A few random updates:

Last weekend was great. Going out with Michelle these past few months has been really great, and I'm already mourning her leaving. I'm really not sure what I'm going to do when she's gone. It's always us, and it seems like a different group of people every time, which I've been enjoying. Friday night I met a few new people and had a ton of ridiculous fun dancing with Michelle.. until we lost each other haha. (Dear McFaddens, we probably won't be seeing you for a while, but you've been great, really.)

Saturday Michelle, James, Spirko and I drove down to Vinko's place in RI. Another group other Boston kids were there and we met a ton of his friends from home, all of which were really cool. He has a beautiful house right next to a lake in Charlestown. We mostly played drinking games all day, including sloshball, dizzy bat, flip cup, and ended the night playing card games inside. Everyone kept complaining about how hot it was and then we got a ton of mosquito bites, and I have to say I felt a bit like I was back in Vietnam. I can't even complain here because I know it's not as bad as what I lived through!! Anyway, we all had a really fun time and a nice relaxing day on Sunday once we got back. Two more weekends left... I don't want summer to end.

Work is going well. Still don't mind getting up in the morning and getting ready for a day in the office. Still can't find anything to complain about. Still generally love my life. My boss is out this week so it has been nice to get stuff done without other things piling up, and I've set up a few meetings for myself to try and figure some of this budget stuff out. Not entirely trained for all of this... but it'll work out.

Yesterday Marisa and I saw Julie & Julia. Maybe my new favorite movie. It was a feel good movie, the kind that inspires you to buy a Julia Childs cookbook and cook through it yourself (anyone wants to get me a present- I'm completely serious about this.) A part of the movie that I appreciated was that the two women had husbands that completely loved them and supported them no matter how outlandish they (or their ideas) were. We need more of this type of inspiration! I'm so sick of seeing movies (500 Days of Summer) where people just bitch and moan about relationships. It's refreshing to see a change of pace. And this movie was about love in so many other ways too; love for finding a passion in your life (cooking, in this case) and love of yourself. I'm no movie reviewer, but two thumbs up from me. (Although definitely a chick flick, for anyone interested.)

Starting to read a lot more. Since I've been back my collection of books has greatly increased - I really missed being able to buy books. But I haven't read any of them - I just keep getting new ones. I've also started quite a few without finishing. I feel like this has a lot to do with my on the go lifestlye I've had so far - semi living in six different places, always sleeping somewhere else and still living out of suitcases. I'm so ready to move into my new apartment and get settled and get going on these books. I'm currently reading a book my friend Christine lent me called American Shaolin by Mathew Polly. It's the story of a guy who dropped out of Princeton and just up and went to China to live with the Shaolin Monks for two years and study Kung Fu. I know neither one of those things appear to interest me on the outside, but I like it for a lot of reasons. I enjoy his conversations with others in Mandarin... although I didn't speak Vietnamese, a lot of situations he puts himself in are incredibly relatable, and it's nice to remember those moments, regardless of how annoying they were. I also don't know much about Chinese culture and he talks about that a lot. I'm surprised at how many things are similar to Vietnamese. I just read about how the men are overly affectionate (in a friendship way) with each other in public.. holding hands, hand on shoulder, etc. Then he noticed the females are the same way with each other. And concluded that it is because there is no PDA between the sexes (that's strictly taboo... although I think more and more and younger generations in Vietnam are finding ways around that) so they become affectionate with their friends in public as a way to show some sort of emotion, and i have to agree. Anyway, I'm enjoying it so far!

That's all for now. Tomorrow I'm shipping off to NYC! It will be my first time there since I've been back, and I'm so excited. Going to visit some friends and have a good old nyc night out. Then Friday I'll be home for our annual OG Crew Ball.. basically a big party celebrating our friendship. (Douglas, you will be incredibly missed!) I'm hoping the weather holds out because it looks like thunderstorms only for the three days I'll be home. Cross my fingers for beach weather!!

Side note, my camera is broken. Yes, it's the one I got for my birthday, two months ago, after loosing my last one in Hong Kong. I have the worst luck and I'm praying for a miracle because I really want it for this weekend. (and publicly posting this in case anyone reading can perform a miracle...)

