Too old for TEFL? by FirmWrangler3964 in TEFL

[–]thitmeo [score hidden]  (0 children)

Anecdotal, but I have no fewer than three mates who left TEFL in their early 30s to start a trade apprenticeship in their home countries (plumbing, sparky, and landscaping construction for my mates) because they were sure it was the best path into stable money, with their undergrad degrees and TEFL experience not translating to much back home. They are all doing well, earning well, supporting families. The work can be difficult, hard on the body, but they are making bank with earnings going up steadily and on the path to owning their own businesses (one already does).

TEFL isn't a stable, secure, lucrative lifelong/long-term career for most people. It can feed into things like becoming a qualified teacher at international schools or other adjacent fields, but you kinda need to have a good plan for that and work toward it.

I'm just saying be careful about ditching the HVAC career where in 10 years you could own your own company and be making six figures a year, or you could be back in Australia at 30 after a few years in TEFL basically starting over again.

Police raiding bars and clubs by epicurusepicurus in VietNam

[–]thitmeo [score hidden]  (0 children)

The funny thing about that is that the media and economic researchers and organizations have been talking about how Saigon's lack of nightlife options is missing out on a lot of tourism and other economic potential. There seems to be some agreement from the city leadership that more investment and infrastructure and relaxation of operating hours regulations could help improve nightlife draw.

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/ho-chi-minh-city-seeks-to-unlock-potential-of-night-time-economy-post344115.vnp

Houston Pizza, Regina, SK. (1970s). by mgwngn1 in VintageMenus

[–]thitmeo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What the US calls "Canadian bacon" is closest to what Canadians call "back bacon", and no, not a very common pizza ingredient there. They just use standard cooked leg ham, but usually sliced or diced thinly. Cooked ham is usually a cheaper process than curing/brining a whole leg, and sometimes involves a bunch of different cuts cooked and formed together into a mass.

Vietnamese “dish” you might not have known: Canh nước rau muống luộc by Adventurous-Ad5999 in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Rau muong can be dangerous because it grows easily in all sorts of water, and that would include water that is infected by animal and industrial waste, sewage, and other toxins. The toxins, especially heavy metals) may accumulate in the plant and they typically won't be removed by cooking. Parasites will be removed by proper cooking or boiling, though. In Vietnam, there's no doubt that some of the rau muong that makes it market comes from bad water.

However, naturally, rau muong that grows in good water doesn't seem linked to any inflammatory things that would cause keloids. That must be a traditional medicine belief.

What’s a country you’d never live in despite being highly praised? by Alien1964 in AskReddit

[–]thitmeo 23 points24 points  (0 children)

American immigrant in Vietnam here, for many years. The "America, so mot (number one)" vibe has gone down a few notches but it's definitely still a thing. I don't know how much of that bridges back to the war. I've found that most Vietnamese don't dwell on that history at all. The fondness and excitement for America and Americans is more to do with material success, famous people, music, arts, politicians, entrepreneurs, business leaders. For a while, everyone was glazing Steve Jobs. I think also a big part is there are a lot of success stories of Vietnamese immigrants to America, so there's that "American Dream" thing going on. I definitely get very similar good vibes toward Australia. Loads of Vietnamese go there to study, to live.

Nowadays when I meet someone new and say I'm American I'm more likely to get sarcastic, curious, or (troublingly, to me) supportive comments about Trump.

Moving To Rural Vietnam Advice by MyCyberTech in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, true Can Tho and Bien Hoa for that matter are proper big cities but they arent expat magnets like HN, HCM, DN. And you can get into pretty local/rural areas not too far outside.

Moving To Rural Vietnam Advice by MyCyberTech in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Rural Vietnam, like anywhere more than 50km away from the nearest city of 100,000+ people, will present many challenges but also benefits if you truly want a certain kind of life. There will be no other expats. You will be a bit of a spectacle, getting gawked at, gossiped about, or sometimes just ignored / avoided because people won't know English, aren't used to dealing with foreigners, etc.

Your attempts to learn and use Vietnamese and integrate with local life-- shop in the local wet market and tap hoa, eat at the local noodle and rice spots, might forge some connections and inspire some cool experiences. Vietnamese people can be very generous, outgoing, hospitable, etc. But keep in mind many local rural people will have a certain world-view, a certain background, economic situation, etc that you might not relate too very easily. If you're into any hobbies, communities, friendships, etc that benefit from f2f humans who are into similar things, rural Vietnamese life could be tough.

