Happy Earth Day to you all!
Well, Here I am one year later from my adventure to Kontum, Vietnam where I got to experience at the VCO.com Orphanage more than 200 children. I remember the gift I recieved on this trip which was teaching English...something I never thought I was capable of doing. On this trip to Ethiopia, I hope to do be able to teach English again. I want to give these children a voice that will touch us all. Hopefully my posts will center you and give you a new resolve regarding your postion in life. There is soo much we all can do to make this planet a better one for the children we leave behind on it to guard it and take care of it. So on this Day;"Earth Day" I honor our Earth and the Children that walk/play/learn/harvest/love on this planet!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sunday, May 31, 2009
May 31st! "The End of Vietnam Days"
Beginning:
"Primeval Swamp- EARLY DAWN
It is very early in the dawn - - blue light filters through the jungle and across a foul swamp. A mist clings to the trees. This could be the jumgle of a milliom years ago." -Craig Pennington
Yello! I stand before you a man of many emotions! Ive been very concerned for days how I would start and end this Blog interlude I started some 30 days ago. An old friend helped me begin: Thanks Mr. Pennington....I'll take it from here....
If it weren't for the guidance of my Journey I would not be setting here and entering this last installation of my Journey to Vietnam Blog so I have to start here; Giving Thanks! I want to first thank all of my family and friends back in America for giving me the time, spirit, energy and belief to take on this trip!
I don't even know where to go from here: What does a day , a week, a month, a year really bring??? I'm here to tell you: So much my friends. Ever So Much! I've thought back on the person I was sitting at a LAX airport wondering what this would be all about! Now I can after 30 days tell you about .....the ABOUT! It's about Me, You, Us and THEM! Pay all of what I've spoken about and move it to another Pheeer!....another place if you will!??
I'm soo lost in a place I cannot explain that I will not even try to explain! I do wish that you will take this assignment on for yourself and make it your own class assignment! We'll call it a: Extra Credit Report!!! If there's any thing you would like to add to my last Installment....please....inlighten me! Tell me about what I was suppossed to have learned on this month long assessment of Life and learning about this place called Vietnam! I want to walk away with your words! You've been listening to mine for one month now! Perhaps this is the education I'm yearning for! For You....my Blog followers to enlighten me about my trip and teach this very eager Woodiewade and few more Mutza Tricks....Amen....xoxox
PS....Just sign on! I'm waiting to learn from you! xoxoxoxoox
"Primeval Swamp- EARLY DAWN
It is very early in the dawn - - blue light filters through the jungle and across a foul swamp. A mist clings to the trees. This could be the jumgle of a milliom years ago." -Craig Pennington
Yello! I stand before you a man of many emotions! Ive been very concerned for days how I would start and end this Blog interlude I started some 30 days ago. An old friend helped me begin: Thanks Mr. Pennington....I'll take it from here....
If it weren't for the guidance of my Journey I would not be setting here and entering this last installation of my Journey to Vietnam Blog so I have to start here; Giving Thanks! I want to first thank all of my family and friends back in America for giving me the time, spirit, energy and belief to take on this trip!
I don't even know where to go from here: What does a day , a week, a month, a year really bring??? I'm here to tell you: So much my friends. Ever So Much! I've thought back on the person I was sitting at a LAX airport wondering what this would be all about! Now I can after 30 days tell you about .....the ABOUT! It's about Me, You, Us and THEM! Pay all of what I've spoken about and move it to another Pheeer!....another place if you will!??
I'm soo lost in a place I cannot explain that I will not even try to explain! I do wish that you will take this assignment on for yourself and make it your own class assignment! We'll call it a: Extra Credit Report!!! If there's any thing you would like to add to my last Installment....please....inlighten me! Tell me about what I was suppossed to have learned on this month long assessment of Life and learning about this place called Vietnam! I want to walk away with your words! You've been listening to mine for one month now! Perhaps this is the education I'm yearning for! For You....my Blog followers to enlighten me about my trip and teach this very eager Woodiewade and few more Mutza Tricks....Amen....xoxox
PS....Just sign on! I'm waiting to learn from you! xoxoxoxoox
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Lise!! May 28th
In my last post...some 4 hours ago I for went to mention that my scalp has been itching for many days now! I went to the baby hospital and was diagnosed with Lise! It's very common and the Orphanage is riddled with this bug! Not a big a deal...I just wanted to be thourough with my investigation of Blogging to you!! My scalp has been itching for days now! I've watched as other elder's scrap the heads of the younger children....asking if this were something I might get???? Got It!!!! I have a medicated shampoo taking care of the current problem....It will be gone before I'm home....I promise! Just thought you should know I'm No different than any other Vietnamese here....only lighter in skin! Good Night! :-)
Day 26th? "So you think your smarter than a Vietnamese 5th Grader?"
