The rush of last minute packing and exploring, traveling over 20 hours on planes with no sleep and then hopping another flight to get home to my parents for Christmas pushed my writing and thinking to the back burner LOL. 

We ended our time in Vietnam taking a quick trip back over to Hoi An for a weekend. I got a few more dresses made at Alice's Tailor Shop inside the fabric market. 5 dresses for around 140 US dollars. Amazing!

Konstantin went on a bike tour around the area and got to spend time with a water buffalo among other amazing activities. The next day the guide let us meet up with him at the water buffalo spot so I could get up close with it. As I said previously my dad's longest lasting memory from his time in Vietnam is watching them use a water buffalo to plow the fields. Being so close to one and listening to it chirp (its like a bird sound), seeing it plow, and seeing it's battle wounds from fighting for a girlfriend was special for me.

Then it was time to finish packing and head back to America. We said goodbye to our friends from our apartment building and neighborhood. We promised to stay in touch and come back to Vietnam again. We made a quick stop at the casino and left behind $20...then made our last trip to Dirty Fingers for Pastrami. And I found out I am presenting 3 sessions at ISTE!

We had a 4.5 hour flight to Korea, then a 15 hour flight to Atlanta, then another 2 hours to Miami. I am not a plane sleeper, but I did watch about 7 movies. I got home and did a little unpack/repack, slept a bit, then hopped a plane to Asheville to meet up with my parents. I am always thankful for my cousin Tammie who happily picks me up at the airport just about every time I come home.

​I got to spend time with my mom and dad, my sister's family, and lots of cousins and Aunt Jackie out at the farm. I was worried about freezing...it dropped down to 7 degrees at one point, but we made it okay. I was very excited to see all my cousins, and spend time getting to know what they are learning and lvoing these days. Ki is still loving Lego and Tula wants to learn it all. Isaiah and Hadassah are the cutest and sweetest kids. I loved listening to Ember and Haven play and problem solve at their brother Everest birthday party. I missed seeing Willow, Katie, and Jackson, but for a very good reason...their mom is still cooking baby 4 and has to stay home on bedrest. I got to see Ellie for the 2nd time. the first she was just hatched so I was not very excited but now she is alert and can growl at me and is too funny. I didn;t get to see our new Khalani because of the cold and Evie because she was super busy, but hopefully this summer. Bryson and Addie were back in Texas but I got to video call them and hear about Addie's horse ride. The Duncan kiddos are growing up way too fast. I love seeing how creative they all are! Em, Jamie (who was born on our wedding day), Sky, and Ysa are so fun and their dad Darrell may get Macie to like Santa after all...he does look a bit like the jolly old man. And of course my Michaela was home foe a quick trip. She went back to Kansas and picked out her wedding dress. It doesnt seem like she should be old enough... My mom, dad, sister Robin, and I kept our Christmas Day tradition alive. Normally we see a movie and then eat Japanese food. This year the movies were not that great so we did lunch together. 

The best part of course was spoiling my great niece Macie. She is always excited to see me and loved all her Vietnam outfits and books. I love watching her and laughing at her huge personality. She loves looking at pictures on my phone and even enjoyed a video of Buffalo Chocolate (buffalo pooping). Her and my mom watched it over and over and then she had to go show everyone else in the house. It was hilarious. 

​I am happy to be back home with our cat Kiko, but I do miss Vietnam as well. I miss the walkability of our An Thuong community and the ease of getting aorund. I miss the smiles and welcoming of the Vietnamese people we met through our apartment, school, our tours, and just living life. 

I am finishing up my project part of the Fulbright award. I have my Flip group set up and more people are joining still. We are at 90 members now which is amazing. I am putting the final touches on my website. I have shared my research on the SAMR model of tech integration, the thoughtful tech flip group topics, and my observations in Vietnam. I am still considering adding a few more things, but it has been published and is ready for you to check it out: www.thoughtfulteachertech.org/home

Let me know what you think!

After returning from Saigon to DaNang I took it easy for a few days. I had a fever and a sore throat so I stayed home for the most part and worked on my website for my project. I met with my advisor and got some feedback and I wanted to implement it before I forgot! 

We did manage to get over to Dirty Fingers and get pastrami and to the Turkish place for baklava. Their new chef flew in and brought fresh pistachios. I thought Konstantin was going to take the whole pan at first. It is so good!

