Woke up very early today because it was so hot in my room. The fan was plugged in but not on so it must be broke. Then my hair straightener wouldn't turn on either so it must be the outlet that is broken. When the bathroom light wouldn't turn on it dawned on me the electricity may be turned off. It's pretty obvious which conclusion was correct. The house was noticeably darker without the lights even though we don't use them in the mornings.
The Museum of Music is a hands on museum. Which means everyone got to play with the drums and some other random instruments lying around. I was able to show off my percussion skills which actually amazed people for once. That usually doesn't happen. It was a nice change. The museum wasn't English speaking people friendly and there was no room in the budget for the volunteers to come with so our Vietnamese teacher came and translated for us. During the trip I noticed that the guide would give this long speech in Vietnamese and we would only get a sentence or two. One instrument sounded very beautiful but would suddenly sound like it needed a doctor and that's what one tribe uses to court people. Another looked like a boat and was hit with a stick on the inside and the rim to make noise. I was good at that one, to everyone's surprise.
In Vietnam they drink sugar cane juice. They put the stick of sugar cane into a juicer multiple times and out comes the juice. The vendor then puts it in a bag with a litle straw and a rubber band around it so it doesn't spill easily. When we leave on Saturday I will miss this concoction greatly.
The review session today was horrible. I think most of us have accepted we don't konw much Vietnamese and have little chance of learning it by Thursday. The teacher is a bit scared of me because I ask many questions and get her off topic. It would have been really nice if we had a crash course on Vietnamese culture like we did with Thai culture. One on food would have been helpful as well.
After school I had a mini practice session with Chipette, the student I am performing a duet with for the gala. The problem is that she has a low voice and I have a high voice while the male singer is right in the middle of our ranges so neither of us can hit the notes just right. I also realized I have nothing to wear since my ao dai may not be ready in time. If it isn't there is no way I will be able to pick it up before we leave. Thankfully the electricity came back on during the rehearsal and the water has been restored as well. It was so nice to take a normal shower this evening.
Had a mishap at dinner over the fish sauce. No one told me it was fish sauce. This wasn't Thailand fish sauce either because Thai fish sauce is made from fish but it doesn't taste like fish. What I put in my mouth was straight up fishy. The other thing was that you dip plain bean sprouts into it or eat them without the sauce. Sometimes Vietnamese cooking is so weird!! I have to remember not to put random things in my mouth but it will not be easy.
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