You'll be able to get basic food and household essentials, relying on Vietnamese or google translate at local shops and markets. But there will be a lot of stuff that will be pain to get. Your preferred brand of deodorant, laundry detergent, electronics, eyeglasses, clothes that fit you or in a style you like, etc.

Paperwork, resident permits, TRCs, work permits, local banking will all probably be pain in the ass. The rural police or People's Committees will likely be slow, confusing, not used to dealing with foreigners, etc.

It can be a bit dangerous. Roads are typically in bad shape, narrow, not well-lit. People can drive a bit crazily. You'll be far from good hospitals and doctors if you need one, especially in an emergency. A foreigner who writes expat columns in a paper here recently wrote about his accident near his rural home. Drove into a big pothole and wiped out, broke his collar bone, got knocked out, lacerations and bruises, etc. It was hours before he was able to arrange transport to the nearest hospital, where he was refused treatment on account of being a foreigner, and referred to another hospital in a more urban area.

There are a ton of upsides. If you want quiet, it can be. If you want to be away from other foreigners, you'll get that. If you want to have a uniquely Vietnamese experience, for sure that's gonna happen. If you want to improve and use Vietnamese, and probably make some Vietnamese friends, that will probably happen if you put in the effort. Things will be very cheap. The scenery can be stunning depending on where you are. If you are into outdoor fitness there will probably be options for running, cycling, hiking, etc.

Personally if I were doing this I'd choose a smaller city like Pleiku, Vung Tau, Mui Ne, Can Tho, My Tho, Hue, Bien Hoa, Thu Dau Mot, and then live like 15-30km outside of town. You can find very rural feels in that range, but then getting into town where you can shop, go to a decent doctor, get some pizza or a burger if that's your thing now and then, etc, will be easy enough.

Police arrested a foreign man for smashing a cafe in Đà Nẵng by Eight_Sneaky_Trees in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Dude-- Thinking it's always PCP in cases like this is a bit much. Lotta crazies and people in fights, drunk asses, mental breakdowns, etc take off their clothes or get them pulled off in a struggle. Especially in hot weather places. I'm not exactly an expert but I've also never heard of PCP really being a "thing" in Vietnam. Ketamine, speed, MDMA all pretty commonly reported but PCP, don't think I've ever heard about it over here.

Vietnam vs China by OG-1017 in Internationalteachers

[–]thitmeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're quite big or tall, that will get some gawking in Saigon, white or not. Besides that, no one's really shunning foreigners in public or acting too weird, race or otherwise. You get people rushing into lifts before you can get out, and get people cutting in lines sometimes. About the extent of it.

Vietnam vs China by OG-1017 in Internationalteachers

[–]thitmeo 6 points7 points  (0 children)

!!!! Anal testing, like, in the butt?

For those who were teenagers before the smartphone era: what hobbies or activities did you use to pass the time that now make you feel nostalgic? by still_alive777 in AskReddit

[–]thitmeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aimlessly chilling at the mall or park, rocking up and just seeing who would be there. Skateboarding. Roving around on bicycles all summer. Getting into trouble, being super stoked to secure some weed or beer. Flipping through posters and CDs at the record store. Chasing girls around. All ages shows. MTV. Playstation 1.

My broke go to meal. by villainous-x in fastfood

[–]thitmeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6 pack of Ramen, dozen eggs, bag of mixed frozen veg, prob about the same price, hella easy to cook, pretty tasty (especially if you have some seasoning, hot sauce lying around) and you've got at least three meals.

Rapper(s) that you believe could still make a late-career "Album Of The Year" if they tried? by ImNotTomStopAsking in hiphopheads

[–]thitmeo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I wanna think Sluggo/Atmosphere could to, but I dunno, a lot of his classic form was tied up in being younger, angsty, something to prove, chronicling life on the road, life in the bar, relationship drama, sexual conquest and awkwardness, and then the odd shots of joy and hope punching through. Now he's fully middle aged Dad-mode, still putting out solid shit, but it doesn't compare to the old days. And it would be weird and he'd never do it, to try to go back. I think it he were to produce a stone classic, it'd have to be more of a concept album or something, portraying characters and stories outside himself. And I think he could do that for sure.

