Sunday, October 25, 2009

Ben Tre trip

Last week, I went to Ben Tre to attend Mark's wedding. Mark is my English teacher who comes from England. And now, I'll tell you about my trip to Ben Tre province.

On the first day, Huong and I departed from the National Hospital of Odonto Stomatology around at 4.20 pm. It was Friday. I rode my younger sister's motobike and we arrived Mark's wife house about at 7.30 pm. Then we rode around Ben Tre town to find a hotel. As you know, I went to Ben Tre 2 or 3 times for a long time and my relatives picked me up. I didn't ride at that time. Besides, Rach Mieu bridge has built and I didn't pass the ferry. Therefore, I found roads difficult because it was at night and we are 2 girls. After that, we already found a hotel. It is the opposite a pond. After we took a bath, we went to Hanh's house to have dinner. Hanh is Mark's wife. It was pass 9 pm. We were very happy together. We met Hanh's friends who are very funny, Mark's friends who are foreiners. After we had dinner, Mark and Hanh's friends went to the bar but Huong and I returned the hotel because of our tiredness. We had a good sleep that night.

On the second day, we woke up around at 7 am. We rode around the town. We rode along the riverbank. It was wonderful. We had "hu tieu". We rode around the city again and saw Mark's flower car. I called him to joke. He was wearing ao dai. After that, we got back the hotel and lied down on the bed chatting together. Huong told me about her boyfriends. I told her about my husband when my couple just met together, how we communicated...and so on.
We changed clothes and went to the wedding party at 11 am. We didn't meet Gabriel there. He is Mark's friend who comes from Texas, USA. Mark and Hanh were so busy, therefore, they didn't take good care us. Then we came back to the hotel and slept to pass 5 pm. We had dinner. Moreover, we went on foot around the pondside after parked the bike at the hotel . When we went to the park which is the center town, Hanh called me and she joined with us. Mark wake up, he called Hanh to go out for dinner and the bar. Huong and I joined too. We rode to another hotel to meet Mark's friend who are 2 foreiners and a Vietnamese. It was rain cat and dog. All of us rode our bikes on the roads . Mark and his friends are men. They rode quickly while I rode slowly. It was still rain. I couldn't go after them. Besides, our clothes were wet. Therefore, we got back the hotel to watch TV and slept.

On the last day, after we had breakfast, we rode to Tien Giang province. We went to " Vuon hoa Lac Hong" which locates in My Tho town. We joined with a foreigner group. Some of them came from Philippinnes who are friendly. We practised English with them and took photographs. We exchanged email each other. We went travelling around the river by boat. This river calls sông Tien. We visited a place which make coconut candies, some islands. Then we listended to the traditional music. It calls " đàn ca tài tu".
We departed to go back Sai Gon around at 2.30 pm. When we were on our way, Huong rode the bike and she felt sleep. Therefore, we stopped at a Võng coffee shop. Huong drunk ice coffee and I chose coconut. Then we slept to 4 pm. After that, we continued to ride to Ho Chi Minh city. We arrived our home around at 7.30 pm. Ofcouse, we had dinner and I has washed the bike.

I am tired now but I'm happy after a long trip. I feel confident to discorver wherever I didn't know before. In the past, I always visited some places I knew. And now, I can go a strange place which I have never been gone there, I won't scare .

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Welcome the National Woman's day


This morning, my hospital participated a flower competition at 200 Co Bac street, district 1 to welcome 20th October. It is the National Women's day. There are 2 National Women's days in Viet Nam: 8th March and 20th October. There were 11 hospitals which were present at this competition.The rule of the competion was only one woman who attended it. Therefore, I only help my colleague. Both of us bought flowers and practised the flower arrangment yesterday. We went to Ho Thi Ky market to buy flowers again at 5.30 am and brought some things to the competition. The competition begun at 8 am. The candidate had to finish theirs around an hour. After that, every candidate explained the meaning of their punch of flower and had given the grade by three juries. Our punch of flower was ranked second in the competition.




Besides, my two colleage's male also arranged the fruits. They spent much time on going to the market, preparing and arranged a fruit try some days ago. They attended the compatition and worked harly. When I saw their actions, I thought that " they are good cooks". They finished their fruits around 2 hours. It was ranked four.




After the competition finished, our group went to a restaurant to have lunch together. We are very tired now, but we are happy. We have learnt a lot of things from the competition. We recognige that the solidarity is very important thing in our lives. It helps us overcome our problems in the life.

