I have just been on vacation (holiday as my British friends call it). Before I was officially on break, I got to teach 290 2nd and 3rd grade boys (in groups of 10) to make banoffee pie (a pie that has bananas and toffee). Our school had 2 English camps that ran for a total of 6 days. I was "Chef Emily" (complete with a chef outfit). The students went to different places in "English Town," such as the cafe, post office, TV station, hospital, school, etc. and learned English through various activities. We also took them to Safari World, which is a mix of Sea World, a safari park, and a zoo. It's a great place for kids.
Once school was out, I went to visit friends in Vietnam and Cambodia. I highly recommend going to visit locals in a foreign country because they know where all the best food is. My Vietnamese friends were so hospitable and wanted me to try so many different kinds of food. I thought that liver pate was only for the hi-so (high society), but everyone in Vietnam eats it. We had it on sandwiches and I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted pretty good. I also tried century eggs (you can look that one up). They eat several kinds of noodles and fresh "wrap your own" spring rolls (not fried). They use lots of fresh vegetables and green herbs, especially sweet basil, which is my favorite.
In Vietnam, I rode all over Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) on the backs of my friends' motorbikes (most people don't have cars). However, the laws requiring helmets and a maximum of 2 people on a motorbike are strictly enforced. I got to go swimming near a waterfall and tour the Mekong Delta region as well. We rode in small boats up and down the canals and learned about how local food, such as rice paper and coconut candy, is made. My favorite things about being in Vietnam were reconnecting with my friends there and speaking in their church young adults group.
In Cambodia, I got to visit my friend Sarah from Lee. She is teaching in a village one hour from Siem Reap (home to Angkor Wat). We visited Tonle Sap, which is a lake that is home to many Vietnamese refugees who cannot live in Cambodia or Vietnam. I really enjoyed staying with her host family in the village and visiting her school.
My favorite food was banchaiyo, a Vietnamese style pancake with pork and lots of vegetables. The only resemblance it has to a pancake is that it is made of some type of flour. It may not sound good to a Westerner, but it is very delicious.
Next week will be the beginning of our second semester. I'll teach until the end of February and be free to travel home for a few weeks at the end of March. The first half of the school year has gone very fast.