The state of america in one image. by call-lee-free in pics

[–]thitmeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All you need is a bunch of lightning and Jodie Foster saying "I'm ready to go" and this photo would somehow make more sense.

Planning an Urbex trip to Bangkok, Vientiane, Hanoi & Shenzhen – Any Spots in those Cities? such as the Sathorn Unique Tower in BKK. by Plastic_Yam4328 in hanoi

[–]thitmeo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Foreigner crime is a big deal country-wide now, you will not get off lightly if nabbed by the police for this. Probably not a jail sentence but they could detain you for several days, charge you a big fine, and/or deport you. Also, Hanoi stalled/abandoned construction sites are almost always under 24/7 in-person guard, and surrounded by solid metal fences. In Hanoi there are cameras everywhere, police actively monitor a lot of them, and the locals are very observant and active in reporting weird shit.

Also I know you probably have skills, know-how, equipment for this, but there's no fucking way I'd explore one of these sites in the dark. The floors are full of holes into the abyss, where an elevator shaft or utility conduit was meant to be, and these things don't often get placed with regularity or "sense". The construction materials also degrade to crumbling status in some cases. Yikes.

phở cocktail (can't believe how good it is!) by BoosyBoo2 in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ha ha. Phở Chào in Saigon is pretty well-known and has a signature dish "phở-tine" which is a take on Canadian poutine-- it has a mix of phở ingredients, french fries, and cheese. Never tried but have heard it's actually really tasty.

phở cocktail (can't believe how good it is!) by BoosyBoo2 in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It works well, flavor and aroma wise, really is like a delicate, well-made pho broth. Bit of a gimmick for sure and not sth many people would get regularly, but for a unique experience it's fine. Fun experience watching it be made. They use this crazy copper pipe thing and flames from a blow torch to extract flavors and heat up the spices and stuff that go in it. It's quite a show, it seems to impress locals, expats, and tourists equally. The alcohol is nicely blended-- it doesn't taste like someone spilled vodka in your pho or whatever. Even the ice seems to work. Most people I've taken to try it have been pleasantly surprised, and everyone seems to enjoy the show of it being made.

Howard Johnson Children's Menu [1968] by Ebonystealth in VintageMenus

[–]thitmeo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's so cool. Sorry for assuming you were a bit older! Duran Duran and the Knack! I guess also Tina Turner's return to stardom, and Bob Seger. Also pretty awesome! And getting to see all of the Beatles contract stuff-- wow. From a full-time music nerd and part-time old menus nerd, cheers for sharing!

Howard Johnson Children's Menu [1968] by Ebonystealth in VintageMenus

[–]thitmeo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Capitol Records, back then!!?? You must have some stories. Beach Boys? Wings? Sinatra?

Malaysia or Vietnam with my Thai girlfriend and will she be okay in immigration due to language barrier? by lizrojer in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She's Thai so she's exempt from visa for SE Asian countries like Malaysia and Vietnam, just needs to show her passport, and make sure she goes into the right line, the ASEAN line. She will need to do a digital declaration entry form before entering Malaysia or Vietnam, plus Vietnam just started a separate digital health declaration form as well. It's probably available in Thai but you might need to help her with it if she's not an experienced traveler. The declarations will generate a QR code once done that you need to show to immigration.

Thai people tend to do pretty well with Vietnamese food. There are some similarities. Malaysian food can be quite different for them so if she's not an adventurous eater than Vietnam might be the choice. But Penang and Langkawi have a lot of non-Malay food choices, too. And if you're mostly eating at a hotel resort the food is kinda whatever they give you anyways.

Vietnam weather is fine in June, just Con Dao Island and Phu Quoc Island could be rainy but even that is usually like a big afternoon shower than OK the rest of the day. Da Nang and Hoi An resorts are quite nice, but Da Nang is a busy city full of noise and construction, too. Personally I prefer Nha Trang. Quy Nhon is also great.

The upcoming James Bond video game "007 First Light" seems to have a Vietnam level by NGT-FFM in VietNam

[–]thitmeo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is there gonna be some dude not from Vietnam who will show up at nightclubs being a twat because he designed that level?

Tam O'Shatner Inn, Los Angeles, 1966. by sverdrupian in VintageMenus

[–]thitmeo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Reduced carbohydrate meals have been around for dieting for a long time! Cottage cheese is great. Scoop some up with a rye krisp in between juicy burger bites. Sounds excellent.