Thanksgiving

November has been a long month.  Back in the US, it was a choppy sort of month for teachers.  Election Day was a teacher workday where I was (schools are polling places, so keep the kiddos away!), Veterans Day is a holiday, Thanksgiving week means 2 days of school and three days off.

Here in Vietnam, November is a month like any other.  In the past, it has been broken up with the Week Without Walls trip.  This year, that trip has been moved to the spring.  As a result, November has been EXTREMELY long.  Only 1 day without kids, and it was a Professional Development day (read: time spent doing things that weren’t necessary).  Thanksgiving is not celebrated here (obviously), so no break there either.

On the other hand, November 20 is Vietnamese Teacher Day.  This year, it was on a Sunday.  I received a few gifts, but not that many.  I think it is because many parents and students see us as extremely wealthy already.  Of course, there were good wishes too.

In the past, the school has provided a combination Thanksgiving/Teacher Appreciation dinner for everyone.  Not so this year.  Well, there is the Teacher Appreciation dinner, but each level (ES, MS, HS) chose their own venue and date.  No intermingling there!  This means that I don’t get to socialize with anyone except those who I already see on a daily basis. (If I decide to go…)  While the school is still paying, it just isn’t going to be the same.  Also, it won’t be the fusion of Thanksgiving and Vietnamese food that I come to expect.

A couple of restaurants do offer an American Thanksgiving dinner on THanksgiving.  Reservations must be made in advance!  A couple of friends and I are going.  For the last 2 years, I have gone to a Mexican restaurant that serves a traditional dinner.  THis year, we are going to different place.  Still turkey and all the trimmings….