The one that I have played most often with my students, and also lost to my students the most, is badminton, or cầu lông in Vietnamese. I have also been on my pickleball grind with my co-teacher and pickle partner every Saturday, which I have been slowly improving in. I can almost beat the 50-year-old uncles when they are barely trying.
One of my highlights of the week was getting to play soccer (bóng đá) for the first time since I arrived in Vietnam. With no classes in the afternoon, I was taking an adventure on my motorbike, exploring a small path outside the city within the rice fields when I noticed a complex with all pink houses and structures. When I turned in, I asked the people waiting at the front if I could get a coffee here and they directed me to the back. As I drove, I felt as if I had just opened the brightest glowing treasure chest of all time when my eyes fell upon the most beautiful soccer field embedded in the rice fields. Immediately, I asked if they had a soccer ball and if they would like to play with me. Of course they said yes, and I ended up spending four hours there that day playing with all of the locals who play at this field. The entire time I spoke Vietnamese and practiced my sports vocabulary with kids who were 10-15 years younger than me. Truly, it has been one of my favorite days of my entire experience thus far.