Hello, My name is Woodie. What is yours? How are you? I am fine. What is your favorite color? Today is a beautiful day! Yes (or) No?
Woodie Wade is no more smarter than a 5th Grader than when he started this month long journey to Kontum, Vietnam! What a learning curve this has been for the past 22 days. I now know about conjegating a verb, and that a noun is a Person, Place or Thing....for crying out loud at 44 years old! Oh...and lets not forget our old friends; singular & Plural! Or what about their 2nd cousins Past, Present and Future??? I blame You Debo....for allowing us to skip school so often....pick me up from Garfield via....Potomac and miss Mrs. Pearsol's English classes...."how did we do that anyway!???
I'm sorry for the long break in posting a new blog....You will forgive me after what I'm about to write. You see, We've had alot of sickness and storms here in Kontum over the last 6 days. Most of the villages have experienced vomiting and flu like symptoms....and along with all the typhoon like storms comes the most horricfic flies, spiders, moths, bugs I've even witnessed.....ie...Malaria ! I have so many welts on my body! You can not escape the bug factor or Rat factor here.
Question: Is this a Beautiful Country? Answer: Yes
But it is filled with many contridictions and many views not spoken about....I'm here to clear them up:
1. Food. Spice is Nice but, Its Barbaric to say the least to injest a descent meal! I'm totally done with trying!...from the rats, to eating a dog, to their vegtables being washed in dirty water unfit to eat after being cleaned??? I'm sticking to my bread/cheese and crackers....! You can't be the weak minded person to travel to Vietnam! Again, it is a good looking surface here until you crack that surface...very much like an egg..this is just my own take on whats very live and what Memorex!! We all walk a different way thru life....Ur take if you come here may be Beta....Mayber, VCR....perhaps even DVR! or better yet..... Tivo! I guess what I'm trying to say here....Is I'm a very thrifty Woodiewade....Those of you who are in my present company would even say...I'm Cheap....So with that being said: If your not cheap or Thrifty and coming to Vietnam for other reasons unlike my journey: You'll be fine! Staying in accomadations you've never dreamed of...sleeping in Mesquito Net beds...and eating fine Cuisine....
3. Bug Warefare: Last night I came to this very Computer in the open air Lobby of my Hotel to post a Blog and the Bug Warefare was soo thick I could not keep the Flies off my Computer Monitor.
4. Eggs...Even If you buy a free range egg...(any where) and leave it in a sun lit room ready to be cracked for consumption; it still has the possiblility to be fertile and abe to have a live chicken hatch! Yes! Yes...and yes! I saw it come true on the back of my Motor bike! I was returning from the Day market with over 200 eggs and when I arrived to the Orphanage I had only 199 eggs plus a Hitch Hiker I named Alex Zamm! ( My director and Producing Partner "Alex Zamm" of WK does not fancy EGGS) A cute little egg had hatched and became a living little Chic!!!! There is a little Zammy man here clucking around the Orphanage ready for you to adopt Denise!!!
5. Religion in Kontum: You had better be a Cristian or else! Enough Said
6. Rainy season: 9 Months out of a year it rains here like nobody's Kitchen!! Dec, Jan, and Feb is the best time to travel here! Although the rains are magnefiscent...they come every day and with the rains comes the bugs afterwards...and sickness and disease! The village is full of sickness this very moment as I post this blog! I, myself have lost nearly 10 lbs. from my own battle with stomack flu! Only my body knows the true story behind how I got sick!
I'll stop with the unpleasentries only to say.....Its a mistafying courtry full on contridictions....Your story may be different...This one is mine and I'm owning it!