Friday, October 9, 2009

My busy day

I woke up 5am by alarm clock and slept again until 5.30am. I washed my face and dressed clothes (it usually doesn’t have time for making up). I left my home at 6am and bought some foods on the way. It oftens take 30 minutes from home to work. I ate the breakfast at the hospital then took the shift at 7am. I noted the vital signs, blood in the chest draining tubes, respiration (oxygen or ventilation machine), the urine…and any unusual sounds from the monitoring. I was trained the skills and circumstances in Institude heart one year after graduating (I studied 4 years). I just treat patients some basic steps if there is emergency and then I call the doctors. That’s the rules. I ate at noon or later. I finished at 2pm but started to study “the manage class in hospital”. I had 2 hours to relax and then atteneded the private English class (Mark’class). I’m ashamed myself because I can’t improve my E. However studying English makes me happy. I went to the bed at 11pm.
I’m active with busy time but I just want to sleep all day sometimes.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

MEMORABLE HOLIDAY


The most amazing holiday in my life is a trip to Con Dao Island 3 years ago. There were 10 people in my group. The small plan with 60 spots took us from Tân Sân Nhất airport to the Island about 11am. The first day we had an opportunity to explore the forest. The ranger was happy to give us a tour around. In the middle of the forest, there was a chaos amongst our group when we realized that the ranger had disappeared. We were so afraid of getting lost. His explanation later was to bring us the sense of fear in order to completely comprehend the danger of the deep forest. In fact he still kept an eye on us from behind a big rock. Now I still think that his idea is really brilliant. Then we were across a stream and a waterfall to get a big cave. The cave was very dark and had a lot of bats. On the way back it rained, all of us were wet. Fortunately, no one got ill.

The next day, we visited some prisons in the war time. I feel frightened every time I thought about the trip. I wished if I hadn’t gone there. The afternoon we relaxed on the beach. The beach was very different from the others I have been. The waves were calm and not dangerously. The water level was about my chest. We could stand instead of swimming ( my most preference because I can't swim). While walking around along the beach at night, I realized that the population was a few. During the night there were less than 10 residents in view and talked to two workers. They asked me to take photo for them. And a month later, I sent them their photos from Hochiminh by a regular mail. I was surprised one year later, one of the two guys called me and let me know that he just received their photos. Oh! it takes a year for the letter to swim across the ocean.

I don't know if i could go back there or not. but i am sure that Con Dao never is out of my memory.

My holiday

Phu Quoc is the most beautiful island in the South of Viet Nam. The beach is very blue and crystal. I had a chance to visit it 2 years ago.

The first day, my colleague, my younger sister and I went there by plane. It took us about 1 hour from Tan Son Nhat airport to Phu Quoc. We didn't stay at any hotel there but we were at my colleague brother's house. It is near to the beach. In the afternoon, we went to the wharf to buy seafood, wow, they were fresher than the ones were sold in Ho Chi Minh city. They were also cheap. We bought many kind of seafoods: crabs, shells, lobsters, fish...etc. After that, we cooked and enjoyed them. They were very delicous. I have never been eaten the seafood which were fresh, cheap and delicious. In the evening, we went to the coffee shop along the coast. We saw the beach at night and listened to the waves washing onto the beach. It was wonderful!

The second day, we visited around the beach by a boat. The boat went away the shore. After a few hours, we didn't see the land, around us only water, the skyline and the blue sky. The landscape was gorgeous. Moreover, everyone took a fishing-pole and angled on the beach. The sea is extreme, I didn't think we could catch any fishes but it wasn't as like as I though. Later, the boat stoped near to the seashore and we swam on the ocean. There were a lot of rocks and corals. This was the first time I saw the corals. They were many color such as: red, pink and white.

After this trip, I felt very happy and relaxed. I knew many things about Phu Quoc. In particular, Phu Quoc is a peace and safe place. You can park your motorbike on the street and don't worried about the thief. Phu Quoc's people are friendly too. Besides, if you want to cut a tree in your garden, you have agreed by the goverment. The local goverment has tried to build Phu Quoc becoming a green island.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

THE FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL


I will talk about the first day I went to school. My first day was neither a good day nor a bad day but a memorable day. I followed my cousin who was 6 years old to go to school. Because my house near to my school so we went to school without our parents. At that time, there were only 70 or 80 new pupils. To sign in school was easy. We stood in school-yard to wait for teachers to take us to our classes. Unfortunately I was only one who was out of the teachers’ lists. They didn’t know which class I would be in. Then they brought me to meet the principal. He told me that I was just five years old. I wasn’t old enough to go to school and I should return the next year. Of course I was crying a lot and I didn’t agree. I came back my house and told my father that I wanted to go to school like my cousin. So my father and I went to school again to see the principal. Finally I was accepted to attend the school at the age of five.

Would you like to visit my hometown?

My hometown is Go Cong, Tien Giang province. It is around 70km far from Ho Chi Minh city when you pass district 8 and Can Giuoc town. We also pass My Loi ferry. Besides, we can go through My Tho city, it's about 110km. And now, I'm going to tell you about Go Cong.

