CEFALT on TV!

Check out this new profile about CEFALT which was aired on HTV yesterday:

Karaoke

It’s no secret that the Vietnamese love their karaoke, something which I struggle to comprehend, even now. I find myself cringing at the sound of my own voice in the shower, let alone blasting it over a microphone for the whole of HCMC to hear. However, I do have to say that I thoroughly admire the Vietnamese’s ability to let go of all their inhibitions, even when it sounds just this bad …

For now, we’ll ignore the fact that this noise level was totally inappropriate for 1am on a Thursday night and instead just marvel at the gloriousness that is that woman’s voice. Vietnam’s Got Talent anyone?

Happy Teacher’s Day!

20 November 2013

Feeling very blessed today. They should definitely have a Teacher’s Day in the UK to boost morale! Here are some of the treats my students had in store for me today …

From my wonderful students at HDC Security:

From some previous students:

And from CEFALT:

Unfortunately I was knee deep in oral exams when this photo was taken 

 

 

Communist Posters

One of my Vietnamese friends gave me an early Teacher’s Day gift on Saturday: a 2014 calender of Communist Posters. He’d heard that the posters were popular souvenirs amongst foreigners and I have to say I was touched by his gesture.

Putting all politics aside, I think the posters are really quite beautiful to look at. I’m even more thankful for this gift as it’s jolted me into appreciating my surroundings a little more. After developing the inevitable monotonous routine, I’ve become ignorant to the things that interested and captivated me when I first expatriated to HCMC. Posters, like these from the calender, are littered along the streets of down-town Saigon and they definitely make for a colourful walk to and from work.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

All photos belong to CoKerri. Please report if you find these used on any other website.

The Hungry Pig

“JOEY DOESN’T SHARE FOOD!”

This was definitely my mindset earlier today when I chowed down on, quite possibly, the best sandwich IN THE WORLD.

If I’m honest, I’ve never really done sandwiches, I could never understand the fixation; it’s just bread, butter and a filling (usually some kind of cheese or ham). They’ve always been just a tad boring for me. But oh, how naive and, well, just plain uneducated I have been!

The Hungry Pig is a relatively new breakfast / brunch restaurant on Cong Quynh Street (just off Bui Vien Street, District 1). I’d heard about it through a work colleague who was boasting in the teacher’s room of the best bacon sandwich he’d ever tasted. Like a true Brit, I love my bacon, to the point that I’m very specific in its cooking requirements. As a result, whilst living in the UK, I rarely opted for bacon when eating out to save on any disappointments, instead choosing to buy and cook my own at home. Since moving to Vietnam though, I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed the stuff. Bacon is hard to come by here, and on the rare occasion you do come across it in the supermarket, it tends to be the American style streaky bacon, which is certainly no match for Sainsbury’s meaty Smoked Back Rashers.

So, after 2 years of relentless cravings, I put all my preconceptions aside and dived into The Hungry Pig. Their menu boasts an array of bacon sandwich options, from the classic BLT to spicier Asian style varieties. Not to mention the bacon salads and the (perhaps even more tempting) Full English Breakfasts they offer every Sunday. I opted for the ‘Bacon Bagel’; a cinnamon and raisin bagel topped with Philadelphia cream cheese (the proper stuff!), bacon, rocket and cranberry sauce.

“What’s not to like?! Bacon. Good! Bagel. Good! Cream Cheese. Goooood!”

My other half chose the ‘Pepper Pig’; a spicy concoction of smoked bacon, jalapeños and cheese on a toasted pita (unfortunately, the ‘toasty’ nature of this one didn’t make for a good photo). I seriously can’t recommend this place more! Even for a fussy eater like myself, their sandwiches are quite honestly heaven on earth.

Safe to say, my cravings have been satisfied, for now. Undoubtedly I’ll be back there again soon though, searching for my next bacon fix. I’m thinking of a lunchtime trip for a BLT this time …

Check them out …

Address: 144 Cong Quynh Street, District 1, HCMC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thehungrypigcafe

Open most days from 7am – 10pm

Pride

Today is a very proud day for me and my little blog. It’s been exactly 5 months and 9 days since the birth of CoKerri and in that short time I have gained 10,000 views from 71 countries!

I imagine this is a small milestone for some, but for little ol’ CoKerri, this is quite the ground-breaker. Thanks to all my loyal followers, family, friends and any of those who have stopped by my blog in the past 5 months – your support is sincerely appreciated.

I’m so glad that you have all enjoyed my stories, trials and tribulations. I only hope my escapades will continue to entertain!

Một, Hai, Ba, Dzô!

AO Show

The Saigon Opera House (Nhà hát lớn Tp. HCM) was built in 1897 and just screams French Colonialism. It’s architecture boasts a grandeur, sophistication and personality that many of the more recent buildings in the city seem to lack. The majestic building settles in comfortably amongst its surrounding colonial neighbours, namely The Rex and The Caravel Hotels and is located on the very wealthy, Đồng Khởi Street in the lively down-town Saigon.

I’ve been meaning to see a show here for months now and finally got my lazy self to the box office to book tickets. There are 2 shows running at the moment; the first by HBSO (Ho Chi Minh Ballet Symphony Orchestra & Opera) and the second being an acrobatic performance known as the AO Show. I initially was hoping to see the first of the two as I just love dance in all its forms, but most of the HBSO show times were on week nights, which is no good when you teach evening classes all week. So I settled on tickets for the acrobatic show at 8pm on Sunday night and boy, I wasn’t disappointed.

Cameras weren’t allowed inside the auditorium, so I can only hope my words will do the show justice. Orbited around the Vietnamese tradition of using woven coracle boats and bamboo canes, the acrobats jumped, flipped and flew around the stage using their props with an ease and grace that was both enchanting and terrifying. The acrobats and gymnasts told the story of both traditional and modern day life in Vietnam with such precision; a hilarious comedic skit in the middle section was a true highlight for me. Here they depicted the daily toils of modern life in the city; power-cuts, unexplainable banging at 4am, awful karaoke, peeping Toms and the famous ‘sensual’ massages; things that you could easily relate to whether you’re a local, expat or a traveller just passing through. The show represents a great mix of Vietnamese culture sprinkled with Western perspectives.

The total show time lasted just over an hour and time certainly flew by, I could have easily stayed to watch another hour or two. The artists themselves also stuck around after the show for photographs which went down a treat with all the kids in the audience.

The show is running until January 2014, if you like Cirque Du Soliel, then this one is definitely for you!

Prices:

530,000vnd – ‘Aah! Seats’ (i.e: the restricted views in the stalls)

890,000vnd – ‘Ooh! Seats’ (i.e: the central seats in the stalls)

1, 250,000vnd – ‘Wow! Seats’ (i.e: the balcony circle)

Nb: The auditorium has some icy cold air conditioning – take a jacket and don’t wear shorts!