So....am I smarter than a vietnamese 5th Grader? hummmm? Me think Not! But I also think Yes...!!!! What I have learned in my class and in the villages is that it's a daily struggle here in Vietnam .....one that I was not aware of before coming and one that I'm still grasping at Orange straws to comes to terms with!
Would I come here again? Absolutely....and I'd do it probably the same only with much knowledge from my 1st trek here!
So...I'm signing off as a Graduated 5th Grader and now onto 6th grade.
Certificate is in the Mail! Addressed to Woodie Wade of A spanking clean and knowledgable New look at life in Vietnam!!!
Sincerely,
Smarter than a 5th Grader!
xoxoxo & love,
WW
Woodie Wade is no more smarter than a 5th Grader than when he started this month long journey to Kontum, Vietnam! What a learning curve this has been for the past 22 days. I now know about conjegating a verb, and that a noun is a Person, Place or Thing....for crying out loud at 44 years old! Oh...and lets not forget our old friends; singular & Plural! Or what about their 2nd cousins Past, Present and Future??? I blame You Debo....for allowing us to skip school so often....pick me up from Garfield via....Potomac and miss Mrs. Pearsol's English classes...."how did we do that anyway!???
I'm sorry for the long break in posting a new blog....You will forgive me after what I'm about to write. You see, We've had alot of sickness and storms here in Kontum over the last 6 days. Most of the villages have experienced vomiting and flu like symptoms....and along with all the typhoon like storms comes the most horricfic flies, spiders, moths, bugs I've even witnessed.....ie...Malaria ! I have so many welts on my body! You can not escape the bug factor or Rat factor here.
Question: Is this a Beautiful Country? Answer: Yes
But it is filled with many contridictions and many views not spoken about....I'm here to clear them up:
1. Food. Spice is Nice but, Its Barbaric to say the least to injest a descent meal! I'm totally done with trying!...from the rats, to eating a dog, to their vegtables being washed in dirty water unfit to eat after being cleaned??? I'm sticking to my bread/cheese and crackers....! You can't be the weak minded person to travel to Vietnam! Again, it is a good looking surface here until you crack that surface...very much like an egg..this is just my own take on whats very live and what Memorex!! We all walk a different way thru life....Ur take if you come here may be Beta....Mayber, VCR....perhaps even DVR! or better yet..... Tivo! I guess what I'm trying to say here....Is I'm a very thrifty Woodiewade....Those of you who are in my present company would even say...I'm Cheap....So with that being said: If your not cheap or Thrifty and coming to Vietnam for other reasons unlike my journey: You'll be fine! Staying in accomadations you've never dreamed of...sleeping in Mesquito Net beds...and eating fine Cuisine....
3. Bug Warefare: Last night I came to this very Computer in the open air Lobby of my Hotel to post a Blog and the Bug Warefare was soo thick I could not keep the Flies off my Computer Monitor.
4. Eggs...Even If you buy a free range egg...(any where) and leave it in a sun lit room ready to be cracked for consumption; it still has the possiblility to be fertile and abe to have a live chicken hatch! Yes! Yes...and yes! I saw it come true on the back of my Motor bike! I was returning from the Day market with over 200 eggs and when I arrived to the Orphanage I had only 199 eggs plus a Hitch Hiker I named Alex Zamm! ( My director and Producing Partner "Alex Zamm" of WK does not fancy EGGS) A cute little egg had hatched and became a living little Chic!!!! There is a little Zammy man here clucking around the Orphanage ready for you to adopt Denise!!!
5. Religion in Kontum: You had better be a Cristian or else! Enough Said
6. Rainy season: 9 Months out of a year it rains here like nobody's Kitchen!! Dec, Jan, and Feb is the best time to travel here! Although the rains are magnefiscent...they come every day and with the rains comes the bugs afterwards...and sickness and disease! The village is full of sickness this very moment as I post this blog! I, myself have lost nearly 10 lbs. from my own battle with stomack flu! Only my body knows the true story behind how I got sick!
I'll stop with the unpleasentries only to say.....Its a mistafying courtry full on contridictions....Your story may be different...This one is mine and I'm owning it!
So....am I smarter than a vietnamese 5th Grader? hummmm? Me think Not! But I also think Yes...!!!! What I have learned in my class and in the villages is that it's a daily struggle here in Vietnam .....one that I was not aware of before coming and one that I'm still grasping at Orange straws to comes to terms with!