Firstly, we can visit a Tan Thanh beach there. We should go there in early morning in order see the sun rises. It is gorgeous. We should not swim on this beach because the water is unclear. The visitors call it " the sand black". The local people grow shells on this sea, therefore the water looks dirty. As you know, Go Cong' shells are very delicious. There are a lot of bungalows on the beach which local peple watch over their shells. We can sleep in those bungalows at night but they are uncomfortable. Moreover, there is a bridge which is aroung 300 mets in length. We can go on foot to admire the ocean.


Secondly, we can visit the royal mausoleum inscribed with the merit of the family of queen mother Tu Du, who was the grandmother of King Tu Duc. We alse visit Truong Dinh mausoleum who is called a hero.

Thirdly, we can go fishing at a fishpond in my parents' house. There are many kind of tree in the garden. The air is fresh and this place is very quiet. We can enjoy the meals at my parents' house. They have chickens, fishes, vestables..etc which don't buy from the market. We can enjoy the freshfruits which grow in the garden. Besides, we enjoy the watermelon that is famous in Viet Nam. It is very sweet and red.

Fourly, we can go for a row on the channels or the rivels. We can bread the net to catch fishes. We can go to the fields to fly the kites around at 4pm. We can lie down on the stack of straw to look at the kites and the sunset.

The last, we go around the town and enjoy ice-cream, che... We sit beside the pond which is the center of the town. After that, we can sing karaoke at my parents' house because my parents' house has a karaoke's coffee shop or we can lie down on the camp bed to admire the moon.

In conclusion, my hometown is poor. It doesn't have many tourist areas but you cannot forget it when you visit it

Monday, September 21, 2009

The first day at College

I think that every student has his/her memories about the first day at college or university because it starts his/her new life. I want to tell you about my first day at college which was 14 years ago.

After I finished high school I passed an exam to study a children dental course at the university of medicine in 1995. I was on this course 3 years.
I was worried about somethings on the first day. I asked myself a lot of questions before I went to the new school such as: how school was, how my new friends were, how my new teachers were, how my studying was...and so on.
My life changed completely from that day. I had to leave my parent's house, my hometown, my old teachers and my close friends. I went to Ho Chi Minh city which was a new, strange place. I lived with my aunt. It was a new accommodation. I couldnot do anything I like.
My father picked me up from school because I didn't know the streets to school by myself. There were lots of cars, motorbikes, bicycles and people on the streets.

When I came to my class around at 6.30am there were 31 students there. Then the principle met us to welcome all the new students. After that, we were told the study schedule, all subjects which we would study in the first year, the rules of school, the tuition fee...etc
I didn't wear white ao dai but I wore a white coat and a nurse's hat when I attended the class.

I still remember that all my classmates were very strange on the first day. Everyone came from other provinces. After that, we became close friends. And now we are still close friends, even though we got married and have children. We usually meet each other and always share our experience in our work, our happiness or sadness in our lives.

Introduce myself

Hello everybody,
I'm Chau Long. I'm 32 years old. I was born in Go Cong, Tien Giang province. I have three brothers and one sister. I'm a dental assistant. I have been working at the National Hospital of Odonto Stomatology for 10 years. I got married last year. I have no children yet. My husband is Phuc Nguyen. He is 40 years old and is living in the US. We are waiting for our reunion day in America.

I study English 2 nights a week at Mark's house. Mark is a teacher from England.
I like to study English in order to communicate with foreigners and read professional books in English.
I think this is the best way to improve my occupation skills. I would like to study more and more to become a good dental assistant in the future.

Friday, September 18, 2009

FIRST DAY AT THE SCHOOL

That’s also the first time I left my home. My first teacher was a close friend with my mother so I attended this school early one year. I still remember it as yesterday!
I got up early without any help. I washed and dressed myself and wore cheerful new clothes. I sat in the saddle behind my mom. I sang all the songs in my mind and asked my mom about whatever I saw on the way. My mom took me into the shop which sold a lot of foods. I ate the hutieu noodles. It was very delicious. My mom showed me some healthy foods because she just took me that time. She told me some new things which made my heart more excited. We came to the school on time when pupils stood in lines to enter the classes. I was confused so I followed my mom closely. My mom returned after she talked with my teacher and said goodbye to me. I cried loudly and ran to her. I grabbed at her one hand and held the flagpole with the other. Everyone looked at me. I calmed down when my teacher came to me with solt manners. I kissed my mom and went with my teacher.
My first teacher retired 2 years ago. She’s always a respectable teacher in my mind.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The most enjoyable thing that I do in my free time

Today, I'll tell you about my most enjoyable thing that I do in my free time. It's my chat with my husband.