Hope you're all enjoying the heat, now you know (almost) how I felt all year! :-)

Working on a serious list of places I want to go:

Philipeans

Indonesia

India

Sri Lanka

Greece

And of course, wherever Nikki is in Europe, Chile/wherever Whit ends up in South America, and Germany, because visiting people is always the best excuse to go anywhere.

As for America, my current to do list is New Orleans, which I'm planning on hitting up for Halloween. This will be huge for many reasons. 1) Never been, always wanted to go. 2) Hate Halloween, and can't remember the last time I seriously celebrated. Except for that one time when Ryan made me, and I wore my librarian costume from the librarian party the weekend before AND I won worst costume at the party (but i got a prize!) Anyhoo, I missed the holidays so much while I was gone that I promised I would go all out this year for every holiday. What better place to go all out than in NO? 3) My dear Michelle is leaving me soon and will be meeting me there in what might be known as the best reunion ever. (Except when I came back, because clearly that was more highly anticipated.) 4) I'm trying to bring along multiple friends to make the celebration even more fun and the hotel cheaper, so if you're interested let me know!

Tomorrow a few of us are going down to RI to Vinko's place for Sloshball. This is a drinking wiffleball game that I am not prepared for. But his place is near the beach and it should be a good crew and nice to get out of the city again!

Last Friday I went to Martha's Vineyard with a few people from my office and it was a really nice day. We spent the morning laying on the beach near the jump-off brdige from Jaws. Then we just walked around a bit and had a great lunch and some drinks. Very similar to Nantucket, but I think I liked it better. Nantucket was a little too "every thing is exactly the same" for me. I couldn't see myself spending an extended period of time in either place, since if I'm going to vacation at a beach nearby, I might as well go home) but both beautiful places, and I'm glad I got to see them. It was nice because I went with a different group of people to each island so it was definitely a different experience. All-in-all though, I can't afford either one of them on my own.

Bridge from Jaws

NU @ Martha's Vineyard

Last but not least... A great friend of mine is raising money for the Light the Night Walk through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of a friend who passed away. Please take your time to read this:

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ma/BostonL09/mariseca

A little bit can go a long way, please help in any little way if you can. If you have any questions, just let me know and I can pass them along to her. Thanks for your help!

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Here is a link of a compliation of photos from my travels around America. There is also a link at the bottom of my list. It will prompt you to log in, so use my email (Srthornley@gmail.com) and the password is america. This is the only way I could figure out how to do it. The pictures are from when I drove cross country with Jessie (AKA Charlotte Sometimes) with of course a majority of pictures from Jersey, NYC, and Boston. Enjoy!

A fun fact to share, since I've posted some pictures from walking across the Brooklyn Bridge:
Because the subway runs under the East River, and the vehicular level is under the pedestrian level, it has been said that Brooklyn Bridge is the only place on earth where an airplane could fly over a pedestrian who is walking over a car that is driving over a boat that is floating over a train.

Yesterday I was walking down Newbury & Boylston St and I was reminded once again how much I love living here. When I was younger I promised myself I would live in NYC at least once. I frequented the city quite often with my mom, and eventually quite often with friends/ by myself. I do love the city, especially in the fall/spring and during Christmas. But do I regret not following through with the promise I once made? Not for a minute. If you do live there, and love it, you probably won't love Boston. And your arguments are valid. The skyline leaves a lot to offer, the MBTA stops running before the bars close, and sometimes the taxi's/drivers are unnecessarily rude (like that isn't true in new york?) If you're going to go to Cheer's and Quincy Market, you probably won't be impressed. No one knows your name at Cheer's (and the food isn't that good), and Quincy/Faniuel is always jam-packed with annoying tourists. But you're missing out. There is a charm to the city that you can't ignore. The history, the sports, the stories. Boston fans are loyal. Some of them are Massholes, sure, but Yankee's fans? (That's where I'm ending that, otherwise I'll hear it from my mom forever.) Watch any Sox away game and scan the crowd... I can almost guarantee majority will be sox fans. That's ridiculous! You can't ignore Red Sox Nation. And maybe the new Yankee stadium is 10x bigger then Fenway.. but it lost its charm and you know it. And maybe Fenway can use some updating, but how can you ignore the spirit there! I didn't mean to get on a sports rant there... but it's a big part of the spirit around here. Point being, if you're not into it, it might be easy to miss out on what Beantown has to offer. I love walking around the city... day time, night time, there's always something new to see, a new place to eat, drink, people watch. Completely content with my decision to move back here.. even if it is only for a few years.

