While working on a chapter about stereotypes with one of my classes, I was curious to find out what they honestly thought about Americans and our culture. Responses varied across the board: some were typical; some were interesting; and some were nicer than what I thought they would have said. Here’s just a small sampling of the ones I remember:

If you’re wondering what it’s like to visit the Can Tho floating markets, a popular tourist destination along the Mekong Delta where merchants can sell products such as fruits, vegetables and drinks, here’s a video to show you exactly how it goes down.

I recently accepted an invitation by a few of my students to go kite flying! I’ve never done it back home and I’ve wanted to do it ever since I’ve kept seeing kites randomly pop up everywhere. My students made it look so easy to get the kite off the ground but for some reason I just couldn’t get it up (and that’s not what she said). I learned that March is the best time to go kite flying since the wind is perfect; now that April has arrived I hardly see the kites anymore. Here are some photos from that day.

During a recent school trip to Dalat, we went to a number of interesting and colorful pagodas, one of which had a tree with ‘lucky cards’ hanging from the branches. Lucky cards predict one’s luck for the year.

As a reward for their amazing work so far this semester, I invited another one of my classes over to my house for a pasta party (which is the only thing I pretty much know how to make). Parties like this are nonexistent in the US, but in Vietnam, it’s common for teachers and students to hang out outside the classroom. The night turned out to be a huge success! My students sang a couple songs in English, as showed in the video above. What really blew me away was when they all got together to tell me what an amazing teacher they think I am! This was when they presented me with this gift: This is the type of thing that’s going to make leaving in a few short weeks so difficult. How amazing are they?!

Fish massages are becoming increasingly popular in Vietnam. If you’re wondering how it feels to have 20+ fish nibble on your feet, just imagine that tingly sensation you get when your foot falls asleep. I asked one of my girlfriends back home how much they’re costing people in New York City and she replied $60/half hour! This fish massage only cost me $15,000 VND, which equals less than $1 USD. Sadly, this will be my last fish massage since I read numerous reports claiming it to be unsanitary and a carrier for diseases from one foot to another.

Just about everything in Vietnam is really cheap: food, clothes, drinks, doctor and dentist visits (although I haven’t had the time to see one yet). Here is what my spending habits for a typical day in Vietnam looks like.

A few weeks ago, my housemate and I invited some students over to our place for a pasta party. I’ve mentioned in the past that the teacher and student relationship in Vietnam is much different than that of back home, and we heard from another English teacher that she loves to invite her students over for little get togethers. Our students have been doing such a great job with their school work that a little party seemed like a great way to reward them.

Check out this video to hear my friend sing a song in Vietnamese. She has a great voice!

With only five weeks left in Vietnam, and four weeks of traveling, I’m anxiously anticipating my arrival back in NYC. Being away from home for this long made me realize how much I miss and love the people in my life, as well remind me to appreciate all the good fortune I have. Since home is just around the corner, I’m feeling a little more homesick than usual. Here are some ways I’m trying to cope.