Would I come here again? Absolutely....and I'd do it probably the same only with much knowledge from my 1st trek here!
So...I'm signing off as a Graduated 5th Grader and now onto 6th grade.
Certificate is in the Mail! Addressed to Woodie Wade of A spanking clean and knowledgable New look at life in Vietnam!!!
Sincerely,
Smarter than a 5th Grader!
xoxoxo & love,
WW
Thursday, May 21, 2009
May 22nd, Day 17! 3 Hotels & new friendship!
I'm posting this latest blog from my iPhone so it's going to be my shortest entry to date!
This road trip is coming to an end! It's been quite challenging getting from point A to point B... After
My lack luster bus ride to Quy Nohn my 1st 3 nights here I became a hotel jumper! The 1st night I attempted
To mix oil & vinegar & make a froathy life style change staying @ a four star hotel! Hated it! Felt like a big
Old fool in a castle looking out my one window staring at the beautiful beach and then my over view was looking out at a struggling country just trying to get thru a day!
I checked out and down graded to a middle ground establishment but the Hotel Director had his own agenda! He asummed I had a never ending amount of Dongs in my wallet! I could smell his scent down wind so again I checked out for a 2nd time, jumped on a motor bike taxi and pointed to the other end of the beach! Saw hotel Barbara & yelled STOP! Here I met the lovely New Zealand hotel owner appropiately named BARBARA! She been here for many years but goes home to visit her grand kids! (fade in) Mr. Alex Trafford Martin! 24 year old Englishmen pulls up to the hotel on his bicycle! He's been biking thru Vietnam for 3 months! Rides between 60 to 100 k a day and is obsessed with viewing the season finali of American Idol that evening! I smelled a recipe for success for my evening of discovery of new friendship.... A few beers while both of us in the hotel Cade are cheering on the 2 hour Show! After the show we proceeded to a fair away trek of a restaurant ! "not a good choice so we left" ..sort of my theme of this Blog: Not settling for anything less than Ur heart desires! Keep looking for A Good Thing! Not caving and keep pushing til ur a happy lad!
Alex Trafford Martin... If Ur reading this post in some far region of Vietnam! Cheers Mate....And like I said: " Always Wonder" and I look forward to hearing the rest of your Journey here on you tricked out bike!
As for my journey.... My Holiday ends in the morning as I travel back to Kontum, cooking & English class!
Til next time..... Here's to more themes, recipies & always play with Your Food!!! :-0
The end
By: Your ever soo luvin Woodiewadexoxo
This road trip is coming to an end! It's been quite challenging getting from point A to point B... After
My lack luster bus ride to Quy Nohn my 1st 3 nights here I became a hotel jumper! The 1st night I attempted
To mix oil & vinegar & make a froathy life style change staying @ a four star hotel! Hated it! Felt like a big
Old fool in a castle looking out my one window staring at the beautiful beach and then my over view was looking out at a struggling country just trying to get thru a day!
I checked out and down graded to a middle ground establishment but the Hotel Director had his own agenda! He asummed I had a never ending amount of Dongs in my wallet! I could smell his scent down wind so again I checked out for a 2nd time, jumped on a motor bike taxi and pointed to the other end of the beach! Saw hotel Barbara & yelled STOP! Here I met the lovely New Zealand hotel owner appropiately named BARBARA! She been here for many years but goes home to visit her grand kids! (fade in) Mr. Alex Trafford Martin! 24 year old Englishmen pulls up to the hotel on his bicycle! He's been biking thru Vietnam for 3 months! Rides between 60 to 100 k a day and is obsessed with viewing the season finali of American Idol that evening! I smelled a recipe for success for my evening of discovery of new friendship.... A few beers while both of us in the hotel Cade are cheering on the 2 hour Show! After the show we proceeded to a fair away trek of a restaurant ! "not a good choice so we left" ..sort of my theme of this Blog: Not settling for anything less than Ur heart desires! Keep looking for A Good Thing! Not caving and keep pushing til ur a happy lad!
Alex Trafford Martin... If Ur reading this post in some far region of Vietnam! Cheers Mate....And like I said: " Always Wonder" and I look forward to hearing the rest of your Journey here on you tricked out bike!
