because, you know, we are Tinnons having adventures, and I hope to write about the fun and crazy things David and I do here in Vietnam, both together and apart. David even said he’d blog with me as long as I set it up for him. So, David, here is me setting it up. Let the Tinventures begin!

XO E

Apartment hunting

Dear internet,

I've been wanting to write about this for so long, and there just hasn't been time.  But now, friends and family, I will tell you the story of the apartment hunt.

Actually, I will tell you specifically about one apartment I saw during my apartment hunt.  And then I’ll tell you about my new place and how I’m kinda strugglin but I think it’ll all work out.  So.  My first day here, I cabbed down to district 7 (HCMC is split into named and numbered districts; d7 is south of the city center) to see some places.  Most of them were only ok, but one was incredibly memorable, and not for a good reason. 

The space itself was kind of extraordinary – there were two levels, but the living room ceiling went all the way up to the top of the second level.  I don’t know if I’m explaining this well, but basically the apartment felt really nice and spacious.  But there were just a few key issues that were completely baffling.  First of all, the man living there was existing in complete squalor.  I felt as though I’d walked into an episode of hoarders.  And then… every spare inch of surface space was covered with Vietnam War-era model planes, ships and tanks.  Actually, here in Vietnam, I should say American War-era.  There must have been hundreds of them.  Potentially thousands.  And they covered everything.  And then there were the boxes.  The boxes that each model came in were stacked against the wall with the tops facing out, so it was like some kind of bizarre wallpaper. They covered every bit of wall space.  And then there were more boxes and models stacked in all of the closets and cabinets.  They were everywhere. 

But I was still like, well, you know, the space is super huge and obviously he’ll move all this stuff out, so it’s not so bad, right?  And then I saw the bathroom.  Y’all, I get a little lazy about cleaning the bathroom sometimes, I’ll admit it.  But the level of filth that had accumulated in this bathroom meant that it hadn't been cleaned in at least 5-10 years.  There’s no possible way a single person could have made a bathroom that filthy by themselves in a short period of time.  It was truly horrifying.  The real estate broker said, “Oh don’t worry, we’ll clean it before you move in” and I was like, “That bathroom basically needs to be gutted at this point.  No amount of bleach will get through that centuries-old grime.”  I wish I’d taken a picture, but the guy was standing right there and I didn't want to be awkward (I was already awkward enough about all of the planes).  And then, as we walked out of the apartment, the broker turns to me and says, “It’s like that because he lives by himself with no woman.”  Ah, gender roles (as I roll my eyes so hard I give myself a headache).  For real dude, you can get someone to clean your whole place for less than USD 10.  There is no excuse.

I ended up finding a place very close to that one.  It’s ok – two bedrooms, nice open living room area.  But there was definitely a mold situation in the bathroom that no amount of arguing with the broker about owner responsibility has solved.  Luckily, I now have a lovely cleaning lady named Ms. Song who comes on Thursdays.  I feel obscenely spoiled and enormously grateful.  She actually comes from a pretty cool organization – it’s called Dependable Progress, and one of the guys at school told me about it.  They work with women between the ages of 18-34 (Or 35? I can’t remember.) who have a 12^th grade education or less and who are making less than VND 1 million per month (that’s basically USD 50 – think about it).  The women go through training to become nannies or housekeepers, and then the organization screens clients to make sure the women will be in a legit working environment.  It's a pretty cool set up.  Here's a pic of the front entrance area at my new place:

Yes, there were still Christmas decorations up well into January.  Yes, some places actually still have them up now.  I particularly like all of the snowflake window decals.  It's the warmest winter wonderland ever.

In other news (and I promise I’m almost finished!), I was cast in a play!!! Hooray!  Two guys at school are in an acting group here called the Saigon Players, and they had a workshop and auditions last weekend for Lysistrata (only the most HILARIOUS Greek comedy that ever was).  I found out Wednesday that I was cast as Myrrhina.  Rehearsals start this weekend.  Super excited! :)

Now I’m off to a beer tasting at the Pasteur Street Brewing Company, Saigon’s new, trendy microbrewery (and one of the only places in the city where you can get an IPA)!  Hope y’all are well.

Love,
Elizabeth

A Saigon "lune de miel"

Dear internet,

Well, I’ve officially been here for two weeks and am fully in the honeymoon phase of my relationship with Saigon. Here’s the recap:

My head of school and another high school teacher met me at the airport with huge smiles and a bag of snacks. I checked into a tiny hotel in district 1 called the Lan Lan 2. Pros: clean, free wifi, free breakfast, housekeeping staff were super nice, very central location, USD 35/night. Cons: a little noisy, my room had no windows (seriously), the front desk staff were rude to my friend when she came to the hotel to meet me. I stayed there for a week and then moved to the beautiful Renaissance Riverside (HUGE thanks to Katie for this), also in district 1, for the second week.

