Tag Archives: english

Printable Flash Cards for Pre-Schoolers (ABC & 123)

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Hello Mommies and Daddies! By now, you are thinking of teaching your little one their first alphabet. And you are looking for something that could help you make it easier for the both of you. Children usually are visual for them to remember easily. A set of flash card is the best first tool to educate them and have fun at the same time.

Here is a set of PRINTABLE Flashcards to help you teach your kids their first ABC’s and 1-2-3’s. This is printable to an A4 size paper.

Letters A – G                Letters H – N            Letters O-V            Letters W-Z

Click the image       Flashcard H       Flashcard N      Flashcard W

In case you are looking for single letters to replace those that you lost, here are the 26 letters! Printable to 4R or 3R paper. You may click the image to download each flashcard.

Enjoy! Please let us know if these helped you in a way. Please like the Facebook page for updates and other printables.

Credit to: http://esl-kids(dot)com/

Picture the Picture! Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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Good thing I found the photo album I kept. I don’t have soft copy anymore of these great memories in Vietnam. I never had any out of the country trip but there (As I am speaking now). Ho Chi Minh City was formerly called Saigon. It is located at the Southern part of Vietnam. Most of the people there speak their native tongue. Vietnamese is the national language with influence from French, while their alphabet is Latin alphabet. Some speak in English and others are learning how to speak in English.

HCMC Airport

HCMC Airport

Vietnam Map

Vietnam Map

The Miss Saigon Prestige Play Logo

The Miss Saigon Prestige Play Logo

It is amazing that 90% (my own rating) of their transportation is through Motorcycles. Whether they are men or women, whether wearing a simple tee or coat, whether on shorts or skirts, whether on slippers or high-heeled sandals, whether employees, employer or students, most of the population is using a motorcycle as their means of transportation. I’ve seen 3 lanes of the road dedicated for motorcycles while 1 lane for other kind of vehicles (the right most side). I just wonder why we can’t have such in the Philippines? Less gas, less pollution, cheaper, and less heavy traffic. Bicycles can still be seen from there. Transportation available are cars for private while buses for the public. Their buses have number coding. Example Bus 6 will only stop on xxxx District and other specific places. If you took the wrong bus number, I’m sorry but you have to drop off some place far from your destination. Why do I know this? Because it happened to me! I walked the longest walk I had in my life. But I enjoyed the view of every steps. That’s true.

Busy Road in Ho Chi Minh City

Busy Road in Ho Chi Minh City

Bicycles are still visible in HCMC

Bicycles are still visible in HCMC

I believe I’ve been to all the districts of Ho Chi Minh City. There are 19 Districts namely District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, Districts 5, District 6, District 7, District 8, District 9, District 10, District 11, District 12, Go Vap District, Tan Binh District, Tan Phu District, Binh Thanh District, Phu Nhuan District, Thu Duc District, Binh Tan District and 5 suburban districts. There are Districts that can be compared to places in the Philippines like Makati City (District 1); Ortigas, Pasig (Phu My Hung);  Binondo, Manila (An Duong Vuong);  Ermita, Manila (De Tham Street); Greenhills Shopping Center (Ben Thanh) and others that I cannot remember anymore. Dalat from the Northern part of Vietnam is like our Baguio City. The weather is cold up there. Their markets are basically just the same in the Philippines. The only difference is, the flooring is not wet!

I was supposed to apply as an English Teacher (in demand in Asian countries), to teach students how to speak and write in English language. I was there from October 2008 until December 2008. The job hunt was not that successful. I received offers but since I do not have any experience in teaching yet, the offer was not that high. I meant, I can earn the same amount in the Philippines or even higher (that time). I refused the offers. But I got a chance to teach some children from different nations Egyptian, Cypriot, Korean, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, etc.. I enjoyed those days when I taught the kids, also when I applied and when I had interviews.

