Jane finds work

Jane has found a job.  It goes under the rather grand title of Head of Nursing Department, at local Polyclinic (actually the one that VSO uses).  She's very nervous about it, but then she was very nervous before she started the job in Bristol and that turned out fine.  Nearly everyone is nervous before starting a new job aren't they?  It does mean changes for us.  The first is that, realistically, we have to move from our somewhat basic accommodation in District 12 (the third sequel to 'District 9'?) into somewhere closer to the centre. Or, actually, being us, The Centre itself.  Pham Ngu Lao Street, or the 'backpacker strip'.  There are lots of small bars and restuarants in the streets around.  I'll tell you about it another time...

The job carries a respectable salary – yes, she'll actually earn money for the work she does – and enables us to get somewhere modest but nice. Where there are other 'white people'.  This isn't a huge problem for us at the moment – the Vietnamese are very friendly, and whilst mildly curious, don't stop and STARE like a few other ethnic groups I could mention (but won't!). For Jane part of the fear is the reality of working 5.5 days a week – ouch! But if she can stick it for, say, a year it would do wonders for our finances.  And that's one of the reasons we're here after all.

A Sunday afternoon at the Bia Hoi

Let me tell you about Bia Hoi (pronounced 'beer hoy' and usually translated "fresh beer"). A wonderful discovery!  Bia hơi is a type of draft beer popular in Vietnam (particularly - and unfortunately from my perpective - available throughout Northern Vietnam, especially in and around the capital Hanoi).  It is mostly to be found in small bars and on street corners. The beer is brewed daily and each bar gets a fresh batch delivered every day in metal kegs.. It is a very light – maybe 2.5% to 3% ABV – refreshing lager at a fraction of the cost of draft or bottled beer in the Western-style bars. Think 20 pence for a half pint!  Bia hơi production is informal and not monitored by any health agency.

Of course, being such a 'weak' beer one can drink vast quantities of the stuff. The serving girls at these places are quick to replace your drink – no sooner have you finished a glass another full one is brought to your table. No need to order! The bia hoi is a wonderful revelation – I'd love to open venue like this in the UK (yeah, right – I can think of 101 reasons why it wouldn't work!).

On Sunday after returning from our works outing to Bin Duong Mr RTZ decided to take us all (about 25 people) to a bia hoi. The first we've been to in HCMC.  A fun feature of Vietnamese drinking society (or is it just the outfit I work for?) is that everyone raises their glasses and shouts 'Mot Hai Bai Yo!' at the top of their voices.  It translates as 'One two three cheers!'.  Its totally raucous.  Worse however is the cry 'Trăm phần trăm!' meaning 'one hundred percent' and requires you to drink the beer down in one.  Being big and stupid I can't resist this one, but neither can several of my vietnamese colleagues who tend to come of worse.  All in all quite an experience.

A Good Night Out

We went in out into the centre of HCMC yesterday night. The pretext was meeting current VSO volunteers at a monthly NGO 'Happy Hour'. But the big bonus was that Alan Tooke, the Ipswich 'booy' who I met on SKWID was visiting town, prior to taking up his appointment with VSO in Cambodia. In conversation it only turns out that Alan is cousin to Neville, married to Mum's good friend Connie (does this mean that we're related in some weirdly Suffolk fashion?).  Mum will be delighted at the coincidence! It was a good evening although I wasn't overwhelmed by the chosen venue 'Oz Bar & Grill'.  A tad soulless for moi, and as for the high-stools a clear problem of style over function! Better when we moved on to Bui Vien near our hotel and just 'hung out' watching the street activity. Jane nearly freaked at half a dozen rats frolicking just feet from us. I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamelin!

Food (again)

Last Friday evening, after a long and intense meeting with the company's sales department my boss, Mr RTZ, took us all out for a meal.  "We eat beefsteak" he said.  Hmm, that sounds great I thought.  I'm dying for a decent bit of meat.  So we all climbed aboard the motor-bikes, me riding pillion with the friendly Mr Han and negotiated a maze of back-streets before ending up at a BBQ.  Well, actually it was a BQ but who cares about a missing consonant, huh?  The neon 'Laughing Cow' sign was also a nice touch.  And it started promisingly when the crate of beers arrived.  Then the beef ribs...ah, a bit of meat on the bone would be nice.  Never mind, here is a stew of steak and vegetables...Uh-oh, make that gristle and veg.  Ah, finally something we can eat - bread-crumbed deep-fried strips, couldn't place the texture...somewhere between cheese and fish?  Finally, the penny dropped - or rather it was dropped for me - when my neighbour, the delightful Annie, whose English is QUITE good, leant towards me and said the immortal words "I think you call this brain clot?".  Ah, cow brain.  Maybe that cow wasn't laughing after all - maybe it was a MAD COW!  Never mind, the company was fun and the beers kept flowing...and I washed it all down.