i sit with an english teacher behind me. he wants to learn. he has desire. he has passion. he is one of the few. the majority of the english teachers don't care a lick about improving. they graduated and that's that.

the main problem we have in the english department is that the english teachers don't want to improve. the english teachers have a mindset. the majority of them want to remain where they are. they do not want to continue studying. they do not want to better their english speaking skills. they want to hide and save face.

many english teachers don't like foreigners who don't speak vietnamese. if you're a foreigner and you don't stumble through the language, they don't like you. if you fall and trip over the odd word and sound like a moron, they love you. they need to see that you are willing to lose face.

the english teachers don't want to talk with the english students. the students that major in english speak wonderfully and there are only a handful of teachers who are able to teach them: the foreigners and three vietnamese teachers who are absurdly motivated. the rest of the teachers teach the non-major students and they do so mostly in vietnamese. the students don't want to learn spoken english. they want to learn written english and the teachers end up losing their ability to speak. if you hear a conversation between an english teacher and a student who majors in english, it sounds one sided. the teacher talks brutally and doesn't admit when they make mistakes. the students are afraid of offending the teachers and speak softly and humbly. some how this situation needs to be rectified.

we have worked with the teachers but have made little progress. it's frustrating working in a culture for a couple of years and making no substantial change. the change is subtle and you become narcissistic. you can't focus on changing things. you have to focus on yourself. if you don't, you'll implode.

my friend, jack, was invited to someone's house the other day. he was given something very special. he was given a poem. it was submitted to a website and was published. it was published with a number of other poems and has the distinct smell of a scam. he received a number of letters from the website talking about the book and how, while he is not obligated to buy, he should consider this wonderful offer that will surely bring glory to himself and his family. he also received a letter that said, 'i am excited to inform you that in addition to your selection for inclusion in a hardbound anthology, you have also been chosen to be one of 33 poets whose artistry will be recorded professionally as a special part of a new poetry collection, the sound of poetry.' scam, scam, scam. his poem is about a large suspension bridge. it's the bridge you have to cross over on your way to long xuyen.

our bridge

my thuan suspension bridge
high in the sky
flies over the rice field
how can she sleep at night?
is she tired?
bitterly she cries, cries, cries,
the electric light shines on her nice body
the sunlight,
the moonlight,
really no night!
she admires dragonflies day and night
and never tired.

dong van ho

independence day in vietnam. all singing, dancing and flag-waving.

the day started off benignly enough. the sun rose, as it always does, and a coolish breeze was running through the trees and bamboo stands. the sky was littered with random clouds and things seemed more quiet. there was no work today. i woke up early in the morning and walked out on my balcony. a house across the way was playing a son, 'mau hoa do', red flower, a traditionally patriotic vietnamese song that soars in the chorus. i hummed along.

there isn't too much planned for independence day. there are flags perched on every house and telephone pole. they all danced. bridges are also adorned with a variety of pastel colored taller flags. pink, yellow, lavender, sky blue. the government buildings also are decorated for the occasion.

at night there will be signing in the main plaza. a large stage will be set up and a variety of groups will sing traditional songs and patriotic songs. people will gather and stand around in groups chatting idly. they will buy balloons and small trinkets to give to children. we will pass through and watch for a bit.

this day is in remembrance of the independence of northern vietnam from the control of france. they have a separate day for the reunification of north and south. the south and the north celebrate both days.

i learned a vietnamese phrase the other day.

'co biet ha co tay khong?'
'co biet ha cay to khong?'

the type of humor is called 'noi lai' and, i'll tell you what, it's hilarious.

the first phrase means, 'do you know how to take down the flag of the west?' and the second phrase means, 'do you know how to eat young dog?' it was a phrase used a lot when the french were here. people would, as a type of secret phrase, ask each other if they were supportive of the revolutionary cause by asking if they knew how to eat dog. now, the only time i hear the phrase is when people want to invite people to eat dog. you invite by asking, 'do you know how to take down the flag of the west?' or, probably more appropriately, 'i invite you to take down the flag of the west.' people really enjoy it when i use the phrase. it seems dirty for some reason.

dog food.

we buy food for the dog but he doesn't like it. he sniffs it and looks around but doesn't really eat it. it's made up of red and yellow bits. he eats the red bits but the yellow bits are always left in the bowl.

we buy him something called banh bao. it's a fist full of rice dough that's boiled. that dough surrounds pork meat and boiled eggs. the boiled eggs and pork are not thoroughly cooked. it's always fairly pink.

another piece of food that we give the dog is duck's head. that's normally used for soup.

the dog also receives what is called moon cake. moon cake is a speciality this time of year. it is the fall delicacy. it's made of fruit, meat and bread. the combination should never have been attempted in the first place. we are given a couple of moon cakes a week. we pretend to eat them and give them to the dog. he chases them across the room and scatters crumbs everywhere. we give the dog the most inappropriate food.