Vietnam

This month my team and I volunteered in a coffee shop practicing and teaching conversational English in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  Many people in Vietnam want to learn English and they are looking for foreigners to practice with. 

  

Sprained Ankle

The big news this month was that I sprained my ankle and had to go to the hospital.  The international hospitals are very nice and you can even get a cheeseburger and fries.  As of right now my ankle is not completely healed, but it is getting better every day.

Transportation

Ho Chi Minh City is very big and there are lots of people.  They mostly get around on motorbikes.  The traffic here is very different than what I am use to in Baton Rouge.

Food

The best thing I ate was Vietnamese pizza.  It is nothing like American pizza.  It is made with rice paper.  They fry the rice paper and then add egg, cheese, your choice of meat, and other spices.  My best comparison to something I would eat at home is a quesadilla, but thinner and not folded in half.

Fun fact…they have Popeye’s in Vietnam.  I did go and can say that it tastes pretty close to home.

Also, you all know how much I love Dr. Pepper.  Vietnam is the first country I have found it in…I was so happy!

  

Money

Here the currency is called dong.  As of right now the exchange rate is 21,000 = $1.00.  So let’s see if you can figure out how much each of these items are in American currency.

A Whopper Jr. Meal at Burger King – 88,000 Dong

A can of Coke – 10,000 Dong

A 12 pack of Oreos – 13,000 Dong

A T-shirt – 150,000 Dong

Let’s try a hard one à 

My hospital bill was 3,297,000 Dong

Tchoukball

This month I was able to learn a new game called tchoukball. It is very popular in many of the Asian and European countries. Check out the link below to learn more about this game in the USA.  I was only able to play once because of my ankle.  However, I truly enjoyed getting to know the team and watching them play.  It is a great game to help you learn about respect.

http://www.tchoukball.net

Malaysia

My time in Malaysia is now over and due to not so great Internet I was unable to send you all updates.  So here is a month’s worth of things that I learned and experienced in Malaysia, plus a quick trip to Singapore.

Teaching English

This month I was given the privilege to teach English to students from age 4 to age 18.  The students’ first languages are either Malay or Mandarin.  They do teach English in the school here, but these students chose to take an extra two-hour class on Friday night or Saturday.

Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia

One cool thing about the town I stayed in was that in the middle of the town is a milestone that marks the center of the Peninsula of Malaysia.

Food

There are many different types of food in Malaysia, but the ones I ate the most were Indian and Chinese.  My favorite thing to eat is an Indian dish called roti. Roti is round, soft, flat unleavened bread.  There are many kinds, but my favorites where roti canai (plain), roti bom (with condensed milk), and roti telur (with egg).  I can say without a doubt that I ate at least one or more roti a day for three weeks.

Money

Here the currency is called ringgit.  As of right now the exchange rate is 

3.17 ringgit = $1.00.  So let’s see if you can figure out how much each of these items are in American currency.

A bag of peanuts – RM4.50 

A bottle of Gatorade – RM3.20

A Quarter Pounder Meal at McDonalds – RM9.90

A 12 inch pizza at Papa John's - RM15.40

A train ride from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Lipis – RM35.00

Places I visited…

Petronas Twin Towers

Right now the Petronas Twin Towers are the seventh largest buildings in the world. They are located in Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital of Malaysia.  Can you find out what is the largest building in America/world?

The Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands is a city in the Titiwangsa Mountains. The weather there stays cool all year round, so it was nice to take a break from all the heat.  While I was there I visited a tea plantation, a mossy forest, and a strawberry farm. I also went to the top of Mount Gunung Brinchang, which is 6,663ft above sea level.  In the mossy forest I saw a plant that eats insects, it is called a pitcher plant.  What is the tallest mountain in America?

Pitcher Plant

Singapore

Very interesting, Singapore is a city-state.  It is also the 3^rd most densely populated country in the world.  We were only there for about 2 days, so we were unable to do a lot. However, while I was there I went to the Guinness World Record largest aquarium, S.E.A. Aquarium.  There are only two other countries like Singapore, that are city-states, can you find out what they are?

I am now on my way to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and then on to Da Nang, Vietnam.  There is a lot of history in Vietnam.  I can’t wait to learn something new!