Harry was still refusing to teach classes because he said he learnt more from watching me, which is maybe a good job, because they were a little over excited and kept lifting up my skirt and smacking my bum! He taught the last two classes successfully, except he got annoyed when they wouldn’t repeat what he said but they did it for me! I think his exact words were “I want to punch that kid in the face!!”
After teaching my two older students for one hour I took them for coffee because it was our last lesson, to help them practise general conversation with Harry and I talking at a normal speed- not slowed down for an ESL learner. After sensible conversation about University, their college studies and speaking English, the conversation changed when Harry asked “So, how do I pull a girl in Vietnamese?! What do I say?” They began telling him, but they started with “I love you” to which Hayden said “No, no, no!” and explained that he was scared if he kissed a Vietnamese girl and said “I love you” they would expect him to marry them!
So Hung wrote down how to say “I love you”, “I like you” “You are beautiful” and then underneath that wrote “Pay money”. At this point Hayden and I burst into hysterical laughter… Apparently he was just writing down useful English phrases for us, and seen as we were in a coffee shop he had written “Pay money” but Hayden helpfully explained why we were wetting ourselves, at which point Hung nearly died of embarrassment. The conversation then turned to women and football, at which point I decided it was time to end the lesson! We said our goodbyes, and I thought Hung shouted “Miss you!” so I yelled “Miss you too” before realising he’d said “Nice to meet you…” which was a little awkward!
We didn’t have to teach that afternoon and so spent our time at the pool, (yes, you get a lot of time off in Vietnam!) enjoying the sun and the relaxed way of life.
Connor is meant to be leaving on August 27th but expressed an interest in staying if he could teach a few classes while setting up his website over here. Where my passion is to travel, his is to set up his website, however, part of him wanting to set it up is because it will enable him to travel and work at the same time. Greg kept sending me teaching positions that I can’t do because I was working already, but I asked whether there was any chance Connor could get the work. He has a problem because he is from Ireland not England, so often not classed as a “Native” speaker, has no TEFL, no teaching experience and no degree!! But I think he would be good at it. Greg sent me the details and Connor jumped at the chance.
At five we headed into town because Connor’s girlfriends from home were visitting so we were all going out. However, Connor had refused to tell us where we going for dinner and insisted that we went for beer hoi first. Therefore, at 9pm we all headed off in taxis, slightly drunk, starving, with no clue where we were going. After about 15 minutes I got a text from my friend saying “Snake Village”. I wanted to kill Connor! When we arrived there was a small restaurant with large cages full of hissing, writhing snakes. Connor leant close to one and it went ballistic and jumped for him, which scared the life out of him. He said it was one of those moments when his heart literally stopped and adrenalin raced. I was feeling weird… eating snake I had no problem with, but I knew what was coming next and I was NOT ok with it. They got the snake out and one of Connor’s friends was holding it and it was wriggling and getting really angry and it made me feel so weird because she thought this was great and the snake was literally in fight or flight mode, knowing it was about to die and there was nothing it could do. They then took hold of it and while it was still alive split it with a knife down its stomach and began squeezing the blood from it into a bowl. It sparked a really strong emotional reaction in me and I had to leave the room, I then walked up and down outside, in tears, feeling like an idiot, with all the Vietnamese people starring at me. The girls came out to check I was OK and I explained that I wasn’t sad, and I had no problem with eating snake, but I had a massive problem with slicing it down the middle and draining its blood in order to take its beating heart out and eat it while it was still alive… Connor came to check I was OK. As the organiser of the group, he had been made to swallow the beating heart with a shot of vodka. Disgusting.
We then all went upstairs to the restaurant. We were served the snakes bile, in vodka, which I couldn’t drink because the smell of vodka was so strong it smelt like paint stripper. All of the girls declined. Colin took it, and nearly threw up on the table as the vodka knocked him for six. We then drank the snake’s blood, again filled with vodka to kill any bacteria. I couldn’t tell which tasted worse, the vodka or the blood! We were then served various different dishes, and were amazed how two snakes fed all ten of us! We had snake spring roll, snake skin, snake liver in egg, snake soup, snake bones on a poppadum- like crisp and fried snake flesh with sticky rice. It was actually delicious and extremely filling. It was a fantastic experience, everyone really enjoyed it, I’m really glad I did it, just not a fan of watching it happen…
We then went out and all got very drunk and had a fantastic night, dancing around the tables in Hare of the Dog! It is so nice for me to be going out in such large groups… All of my friends at home are from all over the place, primary school, secondary school, college, university and work and so I have never had a large group of friends to go out with, so I am really enjoying the night life here! It will end soon though, as a lot of people are leaving…. Let the next chapter begin!
