Starting classes, volunteering

My guest house at night

Yesterday our teacher explained our class schedule to us and talked about some of the trips that we would be taking. I am extremely excited for the trips. The ones that are coming up are a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels, a wildlife reserve, a trip around the Mekong Delta, and seeing the reunification palace and museums around the city. After lunch we met our roommates. My roommate's name is Trang and she goes to the foreign trade university which people here say in the best university in Saigon. Right away we started bonding with a very challenging game in which we had to go around the city and find certain things and take pictures of them. We worked in pairs with our new roommate. We got one point for one roommate being in the picture and two points if we asked someone else to take a picture with both of us in it. I was extremely embarassed to do this, especially since we were asking to take pictures with very odd things like a bành mí vendor or a tailor specializing in áo dài. We were only allowed to take the bus or walk. It may have been far out of my comfort zone but it was a good way to get me to speak Vietnamese with strangers, learn how to use the buses and get to know my roommate. I'm starting to get used to the buses here but they can be a little intimidating. They don't really stop when you get on or off, they just sort of slow down and there is usually someone standing by the door to push/pull you on/off. I think I'm probably one of the first white person that anyone has seen riding the bus as well. I've posted a few pictures from the photo hunt.

My roommate and I looking a display of áo dài

Next to a bánh mì and tofu pudding vendor

Today, we took our placement test for Vietnamese. As I expected, the written portion was fairly easy but I got very shy when it came to the oral portion. Overall I think that I did pretty well but it doesn't really matter because Vi is completely fluent and Anna is a complete beginner so we will all be in our own class anyways. Our classes seem like they will be very challenging and helpful. Monday and Wednesday we have a standard class with reading, writing, speaking, and listening and on Friday, we have a practical where a teacher will give us a conversation task with a stranger from the streets. For example, we might have to ask someone directions to a place or have a discussion about the Vietnam War. Tomorrow is my class "Society and State in contmeporary Vietnam."

Today I also went to my first meeting at the Little Rose Shelter. I have mixed feelings after my first meeting. On one hand I was extremely frustrated because I was supposed to meet with the director at 2 but when i got there, the staff was having a meeting and they made me wait around for 50 minutes only to tell me to come back Wednesday and start work then after I had taken two buses and 40 minutes to get to the shelter on the outskirts of town. I'm still not entirely sure what I will be doing there. On a positive side though, while I was waiting I got to talk with some of the girls there in Vietnamese. My program director warned me that it might be difficult to talk with them and that many were very reserved because of their past experiences but the girls that I spoke with were very friendly and sweet and patient with my Vietnamese. It was also very surprising how young they all seemed. The Little Rose Shelter takes girls age 12-18 but they all seemed younger than that. If I hadn't known this previously and asked some of the girls how old they were, I would have thought that they were between 8 and 13. I suppose I will learn more on Wednesday and hopefully it will still be a very positive experience for me.