Friday I zoomed with the 5th grade back at Scheck Hillel. We talked about challenges and facing fears, like being in the boat on the Mekong Delta and the day my Grab driver was taking me to the wrong place and I had no data to use Google translate and I was so scared, but I managed to work it all out! My weirdest foods, snails. And the things I am doing here that will help them learn more when I come home. 

Saturday we flew into Da Lat (learn more). This is a mountain town where the Temps have been in the 69s and 70s and damp. We have done the city tour and countryside tour and even the night tour to meet one of the ethnic minority groups. Konstantin did a tour the guide said was mainly Vietnamese people taking selfies. He loved it. If you are heading to Da Lat I highly recommend Happy Day Travel. They did all of our tours. Our guides, Tam and Ngoc, were fabulous, knowledgeable, and great at ensuring everyone was comfortable. We saw waterfalls, strawberry farms, bee and cricket farms, temples and pagodas, and so much more. We went to Lang Biang Mountain, rode a cable car, Konstantin even rode a mountain coaster to a waterfall. We packed a ton of fun into a few days. 

We actually came to Da Lat so I could participate in a Fulbright conference. I got to meet Fulbright scholars and researchers working throughout Vietnam on many different projects. I was completely impressed with all of their work and experiences. I want to dive in and work with them all and learn more about pangolin, plastic pollution western vs eastern medicine, and so much more. Our two days together focused on sharing our research focus and ideas, our challenges and accomplishments, and where we go from here. Many times my imposter syndrome flared with how did I even get in this room, I am not worthy. Then I remembered the words of my esteemed colleague Dr Courtney Teague who told me to change imposter to I’m possible and to only compare myself to the Nancy of the past, not to others. Courtney and I met at Nova and she continually pushes me to be my best self and to stay on the path. I appreciate her encouragement and guidance always!

I am ready to share my website, even though it is still in progress. Chck it out and let me know your thoughts! https://www.thoughtfulteachertech.org/home 

We are in the airport getting ready to head back to DaNang now. It is 12 days until our flight back to Miami, I am sad and excited all at the same time! Until next time!

