Thursday, December 04, 2008
so i'm back! and it has been fun. definitely.
I guess this trip is the sort that sticks with you for a long time. with good memories and lots of nonsense from everyone.
here's a condensed version of what really went on.
- taking cards from the plane (the first time)
- realizing that there are shopping centres in hanoi that don't sell food.
- "how's life? Life's good. Oh yeahhhhh." - Yuze
- koreans in the hotels
- looking at bugs on the kitchen table
- polar bear!!
- sleeping with the lights on
- bus ride.
- red carpet welcome!
- mosquito nets and nails in the wall
- entertainment
- basketball courts
- fried foods
- wake-up call
- rubber faces
- facial expressions (or lack thereof)
- tents.
- angels & mortals. trickery.
- breakfast in the cold
- french bread
- reflections in the dark
- "wake me up in half an hour!" - Tri
- the ex principal. ugh.
- Cookie Jar - Gym Class Heroes
- swing swing!
- prawns and prawn heads
- 8 plates and counting.
- cool shots
- murals!
- A. B. C.
- cursive fonts
- talking in the cold
- the dance troupe
- catharsis
- stacking up tables
- gambling with the children
- tea plantations
- posing for lots.
- bridge shots
- dinners. CHUNG EM...
- blackouts.
- BIRTHDAY :D
- Crush - David Archuleta
- water pails
- hidden lock in the toilet. (it really exists)
- tree climbing. climb and conquer
- motorbiking
- pretty pictures
- fur. oh sorry i meant pho.
- flea markets
- stocking up on snacks
- bamboo hats
- my pants.
- chicken soup for the soul
- milo for everything else
- noodles for the hungry boy
- letters under phonelight
- "hiccup!" - Gabriel
- About A Girl - The Academy Is...
- first aid!
- batch dance!
- dance partners
- klutz!
- star shots
- james bond shots
- lan ainh & ha. D:
- broken buses
- noodles by the road
- amaizeing corn fields
- the old quarter
- motorcycle jams
- water puppets
- posh food
- shopping.
- communist shirts.
- quiksilver. or is it roxy?
- banana chips
- cameras in check-in
- taking cards again.
- hat shots!
So that's a brief summary of the trip. unfortunately it's a bit disjointed.
I think the beauty of vietnam doesn't just stop at the scenery but it is reflected in the mindsets and actions of the people. (haha i actually coined this speeding along the highway on a motorbike) The people there seriously went out of the way to ensure that our stay there wasn't just ok, but like completely enjoyable.
Let's take one particular example. So one day we were eating prawns right. They deep fryed the prawns and gave them to us. And it turned out that some of us didn't really like the prawn shells. We didn't even tell them that, but the next day we found de-shelled prawns. And when we went to the kitchen we realized that they had given us the prawn meat and reserved the shells for themselves. Like they were giving us the best stuff and leaving the leftovers for themselves.
Another example la. It was starting to get cold. So they decided to give us blankets. Like everyone in the village gave us blankets. Then we asked them and realized that they didn't have blankets of their own. And they gave the excuse that they were used to the cold. Right.
Other than that, I think this trip has given me the opportunity to do things that I would never get a chance to do in Singapore. Stuff like mixing whitewash, climbing trees, riding motorcycles. I also got to wash my own clothes by hand, whereas in Singapore i just plop them in the washing machine. I'm quite sure this trip has made me more independant and more self reliant, and I guess I'm ready to take on greater challenges in the future!
The food there was quite good. Not withstanding the fact that every meal had fried food, it was also kinda healthy since there was always vegetables and soup and fruit at every meal. And every meal, there would be newspapers on the table. Turns out that some of the newspapers there were 2 years old.
There are some things I don't particularly understand though. Firstly, why the large number of Korean tourists? In our hotel, all the signs had korean translations, and there were special breakfast rooms for the korean tourists. What does vietnam hold for these korean tourists anyway?
Secondly, how come all the children raise their hands sideways? Normally we would just raise our hands with our palms facing outwards but the children in the school raise their hands with their palms facing the side. And it looks like they're saluting someone. Which really is quite interesting.
So since the trip is over, there are some people I want to thank. Firstly. thank you to Mr Shukor and Ms See Tho! Haha thanks for accompanying us on the trip and always being there with advice for us even though we were seriously rushing to get everything out before the trip. Thanks to Ms See Tho for panadol FluMax that rescued all the guys and to Mr Shukor for his never ending supply of food!
The brotherhood! Yuze Viet Tri Gabriel, haha we really did some stupid things there. But it's a guy thing. And even though viet left halfway we still managed to have a really really fun time. Like when we all had to write letters under phone light. Or daily snacking sessions :/
The dance troupe! Yuze Tri Gabriel Joanne Elaine and me. scratch whatever i just said about stupid things with the guys. we would just break out into song or do stupid dances at random times, for no apparent reason. And with David Archuleta's Crush as our adopted theme song there was never a dull moment!
points to the rightGroup 1! E-lynn (e1) Ee-lyn (e2) Eileen (e3) Indera (ink) Joanne (chị béo) Nicole (ni cold?) Vionna Viet and me (anh béo) haha we really had fun painting and conducting PE and english lessons right! Like chasing after the children. Or acting in little red riding hood. or taking photos together.
All of you guys. haha thanks for celebrating my birthday and giving me the cool cards. I guessed you guys were going to do something but I had no idea you would carry me out in the middle of the night haha. oh well at least i didn't have to walk out. and I don't particularly want to owe all of you a lunch buffet o:
so I guess that concludes ISLE vietnam 2008. where many happy memories were made amidst all the dust, sandflies and cold water. To chloe marjorie yumin zhiyinh gabriel yuze indera joanna tri leican amanda elaine vionna joanne margaret eileen yuxuan nicole yikai eelyn ciet jiayue e-lynn and tianfei, we rock! haha i put those exact words on the YEP evaluation form.
ISLE Vietnam 2008: The Love Connection XD
posted @10:04 PM
