VATC changes it's name to VAIE

TUESDAY 24th May

This morning I had to go to work for a special meeting with representatives from the board of education.  It was a ceremony marking the change of name for VATC-Hai Phong. We are now Vietnamese American Informatics Education - Foreign Language School, VAIE. No longer part of the VATC franchise. One of the classrooms was all spruced up with a new banner and gorgeous flowers, and speeches were made. Afterwards I grabbed my camera and we had a photo fest...

the Teachers

And the gorgeous admin staff ... reception and accounting

This is beautiful Kate... she looks after all the foreign teachers when it comes to accommodation, visas, ordering more bottles of water, maintenance etc... Nothing is too much trouble, and she's always so helpful.

I just had to re-arrange the placement of the flowers in reception...

Then we all trooped to a restaurant practically next door and sat down to a feast!.... I know, someone's got to do it!

With this fish hot pot, you take a rice paper wrapper, put on it some strips of green banana and fresh pineapple, some Vietnamese mint and then fish and vegetables from the hot pot, roll it up and dip it in fish sauce and it is simply delicious!  In this photo you can also see the fried prawns (you eat them whole coz the shell is soft), BBQ'd pork and fresh corn kernels also dipped in a very light batter and deep fried. 

Then I took a video so you could join in the conversation....  The man in the striped T-shirt is the night watchman. He comes every night at about 9:30 and sleeps in the reception area on the couch, then goes home again at 7am.  That end of the table were really hooking into the rice wine, having a whale of a time :)

The next course was boiled rice with fish soup, and lastly segments of grapefruit / pomello and green tea like they served at Do Son beach.

By then it was 1pm, but a surprisingly mild day, so I walked home and had an hour to chat on skype and grab my stuff before going back to work. Two more new classes tonight... beaut teens/adults who got right into the games and activities, so the classes were very productive and satisfying. I've got a swag of photos of students, the school etc, but I'll blog them when I have some more time.  Cheers!