minnow-cruelty and other july things

by mikka




Tuan, Ha and Thahn and the catch of the day (the minnow in the beer glass).

Nhat: See this fish? He's somewhere between life and death.
Me: I think he wants to go home. Can't we let him go?
Ha: No, I want to eat him.
Thahn: (drops leftovers from lunch into beer stein).



If the hotpot looks familiar to anyone back home, it's because apparently it's "American Chicken," according to all of my students.

Hanoi in July is oppressively hot and humid, prone to amazing lightening storms that go on for hours and pyrotechnically bright sunsets that have the power to make even my jaded teenage class stop talking and stare out the window. I've been too busy with work to do anything much these last few weeks, though Lenora came to visit two weeks ago (!) and she very patiently put up with my run of strangely bad luck (falling down the stairs while carrying my computer, two exhaust pipe burns in a span of 2 days, about $450 being stolen from my U.S. bank account, various and sundry apartment woes) and she even used the phrase "not wanting to die anymore" to talk about being on the back of my motorbike, which means I totally did not traumatize her with my driving at ALL. At any rate, Lenora pictures to follow hopefully, and more about teaching, but I'm late for work now so, lots of love, and I miss everyone back home as always.