Observations

Just some things to note.

* Riding home on the bus one afternoon, I was people-watching through the window. Along my main road where I live, there's a stretch of four or five street barbers who set up shop right on the sidewalk. Mirrors are strung up and tied from branches and fenceposts, with chairs plunked down in front of them.

A fat man, with an indiscernible neck and chin that melted over the top of the cinched cutting cape, was smiling widely and laughing. I saw his squishy face in the reflection, and the porno magazine in his hands. The pages were spread with a cacophony of pneumatic women, all Caucasian, with disproportionately-sized breasts and airbrushed, tanned bodies. He pointed to one, showing the man cutting his hair, who seemed rather nonplussed by the whole situation. Pornography is illegal here, so I wondered how he obtained such a trashy rag.

* Going to my favorite vegetable vendor in an alleyway, I passed by a tiny, crying boy in his school uniform and little backpack. He was bawling, and an angry grandmother was yelling at him. He stood there, unmoving and wailing at the top of his lungs. She screamed something at him, and gave him a hearty whack with the massive, rolled-up bamboo mat she had on her hand, as if she were a batter. This prompted the kid to cry even more, but he didn't move. On my way back, the same kid was in the alleyway, though a little closer to the street, alone and sniffling. I stole a glance inside the house, and I swear I saw another kid lying on a bed with his arms and feet behind him. Maybe he was sleeping. Maybe he was tied up for being disobedient. All I know is that these kids didn't really want to go to school.

* Discovering a Loving Hut near my work was an absolute joy, and after trying to relay my order and enjoying my pho soup, a student of mine and his family came in. I met them, said hello, and after my meal, my student had paid for it. I was really awed and appreciative of his gesture of kindness. I'm still getting used to being this teacher figure.

* People are really receptive and excitable when you try to speak their language. I spent a good 20 minutes at the end of one of my classes learning Vietnamese numbers, various names, and how to say "I love pho!" I was applauded for my attempts, and laughed at for my garbled pronunciation.