Taking a few days to cool off, I headed for Dalat. 7 hours on a bus will take you from the hectic, smoggy, hot city and transform your surroundings into a beautiful mountain town. Dalat seems to have a bit of an identity crisis going on; is it Vietnam or is it mini France? They have a kitchy replica of the Eiffel tower and estates in typical French architecture. There seem to have been, at one point or another, a large French population when France occupied Vietnam but unlike other locales, Dalat has hung onto the French Identity fervently.
One of the biggest tourist attraction is the Hang Nga Crazy House. The pictures do it no justice, but they will have to suffice (or google it :) The house was built by Ms. Hang Nga, the daughter of the ex-president of Vietnam. In my humble opinion, she is a genius and a visionary. She has created layers upon layers of rooms and staircases that connect buildings to each other in a twisted and fantastical otherworldly creation. She uses natural objects as inspiration in her building, so you will often see sky-lights i
n the shape of a spider web, and staircases made of tree limbs etc. The house is very Gaudi-esque, mixed with a little Alice in Wonderland. You can rent a room, but I suggest just visiting in the day as the house is a work in progress and construction begins early!
I know I've been lacking in this here blog lately, and it's all because of the CELTA. I spent the better part of a month learning the pedagogy and methodology of teaching English as a foreign language without needing to know the language of the learners. It is a pretty amazing approach, that had I learned this way, I think I would speak Spanish a whole lot better than I do now. With that said, my group of 18, well 17 after one dropped, spent countless hours cramming information, planning lessons, teaching, observing teachers, analyzing learning difficulties and plenty of other fun teaching related activities.
The group was spectacular!
13 Men and 4 Women ended up completing the course, and grew to be a close knit cohort. Here are a few pictures of the students and teachers from the last day.
One of the biggest tourist attraction is the Hang Nga Crazy House. The pictures do it no justice, but they will have to suffice (or google it :) The house was built by Ms. Hang Nga, the daughter of the ex-president of Vietnam. In my humble opinion, she is a genius and a visionary. She has created layers upon layers of rooms and staircases that connect buildings to each other in a twisted and fantastical otherworldly creation. She uses natural objects as inspiration in her building, so you will often see sky-lights i
n the shape of a spider web, and staircases made of tree limbs etc. The house is very Gaudi-esque, mixed with a little Alice in Wonderland. You can rent a room, but I suggest just visiting in the day as the house is a work in progress and construction begins early!