As for my journey.... My Holiday ends in the morning as I travel back to Kontum, cooking & English class!
Til next time..... Here's to more themes, recipies & always play with Your Food!!! :-0
The end
By: Your ever soo luvin Woodiewadexoxo
Monday, May 18, 2009
May 18th, Day 13 " Road Trip!!!!"
I sure do wish I had some of my favorite traveling companions with me for the next 5 or 6 days with me for the wild ride I'm about to embark on in the morning tomorrow!! And you know who you are so I won't name; names....Mateo aka..."Bam Bam", Debo aka. "Eddie", Lauren Lee..."The Three of Us", Christine aka. "Pussycat", Barbara aka..."Thelma", "BYRD, grab some vino for the trip"!!! Opps! (That was Fun)
I tried like you can only imagine I would to rent a really nice Motorcycle for this up coming adventure but when the Universe screams back at you that it's a Bad Idea...You listen...Well I do now and the age of 44 unlike when I was a "Wild and Crazy wee woodiewade!!!"
I had the deal on done for the Japanese Bike Debo....You would have loved it. The gas tank was painted like a Lepard or a Chita....I was all ready to buy a Shirt and spray paint on the back: "Chita Boy". Then the dream crashed and burned in front of me. The motorbike renter wanted to hold my passport and my Visa to get into the country until I returned..........all of a sudden I saw visions of me traveling totally naked which is how I would have felt with out those two Documents....I even went as far as to go to the copier place where I get my Pop Quiz's copied and come back to him with copies of my Passport and Visa...but that idea didn't fly with the manager either....I worked on this Bike Rental scheme all afternoon...even coming back with a girl from my hotel who spoke both languages! That's when I saw myself on the bike totally naked and in a ditch somewhere with people wizzing by me laughing at the Naked American with no Paper work and in Distress! That visual was Choclate sauce for my famous Rudolp Stanish Chocolate Roll! My Cream was Whipped and It was now time to look for alternative transportation. Boooooo!
At 7am I'm being dropped off by one of the Bell Boys to the local bus depot to buy a Bus ticket to Quy Nhon. The "Bus" departs at 8pm... Yeah...OK...Whatever!!! Yulkie Poo Poo! a bus, 5 hours on the bus!!! I just saw a bright spot...I'll have everyone on the bus signing Rode songs....there you go! I'll sneak on board food and drink and play my ipod for everyone to hear! A Party Bus! That's it! Ahh! I feel soo much better now!
Going to go lay my Bus attire out now and work on my CB lingo "Good Buddy!"
Over and Out?? (is that one Pop?)xoxoxox
I tried like you can only imagine I would to rent a really nice Motorcycle for this up coming adventure but when the Universe screams back at you that it's a Bad Idea...You listen...Well I do now and the age of 44 unlike when I was a "Wild and Crazy wee woodiewade!!!"
I had the deal on done for the Japanese Bike Debo....You would have loved it. The gas tank was painted like a Lepard or a Chita....I was all ready to buy a Shirt and spray paint on the back: "Chita Boy". Then the dream crashed and burned in front of me. The motorbike renter wanted to hold my passport and my Visa to get into the country until I returned..........all of a sudden I saw visions of me traveling totally naked which is how I would have felt with out those two Documents....I even went as far as to go to the copier place where I get my Pop Quiz's copied and come back to him with copies of my Passport and Visa...but that idea didn't fly with the manager either....I worked on this Bike Rental scheme all afternoon...even coming back with a girl from my hotel who spoke both languages! That's when I saw myself on the bike totally naked and in a ditch somewhere with people wizzing by me laughing at the Naked American with no Paper work and in Distress! That visual was Choclate sauce for my famous Rudolp Stanish Chocolate Roll! My Cream was Whipped and It was now time to look for alternative transportation. Boooooo!
At 7am I'm being dropped off by one of the Bell Boys to the local bus depot to buy a Bus ticket to Quy Nhon. The "Bus" departs at 8pm... Yeah...OK...Whatever!!! Yulkie Poo Poo! a bus, 5 hours on the bus!!! I just saw a bright spot...I'll have everyone on the bus signing Rode songs....there you go! I'll sneak on board food and drink and play my ipod for everyone to hear! A Party Bus! That's it! Ahh! I feel soo much better now!