Busy busy week!
Work
Thursday and Friday last week I had the great privilege of teaching model lessons in Science and STEM. I had so much fun. I have missed teaching the past month and this was a great chance to get back to it. My 5th grade Science lesson was on the water cycle. We watched Flocabulary, read a book on GetEpic, and watched a song with actions. Students made sketchnotes to show their  learning. Then we made up our own movements and made a water cycle bag to put up at home to watch the water cycle in action. The next day I had the same class in STEM so we discussed floods, a common occurrence in DaNang and Miami. We learned about flood walls from Brainpop and GetEpic, then we tried to make a flood wall. I had dug up sand the night before at the beach for this and I also gave them supplies like sticks, cotton pads, sponges, and plastic bags. It was interesting to see light bulbs go off with the different materials. We tested and found both groups flood walls held initially, but some leakage happened after it sat. 
I also taught a 2nd grade natural or man made product lesson where we learned about trees becoming paper and furniture. We learned sand can become glass and oil becomes plastic. We read a book, played Time to Climb on Nearpod, and drew pictures. The 4th grade STEM lesson focused on drag and air pressure. We used Brainpop to learn and then made parachutes our of what I found at our corner market. I had some felt like material, a round wax paper like thing with holes, yarn, 2 kinds of tape, paper, cups, straws, and sticks. The kids formed 2 groups and each group made 2 parachutes. We tested and then talked about what works vs what didn't work. It was so much fun!
This week I am in Hanoi. I got to visit Hanoi Westminster School today. It is a primary school and they have a uniquely designed building that just makes so much sense with their modular walls and open floor plan. I loved the art all over campus. Beautiful professional murals right beside kids artwork. They have magnetic walls so kids' work can be displayed using magnetics. No need for tape or sticky putty! I also loved their storage system in the STEM lab. 
I was able to see the 1st grade STEM lesson. Students danced and sang about shapes, then they used skewers to make shapes and structures. Their goal was to make a structure sturdy enough to hold a storage box. It was interesting to see how every group started out differently. Some were concerned about perfecting their clay ball that were fasteners. Some just jumped into the building. Others made squares and then connected. There were  2 groups that met the challenge and held the box. They each had different methods of building. One used triangles and one used square with support beams. All students at the end could discuss and explain what went well for them and what they needed to work on, so really everyone was successful! 
All of the classes I have visited have been full of hardworking and excited learners and that makes watching them a joy!
 I spoke with my advisor tonight. He always makes me feel like I have my stuff together. He thinks I am on a good track and likes my plans. Yea!
Fun
Friday afternoon we hopped a plane to Hanoi, a short 1 hour 10 min flight north from DaNang. We arrived to a bustling city full of people and vehicles. While it is a beautiful place, I am so happy we were placed in DaNang where there are less people and traffic...even though it certainly seems like a lot. 
We are staying in the Old Quarter. It is a busy area with shops, restaurants, and lots of people. We have seen many backpackers coming through. There are many hostels and homestays here that cater to the wanderers. We have seen folks from all over the world and met some very kind people from Germany, Australia, and more. 
We have walked and toured much of the city. We did a Jeep Tour, where they use old army jeeps to show you around. I like having tour guides show us around first so we can learn about the history of the area and some cool hidden spots. We met up at the Hidden Gem coffeeshop and had a fabulous Butterfly Pea Flower drink and so much food! We got to climb the Vietnam Eiffel Tower… a train trestle made in 1902 by the same designer as the Eiffel Tower. We saw different neighborhoods and historical areas, and had the best coconut ice cream. And we got to have a drink at Train Street. A little too close for comfort for me, but it was cool! 
Another part of the tour took us to a fresh market. Our guide told us people in Vietnam want to only eat fresh foods and know where their food comes from. The people who live in the neighborhood go twice a day to get their food. There are live ducks, chickens, pigeons, snails, fish and other seafood. When you buy, the vendors kill and clean the meat for you. I am used to getting my food at the grocery store without a face. It was interesting and I am glad I was able to see it in person, but I couldn't pick my meat out like that. I ordered duck once at Saskatoon (wild game restaurant in Greenville). When they played it in front of me my wonderful diddy quacked at me and I couldn't eat it. I cried when I found out my burger Aunt Jackie made was from a deer…it might have been Bambie's grandchild. 
We also got tickets for the Hop On Hop Off bus. This is an economical way to get around the city's historic places you want to visit. You pay about $7 and get a day pass. Unfortunately the military museum was closed Monday so we missed that, but did get to see the Citadel, Pagoda, and a few other places. Unlike when I went to Charmeston with Uncle Ed and Viv, we actually hopped on and off quite a bit. Viv and Une Ed just wanted to ride into Charleston and then walk everywhere. In July … in Charleston, SC…I will never forget that adventure for sure. Uncle Ed's birthday is coming up soon. I got a card all ready to send before we left. And somehow forgot and it came to Vietnam. I took a picture of it and sent it to Viv so she can show him. Best laid plans...
Before I came over I asked Tova Yemin, my wonderful colleague at Hillel, if there were any Jewish communities in Vietnam and she found one in Hanoi. I looked it up when we arrived and they have a restaurant,  so we went over for dinner. I told the Rabbi where I was from and he was happy to have us. We met a couple from Tel Aviv who came for dinner, too. I didn't play Jewish Geography, but should have. I am sure that we would have eventually found people in common. Everybody knows somebody who knows Tova!
My friend Becky messaged me and gave us a recommendation from her Sister in law to try Pizza 4P. We had a delicious lunch from there and a delectable lava cake. We have discovered they have a few locations in DaNang as well so we will be trying them again! 
When I was observing a STEM class back in DaNang I saw kids making marionettes and a teacher told me about the traditional water puppet show. I was able to get tickets to the theater here. It was absolutely amazing to watch. Listening to the native instruments and singers, watching the puppets, and hearing the stories was magical. From my teenage days back in Pickens I remember doing puppet shows with our youth group. That was hard enough without having to stand in water to do all the work. After the water puppets we went out to find a festival happening. We walked around and saw many traditional foods, crafts, and performances. 
I somehow managed to tweak my knee Friday between teaching, the plane ride and getting around Hanoi. We went to the pharmacy and between my limited Vietnamese, a few charades, and Google Translate i was able to get Tramadol and Tiger Balm. Konstantin has not enjoyed the smell of Tiger Balm, but it helps. I wish I had my heating pad but it kinda exploded when we tried to use it back in DaNang. Voltage is very tricky.  
We have a few more days in Hanoi before heading to Singapore! Friday I am sharing STEM lesson planning ideas with education students at Hanoi University and visiting a high school in the area! So much learning and so much fun!