Chapter 7
We are part of the landscape
Mot hai ba, that's how Yarden calls the song from the gan she sings all day.
In fact it's bài thể dục buổi sáng:
Cô dạy em, bài thể dục buổi sáng, một, hai, ba, bốn hít thở, hít thở.
Một – Tay đưa cao lên trời.
Hai – Tay giang ngang bờ vai.
Ba – Tay song song trước mặt.
Bốn – Buông cả hai tay.
(Click to listen)
It's a song about the morning exercise.
The teacher taught me, the morning exercises, one, two, three, four, breathe, breathe.
One - hands up.
Two – hands on the shoulders height.
Three - hands in parallel on the front.
Four - release both hands.
In these holidays of new year, she also asked me if we went to the gan tomorrow. She starts to be well attached even if she asks me occasionally if tomorrow we were going to fly to go to Ein Hahoresh or if we would see Savta Miry.
Poudia, poudia. It's a word that she was repeating for several days before I understood what it meant. At first I thought it was Vietnamese until Ngoc said it. In fact it's “put here” with the accent!
She also recognizes many letters and she just wrote her first A on her erase board.
Gilad has also asked her the other day what was the gan's name. Gan mot hai ba. Yeah necessarily. There is gan Dror and gan mot hai ba (one, two, three) from the song.
It's a song about the morning exercise.
The teacher taught me, the morning exercises, one, two, three, four, breathe, breathe.
One - hands up.
Two – hands on the shoulders height.
Three - hands in parallel on the front.
Four - release both hands.
In these holidays of new year, she also asked me if we went to the gan tomorrow. She starts to be well attached even if she asks me occasionally if tomorrow we were going to fly to go to Ein Hahoresh or if we would see Savta Miry.
Poudia, poudia. It's a word that she was repeating for several days before I understood what it meant. At first I thought it was Vietnamese until Ngoc said it. In fact it's “put here” with the accent! She also recognizes many letters and she just wrote her first A on her erase board.
Gilad has also asked her the other day what was the gan's name. Gan mot hai ba. Yeah necessarily. There is gan Dror and gan mot hai ba (one, two, three) from the song.
One evening we went to visit Kim's daughter, An, Yarden's girlfriend, who broke her arm at school and it is customary to provide some money for that healing would be faster. She spoke about Yarden of course throughout the evening.
What pleased me is that she told us that the other teachers did not believe Kim could teach Yarden. Then finally they have been wrong since Yarden apparently listens to her. When she tells her to eat, she eats (she starts to eat like everyone else ... I still have to put cookies and chocolate milk in her purse every day, not yet TH Milk, they still don't produce it). And she also listens to go take a nap, except that Kim must lie between her and Hai, otherwise they don't sleep.
That's it, I have my driver's license in Vietnam... despite the difficulties to drive here. But Israelis who drive here for several months told me it was a matter of habit and in the corner, because of the little traffic, it was ok. Finally for now, Gilad disagrees. Too expensive ... We will find a way to use this one day.
It's cold now, and the school closes in such cases. Besides, it also closes when it rains too much. They have no heating or air conditioning and no insulation either. No shutters on the windows.
At home either no insulation.We did buy a small heater and the company has provided us another, but it's not really enough even if they work 24 hours a day.
At home either no insulation.We did buy a small heater and the company has provided us another, but it's not really enough even if they work 24 hours a day.
Here people get married very soon and decide it very quickly. Average age, 18 years. That's how we were invited to an engagement the other day, the first of Gilad's farm: the director of the nursery with her right hand man.
On the road not paved, because the car was jumping, Yarden has proposed a good solution: "must be put scoch!"
She is the only to have danced, although she succeeded in the end to lead the other children. They are pretty shy here.
Finally nobody went to the wedding. Too far, no time.
In addition Ariela has come for a few days. She's the boss in Israel and she's really nice. Yarden, since she met her at Eli's the neighbor, calls her Eli's daughter (or her friend). Besides, she calls everybody children, whatever their age. She loves new people who speak Hebrew, especially if it's a lady. Almost too sticky. And she knows how to be loved and loves everyone.