Going to go lay my Bus attire out now and work on my CB lingo "Good Buddy!"
Over and Out?? (is that one Pop?)xoxoxox
Saturday, May 16, 2009
May 17, Day 11 "Professor Woodie???"
Hello My Friends, Family, Loved Ones and Country men....
So this guy you know named Woodiewade who loves children Big and Small and loves to cook decides to plan this trip to Vietnam...see...he cooks up this great scheme to put his life in Los Angeles on hold for a month and travel to Kontum, Vietnam where he will cook, teach some cooking and feed children at Vinh Son Orphanage! (insert Breaks being pushed now) Errrrrrrrrch!!!! (Fade Out)
(Fade In)....Professor Woodie? Helllooooooo! :-O
For the past week I have been teaching a English class at the Orphanage! Every morning at 10am in a lovely little class room and a Big Chalk Board. And lots of Chalk! Who here doesn't like Chalk and a Chalk Board??? ohhh....and a pointing stick! LOL Soo much fun!! Every morning at 9:45 I put on my Chefs Hat....grab my Cow Bell and walk around the Exterior Buildings of the Orphanage ringing my bill and pitching my class! "English!!!" "Come and get some!""""
My 1st day of Class I had maybe 20 children in attendence....No after a week I have "Standing Room Only" Status! Filled with people of all ages! Even 3 of the Nuns have taken my class. Alot of the Teenagers too! I have struggled as many of you know with poor spelling my entire life. I love writing and telling stories but putting a proper sentence together....ummmmm....Me no likie so Muchie! :-0
I've been trying to channel every English teacher I ever had to guide me! It's just Basic grade 1 learning to read! learning the sounds of the Alphabet, A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y sort of stuff. The names of all the Colors, Days of the Week. The Months of the year. Putting sentences together. Filling in the right letter missing in a word . Learning all the names of the Body. Understading Yes and No! But boy....when I child gets it and you see the Light turn on thru their eyes because they understood the different sound that B makes rather than a P! I get goose bumps!
I was eating dinner last night in a little Restuarant down the street from my hotel grading a Pop Quiz I wrote by hand and took to a copy place and made 30 copies. I did not have enouch Quiz papers to do around so some of the children doubled up. So anyway I'm sitting at this restaurant having dinner and going over the papers...found myself laughing at some of the pictures the children had Drawn. Smiling at some really brilliant hand Writing! Lastly, I loved looking at and saying their names out loud which were written on the top right of the papers. Note: I was the only customer in the place at this time!
I never in my dreams thought up this part of the story for myself teaching English on this visit to Vietnam. I thought I'd be the Cook! I thought I'd come back with a new Tatoo from the Kitchen....like the burn I have on my left forearm from the Madeline cookie sheet (which I look at all the time with a smile) Cooking is who I am I thought?
So the news of the English Teacher has spread like Room Tempature Butter!! 3 Mother's in Bahnar village asked if I would come to their village on Saturday's from 2pm - 4pm and teach their Daughters? Vang....Yes...Yes of course! Yesterday was my 1st English lesson with Me, Nien & Niem! We sat a Kitchen table. The girls were very shigh in the beginning....then after a few silly WK eye brow movements or having one eye brown get stuck and taking Niem's finger and placing it on my brow to push it down I had them right were I wanted them in this Kitchen! :-) They never got bored or yawned or wanted to leave. After 2 hours they learned the Alphabet, when to use upper case letters and when to use lower case letters...The sound's of the Alphabet..........Yes and No, Colors, Writing words and spelling them out! The mothers came back at 4pm and we gave them a Oral/Verbal show of how much they learned over the 2 hour class.
So there you have it ......The Story of how I became "Professor Woodie" in Vietnam! Boy has my Respect level risen to the top of my Pantry for teacher's from my Past, Present and in the Future!
I hope your enjoying my Blog posts as much as I'm enjoying writing them to you. I get such a kick out of thinking about you all while I'm writing them. I've recieved lovely emails of delight and encouragement to keep them coming. I know they are reaching you all with laughter and smiles and possilbe a few tears every now and again.
It's Sunday late morning around 11:40a.m . I need to go take a shower, head to the Hot Toc stand for a shave. I'm attending yet another wedding today at 1pm. This will be my 2nd and hopefully not my last! These people know how to have a good time WW style!