By the way, before I left the Philippines, I took the LET (Licensure Exam for Teachers) in September 2008. It was for Secondary Level. The exam duration was 1 whole day with 1 hour lunch break. It was so difficult, I can say. No formal review. No review center, I was on my own and was just optimistic. I did not expect anything at all. Then I left for Vietnam and got the good news from a good friend; Eloisa that I passed! Whew! Such a great achievement, really unexpected. So, I’m a certified secondary teacher. Isa akong guro. That milestone of the course made me edit my resume.

It was a memorable trip. What made it more exciting was the food. Oh I love to try exotic foods. I tried to eat Fried Python and Grilled Crocodile. They were tender and juicy. haha.. There were a lot of other exotic foods on menu but I just tried these 2. It was unexpectedly delicious.

Grilling Crocodile

Grilling Crocodile

Grilled Crocodile

Grilled Crocodile

Fried Python

Fried Python

Shabu Shabu of Seafoods Hotpot

Shabu Shabu of Seafoods Hotpot

And how can I forget the coffee? Vietnam is the 2nd largest producer of coffee next to Brazil. One street in Ho Chi Minh City is known for selling coffee beans of different flavors. When you pass by there, you will indulge yourself to the aroma of the coffee. Hmmmm… Coffee shops were everywhere. The most famous coffee is Ca phe Sua Da; it is a traditional coffee recipe. (According to coffee.wikia.com; Ca phe sua da is made with finely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter (cà phê phin) into a cup containing about a quarter to a half as much sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice.) On the street coffee shops it costs only 7,000 Vietnamese Dong that time. Converted to Philippine Peso it is equivalent only to PhP 14.00 today. Cheap huh? In the US, theirs is around $4. I went out often at night to hang out in different coffee shops. Enjoying the feeling in a foreign land. How about coffee beside the Saigon River? Looking up in the sky and the shining stars… I met several people of different nations from the coffee shops that I’ve been. There were a lot of Americans, Australians and British who hanged out for coffee too.

Caphe Sua Da while dripping

Caphe Sua Da while dripping

Caphe Sua Da - Ready to Drink!

Caphe Sua Da – Ready to Drink!

There were also other drinks on the streets like Nuoc Mia. (According to Wikipedia; Sugar cane juice, called nước mía, is very popular in Vietnam as a refreshing drink in the hot Vietnamese climate. Kumquat juice, a citrus, is often added to balance the sweetness. It is available at many small street stalls, and is often sold along other popular Asian beverages. It was common for sugar cane juice to be sold in small plastic bags filled with ice, with the open end attached around a drinking straw by a rubber band. It is now more commonly sold in disposable plastic cups.) Flavors can also be added such as strawberry and other fruit flavors. I accompanied it with Banh Mi. “It is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. The sandwiches made from it include meat and soy fillings such as steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, grilled pork patties, spreadable pork liver pâté, pork floss, grilled chicken, chicken floss, canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce, head cheese, fried eggs, and tofu. Accompanying vegetables include fresh cucumber slices, cilantro (leaves of the coriander plant) and pickled carrots and daikon in shredded form. Common condiments include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, mayonnaise, and Laughing Cow cheese.” (from Wikipedia)

Nuoc Mia Sugar Cane Extractor

Nuoc Mia Sugar Cane Extractor

Nuoc Mia

Nuoc Mia

Banh Mi Stall

Banh Mi Stall

Banh Mi

Banh Mi

Basic commodities there are cheap. Nothing to worry much on budget if you are thinking of having a vacation there. You can also check tour packages online. Or promo fares from airline companies.

When I was about to leave the country, I visited museums with Remnants of War. There are photos hanging on the wall on how it was during the war with Americans, like running children, injured and afraid. There are firearms and ammunition, also bombs and tanks. Feel free to browse my captured memories of Ho Chi Minh City. I apologize for the quality of photos. I just took a shot of the hard copies, because the soft copy is gone. Just don’t mind me on the pictures, just look at the background. Smile!😊

Sometime next year (2013) I will go back to Ho Chi Minh City to visit with my husband. We are planning a backpacking style of tour. Destinations are Ho Chi Minh City, Cambodia and Thailand. Finally, I have someone to share my memories with. Standby and read my next articles.