Sure, it's not an experience I especially enjoy. It's repulsive, to be honest. Every time I see one I get a little tingle of eew that reverbrates through my spine and down to the tip of my fingers. By now I know they're definitely not as shocking to find in my house as rats, and after watching... Continue Reading →
It's 9 am and I wake up abruptly. Every morning. As if I was late for work. I scramble in my mattress directly on the floor of my bedroom (the landlord had promised a bed base when I visited, but later denied ever saying this, so here we are) to extend my body enough to... Continue Reading →
Our protagonist wakes up abruptly, momentarily in shock. His cell phone alarm, set for 6 am, seemed to have never rung at all. He checks the clock: 6:55. His flight to Hué is at 8:05. He is instantly, fully awake. In a panic, he rises from the couch where he slept the night as a... Continue Reading →
Last month I discovered Terry Pratchet's Discworld novels and it's having quite a funny effect on my brain. I think he's my new favorite author. I'm sure a used reader will detect the influence on my writing. I guess I should mention that at the moment of scribbling this in a Vietnamese student notebook I... Continue Reading →
Long have I wanted to visit this island, of which the reputation is on par with paradise itself. As a big fan of islands myself, it was with grudging resolution that I stopped my bike in Ho Chi Minh city back in March 2015 (gasp! Almost a year already!) to look for work as my... Continue Reading →
It's amazing how much opposites I have noticed when comparing Canada and Vietnam - and I'm not talking about the weather. Opposites in life, in way of thinking, in how to deal with problems, in teaching, in every single aspect of life. I keep realising it when I talk about Canadian culture to my students. I... Continue Reading →
Good morning Canada, good evening Vietnam, and good whatever to everyone else in between! One of my classes finished last week so I have more free time today. I drank 2 coffees to over-stimulate myself and am waiting for the repairman to come to my new house in District 2 to repair the flat I... Continue Reading →
Étienne Bureau
Jesse Rebock