Jet Set Zero » SE0104

From the archives

Jedidiah Mitchell — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:30:25 +0000

This is going up on my other site, Drinking & Drawing, in the near future so I figured I should post it here too: It’s my Bonushog shirt/poster sketch! Those of you who watched Season 1 in Vietnam should recognize the old rascal even in my lopsided freehand. I want a Bonushog shirt!

Our Finances: $1752 and Draining

Matt — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:20:30 +0000

It’s time to make our accounting apparent. After all, one crucial thesis of this experiment is that these adventures are possible on a bare-bones budget. Frankly, It’s been a constant battle. As we’ve explained, a hefty savings would have been much more comfortable than a summer of grueling jobs and mimunum-wage living. The first weeks [...]

Flows and Blockers

Brian — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:26:36 +0000

There is no contest in what I consider to be the greatest accomplishment of my time here in Saigon. Driving a motorbike, day after day in the traffic here. When we arrived here we were totally amazed by the chaos embodied by the traffic. Motorbikes, cars, and buses swirled around each other and over every [...]

Silence, Laughter, Misbehavior, Riot

Matt — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:07:41 +0000

So I’ll admit, my first day of teaching was as horrible as the short clip suggests, and while I wasn’t curled on the floor crying, as Brian suggested, my compatriots did find me lying upside-down with a tie around my forehead. As backstory, on Friday September 12, I was offered some teaching hours with Cleverlearn; [...]

Episode 104: English as a Second Language

Jedidiah Mitchell — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:27:03 +0000

There aren’t many jobs for an American in Vietnam. And the ones there are might not be what you thought they were going to be…

Reflections on a Week of Teaching

Matt — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:09:41 +0000

This past week of teaching was one of the most successful I've had yet. Teaching English (and I imagine teaching in general) can be a fickle trade, and I've observed two general ways to immerse oneself in it.

Why Finding Jobs Was So Hard, Reason #7

Matt — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:49:15 +0000

Episode 2 shows and suggests how challenging it was to find jobs after we landed. I wanted to clarify one of the crucial reasons why the process was so difficult and why it pummeled our morale.

Tempering My Excitement for Driving

Rob — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:14:41 +0000

After my corporate English class last night, I invited the students to get coffee-- a thank you for such a great class. Of course, this being Saigon and them being investment bankers, each student took their own shiny, functional motorcycle to the coffee shop, and I took Bonushog.

My Terrible Realization

Rob — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:03:42 +0000

Today, in my public school class, I came to the sad and terrible realization that my students and I have the exact same goal: waste class time. We would love it if the clock hand swept by just a little quicker; if the next group exercise took just a little longer; if the noisy chaos at the begining of class lingered just a few more minutes.

Beard=Older=Respect

Rob — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:41:08 +0000

In case I haven't yet mentioned this, a lot of respect out here is based on your age. My class full of investment bankers were shocked to learn that I was only 24, and every time I tell a younger audience, I start to lose control. So, in my effort to look older, I have decided to bring back the beard I wore for over two years.