Including the two maids who come twice a week. Kind of. The Cif they didn't know it until I showed them. They were just flushing the bathroom. And only if I am moving the furniture they will sweep underneath. Dishes, mop, they remake the beds, and that's it. ¼ hour. Even for me, who am not a neat freak, it's the least we can say, it's quick. Besides the other girls here do not want them to clean their home. But hey, it's better than nothing ...
It's soon Tet, the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival as they call it here. On this occasion, the governor of the province of Nghe An has organized a little reception for foreign investors who work here.
That's how we went to Vinh with Segev, Babette, a girl from Filipine who works in the office, and the doctor. As always, speeches, a show and a nice diner.
It is also to celebrate it that they organized a barbecue at the dining room, and for the visit of Ariela and the Director of the company of course.
Again a nice find of frenchbrew by putting elastic on her fingers, "I have plenty of tabaguim!"
I read somewhere that you could meet, even in the remotest corners old people who still speak French. In a photo shop in Thai Hoa, an old man approached me asking me in English where we came from. I did not hesitate to ask him. But after thinking a few seconds, he was looking away in his memory may be a word that he would remember in French, hard luck, he replied that it was a long time ago.
Still in Thai Hoa, in the small market vendors are beginning to recognize Yarden. Besides when I walk in the streets, I hear people say "Israel". They now know who we are and why we are here. Especially as the TH Milk is already on sale in the supermarkets in the village. And they know how to tame Yarden: con meo, con meo they repeat, taking her in their arms, without asking me, (whether I'm there or not it's the same, I go completely unnoticed with her), and taking her to their meat stand outdoors. In fact they wanted to give her a kitten. Is that she lacks animals a little bit. But we can not bring any to the village. They fear the diseases that could be transmitted to the cows. Besides, we must disinfect our shoes on entering the farm and along the road, they disinfect twice the cars wheels. That is also why I will not be able to bring Line as I expected. We miss her and Pepsi too.
Still for the Tet, witch is a very very important holiday for them, the TV came to interview us, Gilad, Yarden, Gonen and me. They brought an orange tree (it's the fetish tree and it is used and decorated just like a Christmas tree), roses and wine with bubbles.
They previously filmed the farm. The journalist asked us what we felt and what did we prepare for the occasion. They have filmed us drinking, singing, decorating the orange tree , then putting roses in a vase. Yarden at their request and despite her fever was good enough to sing Shana Tova and her usual mot hai ba.
A helping hand to the gardeners. When you are sick at home, you must find something to do.
The Tet party at the farm that the workers have organized the day of Gilad's birthday. He did a very nice speech.
The chairwoman has distributed to each employee of the company three cartons of milk as a New Year gift. UHT this time!
In the evening, Yarden and I made a test cake recipe, Rachel's cookies cake .... Well ... It seems it was very good but it was the consistency ... In fact everyone has eaten into the pan. But the problem was to find the ingredients. So instead of white cheese we did it with Mont Blanc, from which the consistency and instead of butter, there's not in the region, margarine, from which the coating that was not very pretty. The most important was that Gilad was happy, Yarden was proud, and the others enjoyed.
The tradition of Tet is that before the D day you pass among people you like and you offer them a gift and something sweet for the year to be mild. As we can not go to everyone, I had to choose: Hang, because she helps us a lot, and Kim of course, we know why. Besides, she's the only one to have come, with An, bringing cookies and beautiful red boots for Yarden. In fact since we bought her the rubber boots in Sapa, she doesn't want to wear something else.
In addition the school will close more than ten days for the holidays.
The chairwoman has distributed to each employee of the company three cartons of milk as a New Year gift. UHT this time!
In the evening, Yarden and I made a test cake recipe, Rachel's cookies cake .... Well ... It seems it was very good but it was the consistency ... In fact everyone has eaten into the pan. But the problem was to find the ingredients. So instead of white cheese we did it with Mont Blanc, from which the consistency and instead of butter, there's not in the region, margarine, from which the coating that was not very pretty. The most important was that Gilad was happy, Yarden was proud, and the others enjoyed.
Tet is also the country upside down. Everyone returns to his family. It's like Passover and Christmas together. No tickets anymore in public transportation long before the holidays, and the drivers take their vacation. We who have to go to Hanoi to get Dom and then fly to Cambodia, we will have to leave three days before enjoying the last car that will take Danny to the airport. But ultimately it is not so bad since we may attend the fireworks in the capital.