While in the Lan Lan, I met a lovely group of Brits who were on holiday. This was great because I really hit it off with one of the guys in the group, and we went sight-seeing together one morning.  It meant I had people to spend New Years Eve with. They were really interesting – three of the guys had traveled overground from the UK to Saigon, which basically means they road-tripped/took trains and buses through Eastern Europe and central Asia all the way over to Beijing, then south from there all the way to HCMC. They had been traveling for six months when I met them. Very interesting stories to tell :)

Here's the fabulous NYE concert we went to near the fabulously over-the-top Bitexco financial tower:

It was pretty flippin spectacular.  Among other things, there was a Western guy singing very heart-felt songs in Vietnamese.  I don't know what the happy family background footage was about.  I'll try to find a video if I can.

I also had the enormous pleasure of meeting a woman my first week here who is a cousin of my dad and Katie’s neighbor in Atlanta. She’s a complete delight. She helped me out getting a phone when I first got here, and took me to dinner at her brother’s house where we had one of the most satisfying meals I have ever eaten (more on that below). I’m so excited to know her and to feel like I have a friend here already.

Speaking of friends, some of the teachers from my school have been absolutely fantastic. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming, but there are several whom I feel I could connect with very easily. It’s so different from moving to Paris. Obviously creating meaningful friendships takes time and effort, but in Paris I felt like I hardly even had the opportunity to meet people, especially early on. If I hadn’t met Taryn and Kay (if y’all are reading this, love you!) I might not have made it through the year.

So… onto the thing y’all know I most love to write about: Food! With a few exceptions, I’ve subsisted almost entirely on street food since I got here, and I’m super happy about it. Here are some things I’ve had that are completely flipping delicious:

• Bún bò Huế - a spicy soup with beef (and other meat, usually pork-related), noodles, lemongrass (and other herbs). It’s super fragrant with a really nice kick that kind of clears your head and makes you crave more. This what I had at my friend’s brother’s house. I was pretty awkward and got broth all over the table, but they were really nice and told me I was good with chopsticks, anyway.
• Phở bò – another beef noodle soup, super popular both in and outside of Vietnam. It’s super comforting and easy to eat, almost like a Vietnamese version of chicken noodle, except tastier.
• Bánh mì – sandwich on a small baguette, usually with some kind of meat (often pâté) and pickled vegetables. A lady outside of school makes hers with a fried egg instead of meat – best breakfast ever, and only 10,000 VND, which is about 50 cents.  
• Some kind of dish with skinny noodles and squid and pork rinds and dumplings in spicy broth. Don’t know what the name is, but it’s glorious.
• Clams and snails steamed in broth that’s flavored with lemongrass (YUM)
• All kinds of fresh juices and smoothies. I had a really nice cucumber juice last night, and a smoothie with mango and about 5 other fruits I’ve never seen this morning.  
• Fruit in general.  There's a fruit street vendor near school.  You go up and point to what you want and she cuts it up right there and puts it in a bag for you.  It also comes with this spicy salt stuff on the side that is pretty fantastic.  Sometimes I eat like a pound of fruit for lunch.  Here's a picture of some lovely fresh mango and pineapple

• Cà phê đá - sweetened iced coffee that is STRONG and earthy and delicious. A lot of people drink cà phê sữa đá, which is the same thing but with condensed milk, but it’s perfectly delicious sans dairy. Right outside of school, I can get this for 7,000 VND, which means that I’m getting a full breakfast of cà phê and bánh mì for less than a dollar. Here's a yummy pic:

I’ve also had some great Thai and Indian food, but we’re focusing on Vietnamese dishes because, you know, I’m in Vietnam. There are also a ton of pastry shops with things like croissants and macarons, which means I’m in serious trouble and probably need to find a running group to join immediately.

Jeez louise this is getting long… I want to write about joutfits and about my apartment search (I have some GREAT stories, y’all) but those may have to wait till next time.

I just want to close with a little shout-out to some of my DC friends – Amanda gave me a mission when I moved here, and that mission was to get someplace in Saigon to do midnight showings of The Room (a.k.a. the worst movie ever made, and the only DVD I brought with me to Vietnam). I am happy to report that, not only have I found another teacher who knows and loves The Room, I have also convinced several other teachers that we need to have a full-participation Room screening at my new apartment. And I heard from someone at school that there’s a chance I might actually be able to get a bar here to screen it at some point. Just saying.

Miss you guys lots and wish you were here to eat your way through Saigon with me :)

Love,
Elizabeth