Ho Chi Minh and Pleiku...and announcing my project

We spent a couple of low key days in DaNang in our adopted hometown after our Hanoi and Singapore adventure. We headed over to a delicious Turkish place called Istanbul a block over from our apartment. Delicious hummus, Shish kebab, and THE BEST BAKLAVA EVER.  I am not a fan of baklava, but Konstantin loves it. We were chatting with the chef owner when it arrived and I took a bite and then another and another. Konstantin looked down and said what happened to my baklava. It was so good. In fact the following day we went back just for dessert and he wouldn't share and made me get my own piece. My aunt Deda used to make baklava…she would have loved this Turkish version. 

​Ho Chi Minh

We arrived very late Friday in Ho Chi Minh…or early Saturday morning I guess. We kicked off Saturday bright and early with a jeep tour. Unlike in Hanoi this tour was just Konstantin and I and no other guests. Our amazing tour guide Bui Van Hai. I was completely impressed with his knowledge of history and his desire to help us understand the culture of Vietnam. We visited many different places, including the oldest pagoda, post office, the Independence Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and more. Our stop at the War Remnants museum was difficult for me. Seeing the soldier images, seeing the prison set up, is just more than I could take. I had an eye opening conversation with our guide. His dad was 18 and forced into being a soldier, much like my dad. We talked about how each of our fathers were pulled from small towns and pushed into service that neither wanted to do. Luckily we both have our fathers still with us, even with the scars of war. We got to see art made from oyster shells and burnt egg shells, too! Our last stop was at the Ben Thanh Market where Konstantin decided it was time to try durian. Both our guide and I tried to talk him out of it, but he persisted…until he smelled it and then noped out. 
We had a great lunch at Agave, a Mexican restaurant in District One. Tortilla chips here are more like pita chips, but still delicious. We then went to visit the 2nd tallest building in HCMC. Later in the week we also visited the tallest building and enjoyed fresh apple juice on the 81st floor. 

I found my favorite place in HCMC, right beside the post office…book street! So many books, so little time!
We spent a loud night enjoying Beer Street. They close the street at 7pm to vehicles and it becomes a walking street. Tons of bars and restaurants and VERY LOUD music. And a ketchup that was outstanding with my potato wedges. Konstantin had a seafood Vietnamese pancake and loved it. 

Monday I met with a teacher from Sarasota who teaches at the Canadian International School.  She graciously invited me to come in and chat about technology. Her high school classes use Google Classroom and use a lot of technology. She and her family are experienced International teachers, having taught previously in other countries. I was impressed with the campus and what she has in order to teach with.

Pleiku 

We had an easy flight to Pleiku Tuesday morning, I was very emotional arriving here. This is the place my dad was stationed 60 years ago. I called him after arriving and showed him the city from our balcony and he said it has grown a lot. After settling our things in the hotel we then headed to Meraki Coffee to meet a friend I had made through a Facebook group. Hao runs the coffee shop and has English clubs. Her goal is to help kids in Pleiku with their self confidence and improve English skills. 

Konstantin had an adventure the day of our arrival. He went to a church/orphanage/school here in the mountains outside of Pleiku. One of the people he knows from DaNang is from this area and had come to help out. He joined them and helped chop vegetables, serve soup, and hand out candy to the kids. He also got his first motorbike experience, which was a bit scary and a bit fun.

Hao graciously introduced us to others in the community and helped us visit schools here. We went to two different kindergarten schools, one of which is a STEM school. The kids here are so precious. They work in a Montessori environment and we got to see kids singing and dancing, learning words, practicing greetings, and playing. It was so much fun. We are working on ideas for how we help get more books for her club and supplies for the schools we visited. More info to come on that.

After our school visits we toured Pleiku, heading to an amazing restaurant our friend Hao recommended. It was unique and I am so grateful for the experience. They had cabin type structures where you ate. The menu was in Vietnamese but thanks to Google Translate and Google Lens we got it translated and ordered chicken, bamboo rice, and beef in banana leaf. Delicious doesn't even come close. Our driver took us around the area, where we visited the Bien Ho Lake and then we went out to the Bien Ho Tea Farm. Along the way we saw coffee farms, too. We stopped for a photo break and to get a drink before heading back to rest for our exciting night. So many beautiful flowers, gorgeous mountains, and so many people very excited to see Konstantin. He is quite the celebrity here. We learned tonight that there are only a handful of expats in Pleiku so that explains why we are always getting attention.

Hao kindly invited us to a gathering with her friends at a mountainside bar, Day and Night, where we met several more people, watched Japan vs Germany World Cup, and Konstantin even got to make stick bread over the fire. We laughed, cheered, and enjoyed a beautiful night amongst new friends. 

Tomorrow I am headed to Camp Holloway where Diddy was stationed. He has a cold right now but I have talked with him a couple of times since arriving. I was worried he might be upset about my visit here. Upset isn’t the right word. I was worried his Alzheimers would cause him to worry and obsess, but he has been very calm and happy to see Vietnam with me.

Thoughtful Teacher Tech

And now what I am really here for…my Fulbright work. I have created my website, but still have a bit of work to add to it. I have posted all of my research onto the site, but still need to add info from Vietnam. One of my goals for this project is to find a way to connect teachers all over the world with technology ideas. To make this happen, I created a Flip (formerly Flipgrid) group and added topics for different ways to integrate technology. I even have a student topic for kids to share their favorite tech ideas with teachers. I will share the full website when it is completed, but for now you can check out the Flip Topic!

I launched the Topic last week through email, social media, and text to friends and family who are teachers. In one week we have 9 responses, 130 views, 1 comment, 7 hours of discussion, and 70 members from all over the world. I am thrilled but of course want more! Please share with any teachers in your network!

All topics: https://flip.com/ee780e69

Broadcasting: https://flip.com/c33cc71e (like moviemaking, podcasting)

Assessment: https://flip.com/e1128aa6 (assessing learning)

​Gamification: https://flip.com/7585cb48 (game based ideas)

Student Share: https://flip.com/f51a5917 (for students to share their ideas)

Design: https://flip.com/7c179708 (like graphic design, posters, presentations, comics)

Robotics and Coding: https://flip.com/9d395f40

Sharing: https://flip.com/8d8e0a92 (sharing students work with peers, parents, the world)

As always I hope you enjoy reading our adventures and if you have any suggestions, ideas, or just want to say hello, please let me know!