First, I like to chat with my husband because it improves our communication. He and I are living apart. He is living in the US and I'm in Viet Nam. Therefore, we need to exchange information together about our daily lives. That is our happiness. When we chat, we can type, talk and see each other. We usually talk about things of the day which is who we met or what we have done. We also talk about our parents, our friends, our work...and so on. Besides, I can ask him about my English studying. I practise English with him. On the order hand, he helps me to correct my pronunciation, grammar or he explains words that I misunderstand. Moreover, he gives me lots of good advice for my life or my decision or my plans. In particular, he always encourage me when I failed in my job, my studying...

Second, I only chat with my husband on weekend because we are too busy during the week. Everyday, as soon as we wake up, we are busy preparing for our activities during the day. After a hard work day, we are so tired. We only talk for a short time. Besides, the time difference is12 hours.( VN is ahead) .

In conclusion, although my husband and I live far away, I feel relaxed after I chat with him. I think, if our lives are busy or boring, we should find some good entertainment in our free time to reduce our stress in order to feel our lives are getting better and better.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Vu Lan ceremony

In Vietnam the Vu Lan ceremony has become important day. It's part of Vietnam's spiritual culture. This time is approaching on 15th July. So i will tell you what origin and meaning are.

1/ What is Vulan's origin?
In the past, Bodhisattva Kien Lien was one of the most outstanding disciple in Buddhism. He had good skills to do what he wanted. One time, he used his superhuman eyes to find people who needed his help. He saw, his mother, Mrs Thanh Đe, was pale and scraggy body. She was in solitary confinement with hard labour in hell. He knew that was result of wicked, greedy and deceptive habits. He took pity on her. He used his talent to offer foods for her. But the foods suddenly became light coals in her hands. He came back and asked Buddha for some advices. Finally, he got the solution and he presented foods with all sincerity on 15th July when all the monks will pray on. Buddha believed that way could reduce her guil. The soul of Thanh Đe and the others were saved by this oppotunity.
So the Vietnamese took Kien Lien as an example for a child'love. the Vu Lan ceremony has been organized on 15th July annually since.

2/ What is Vulan'meaning?
the Vulan ceremony remind us of our gratitude to parents, grandparents, ancestors and Heroes who died for peace in our country. And it also help us to become good citizens by cultural humanity Buddhism.
There is 4 graces in Buddhism
- From parents: they bear and take care of us
- From teachers: they impart their knowledges
- From Heros: they keep peace
- From the others: they product things to develop our lives

How to show my love?
People go to the Buddhist temple. If your parents live, you will wear a red rose on your left side chest. If your parents have died, you would wear a white rose.
People will pray for the salvation of souls. People sit down and hear the leader of monks say what is right and wrong.
In the family, you make a big feast to present to your ancestors. You can eat what you want but you eat no meat. this will show all your sincerity.
Children buy flowers and do anything which their parent asked. Doing good work yourself!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

5 Reasons you should visit my hometown!

I grew up in a place named Đong Khoi. You will see Rach Mieu bridge (it replaced Rach Mieu ferry) after driving along the 1A highway, going through Tien Giang province. That means you get into the Ben Tre locality. Welcome to my hometown,woa. Let me show you why i enjoy it.
1/ Fresh air
Tin tin, brưm brưm…The fumes were exhausted from bikes and cars. 5 people stay in 1 m3 but they don’t communicate together because of masks. That’s your life in HCM city. You will be surprised with sparse houses in my hometown. A lot of trees replace shops, buildings, factories…You can’t believe that you want to walk with in 30 degrees at noon. The Phuong flowers lane is bright like a big fire in the sky summer.
2/ Nature
If you are active and explorative, you would like to go “the garden rential”. You can eat fresh fruits in comfort. If you are a swimmer, you will be completely attracted by the rivers.It isn’t clear and beautiful as an artificial pool but it’s pure with alluvium, nature and strange. You can pick fruits, catch fishes (if you've got skill and luck)
3/ “Đon ca tai tu”
I don’t know how can explain it in English. Folk music is simple. While you eat local foods, you hear nice sounds.
They just love it and they are not professional. They sing about legends, history, love…include hò music, cải lương music…
Everybody sit around. Some play instruments. You can sing if you want. They answer friendly questions. The conversation just has meaning when questions arise.
4/ Sea foods
There is Thua Đuc wild sea. People don’t touch it much so you can’t expect a beautiful beach such as Nha Trang one, Phan Thiet one. Someone wants to relax or thinks about his life, this place is a good idea. Moreover, you taste a lot of cheap sea foods.
5/ Coco tree
Maybe you are bored with seeing kieng-trees in Cho Lach. You shouldn’t ignore coco-garden. It’s not cool by shade but also by coco-nut. You have chance to watch children who limb well-trained. Many products are made from cocotree: furnitures, cutlery, hats…Most people salvage from cocotree to decorate for their wedding. I'm sure you will remember some experiences in your travel after leaving.