Sending you much love and Vietnam Blessings,
"Professor Woodie???"
So this guy you know named Woodiewade who loves children Big and Small and loves to cook decides to plan this trip to Vietnam...see...he cooks up this great scheme to put his life in Los Angeles on hold for a month and travel to Kontum, Vietnam where he will cook, teach some cooking and feed children at Vinh Son Orphanage! (insert Breaks being pushed now) Errrrrrrrrch!!!! (Fade Out)
(Fade In)....Professor Woodie? Helllooooooo! :-O
For the past week I have been teaching a English class at the Orphanage! Every morning at 10am in a lovely little class room and a Big Chalk Board. And lots of Chalk! Who here doesn't like Chalk and a Chalk Board??? ohhh....and a pointing stick! LOL Soo much fun!! Every morning at 9:45 I put on my Chefs Hat....grab my Cow Bell and walk around the Exterior Buildings of the Orphanage ringing my bill and pitching my class! "English!!!" "Come and get some!""""
My 1st day of Class I had maybe 20 children in attendence....No after a week I have "Standing Room Only" Status! Filled with people of all ages! Even 3 of the Nuns have taken my class. Alot of the Teenagers too! I have struggled as many of you know with poor spelling my entire life. I love writing and telling stories but putting a proper sentence together....ummmmm....Me no likie so Muchie! :-0
I've been trying to channel every English teacher I ever had to guide me! It's just Basic grade 1 learning to read! learning the sounds of the Alphabet, A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y sort of stuff. The names of all the Colors, Days of the Week. The Months of the year. Putting sentences together. Filling in the right letter missing in a word . Learning all the names of the Body. Understading Yes and No! But boy....when I child gets it and you see the Light turn on thru their eyes because they understood the different sound that B makes rather than a P! I get goose bumps!
I was eating dinner last night in a little Restuarant down the street from my hotel grading a Pop Quiz I wrote by hand and took to a copy place and made 30 copies. I did not have enouch Quiz papers to do around so some of the children doubled up. So anyway I'm sitting at this restaurant having dinner and going over the papers...found myself laughing at some of the pictures the children had Drawn. Smiling at some really brilliant hand Writing! Lastly, I loved looking at and saying their names out loud which were written on the top right of the papers. Note: I was the only customer in the place at this time!
I never in my dreams thought up this part of the story for myself teaching English on this visit to Vietnam. I thought I'd be the Cook! I thought I'd come back with a new Tatoo from the Kitchen....like the burn I have on my left forearm from the Madeline cookie sheet (which I look at all the time with a smile) Cooking is who I am I thought?
So the news of the English Teacher has spread like Room Tempature Butter!! 3 Mother's in Bahnar village asked if I would come to their village on Saturday's from 2pm - 4pm and teach their Daughters? Vang....Yes...Yes of course! Yesterday was my 1st English lesson with Me, Nien & Niem! We sat a Kitchen table. The girls were very shigh in the beginning....then after a few silly WK eye brow movements or having one eye brown get stuck and taking Niem's finger and placing it on my brow to push it down I had them right were I wanted them in this Kitchen! :-) They never got bored or yawned or wanted to leave. After 2 hours they learned the Alphabet, when to use upper case letters and when to use lower case letters...The sound's of the Alphabet..........Yes and No, Colors, Writing words and spelling them out! The mothers came back at 4pm and we gave them a Oral/Verbal show of how much they learned over the 2 hour class.
So there you have it ......The Story of how I became "Professor Woodie" in Vietnam! Boy has my Respect level risen to the top of my Pantry for teacher's from my Past, Present and in the Future!
I hope your enjoying my Blog posts as much as I'm enjoying writing them to you. I get such a kick out of thinking about you all while I'm writing them. I've recieved lovely emails of delight and encouragement to keep them coming. I know they are reaching you all with laughter and smiles and possilbe a few tears every now and again.
It's Sunday late morning around 11:40a.m . I need to go take a shower, head to the Hot Toc stand for a shave. I'm attending yet another wedding today at 1pm. This will be my 2nd and hopefully not my last! These people know how to have a good time WW style!
Sending you much love and Vietnam Blessings,
"Professor Woodie???"
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