One way I use AI to help me write that I've not seen anyone else talk about is this: I'll say "give me multiple versions of saying xyz". I'll almost never use any of what it outputs verbatim, but seeing it said in different ways helps me clarify how I'd prefer to approach writing it.

I would tentatively suggest OP does. I hace aphantasia but meet a lot of people for work and have a very good memory for names once I see a face.

One aspect of the story that is glossed over here is that there were very few Vietnamese people in Dak Lak prior to 1975. The OP is a story of forced displacement against the Ede and Mnong people.

There is a film called "Thung Lũng Hoang Vắng" (Desolated Valley) about teachers who got posted at one of these minor communities, set in Northern Vietnam. There were programs that aimed to improve literacy and integration of these communities into modern society and it's all good in intents but the film raised questions (at least to me) on how the communist government implemented them.

You brought up the people being displaced by settlements, but the film focuses on school teachers who get sent there against their will which completely changed the course of their lives. Back then almost everyone worked for the government and teachers, like soldiers, can be assigned to such outpost if they didn't have connections.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. That's really interesting to me and I'm going to check it out!

Sounds like they were the opposite of shit if they noticed someone setting up specialist equipment. I don't think any national monument in the world would be keen on people doing that without advanced permission.

You will never get explicit permission unless you have connections. So until that kind of beaurocracy changes, this is the kind of thing you just go ahead and do.

Life is short, assuming it is fully non-destructive and leave-no-trace, just do it until someone gets in your way.

As long as it's equivalent to a camera on a tripod, why not? Outside of impeding traffic flow or museums that want to charge you for it being bothered by that seems entirely counterproductive.

I think they exist already... Crosswords, sudokus and puzzles have long been popular. Has the world also forgotten the brain training craze of the naughties?

I was in The Ho Chi Minh City History Museum this weekend and they have some very cool shipwreck exhibits, worth checking out.

Thanks for sharing, I am absolutely fascinated with the differences in people's internal experiences.

For me, I have the bad "factual" memory and good "conceptual" memory but unlike you, I also have aphantasia: a completely "dark" mind with no visuals.

I've always used the metaphor that my brain has really good "compression". Once I learn something it gets compressed into my worldview. I don't know how or why I know it but I can apply it. If academic achievement is any benchmark, I can apply it with above average aptitude.

I also have an aversion to this. But I'm not sure how you conclude that it's lazy?

aren't contractions lazy by nature?

Regardless, I'm glad you're averse.

As a math teacher myself I want to say... A parent taking an interest and spending some quality time with their child over a subject can have a huge impact on their motivation to learn. Props to your mom.

She was an elementary school teacher herself.

I've never seen so many emdashes in one piece!