I also really love my job. Everyone in the office is great, and I've already had a lot of great opportunities, and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better. This Friday I am going to Martha's Vineyard with the office and a group of students (I'm a chaperone, how ridiculous.) But I've never been there so I'm excited (and it's free!) Thursday we left work early to go to a Sox game (also for free!) Then we got access to the Bud Roof Deck, which I had never been to before so that was awesome. Since they knew a guy working there we eventually got to sit down at the $500 tables, where we picked up some of the money left on their tab. Not to mention my boss paid for pizza and beer while we were there. How lucky am I? Oh, and we won! :-)



Me, Ed, & Lisa

Overall, thing's are going really well. I've been keeping in touch with Whitney in Chile, and Nikki in Spain, and they are both have an amazing time. It's making me completely miss Vietnam and my whole adventure. I can't believe 1) that I did all of that 2) that it's already over and 3) that I'm already (almost) settled in a full time job and the next chapter in my life. I've been talking to Kristen a lot (still in Hanoi) and that's also been bumming me out. I feel like if I had been in Hanoi for longer I would have chosen to stay in Vietnam longer... but that was never an option. And I am obviously glad I came back. But maybe I'll go back again. Or somewhere else! The fact that three or four of my best friends are in completely different countries semi long-term definitely keeps me going. And now it's my turn to live vicariously through them!!

I decided to add some new pictures on my blog, if you look at the bottom of the list. I'm trying to go as many places as possible and I know that some people have never been so I made a few compilations of what I've seen. I just posted pictures from the other weekend when we went to Nantucket, and I also posted an old photo album of when Ryan and I went to Newport, RI. The pictures aren't that great, and it was a while ago, but if you've never been there it shows a little bit what it's about - Mansions, everywhere, and you have to buy tickets to take tours of the different places. So, enjoy! I also compiled some pictures I've taken the past few years in NYC, Boston, and all around and I'm going to try to find a way to share them, so keep checking my pictures list if you're interested!!

Quote of the day: (not really sharing any inspiration here, but it's another quote that I found at the exact right time and I couldn't have said it better myself...)

"The vague confidence that it will all work out, coupled with the total lack of knowing of how to make this happen."

This morning there was an empty cup of bubble tea sitting on my front steps... a sign?

"We all have the potential to fall in love a thousand times in our lifetime. It's easy. The first girl I ever loved was someone I knew in sixth grade. Her name was Missy; we talked about horses. The last girl I love will be someone I haven't even met yet, probably. They all count. But there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like. These are the most important people in your life, and you'll meet maybe four or five of these people over the span of 80 years. But there's still one more tier to all this; there is always one person who you love who becomes that definition. It usually happens retrospectively, but it always happens eventually. This is the person who unknowingly sets the template for what you will always love about other people, even if some of those lovable qualities are self-destructive and unreasonable. You will remember having conversations with this person that never actually happened. You will recall sexual trysts with this person that never technically occurred. This is because the individual who embodies your personal definition of love does not really exist. The person is real, and the feelings are real--but you create the context. And context is everything. The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they're often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else. " - Chuck Klosterman

I love when things happen at the exact right moment when it will impact you the most. This goes for anything.. reading, listening to music, running into someone, someone saying something to you that catches you completely off guard but leaves a lasting impression, or as Marisa experienced today, a great compliment. This is a poem I just read online. You might know The Invitation, which was her more popular book and is hanging up in my cubicle thanks to Whitney. But this is her other, lesser known poem and I wanted to share it. I even accentuated my favorite parts! Enjoy :-)

The Dance,
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

I have sent you my invitation,
the note inscribed on the palm of my hand by the fire of living.
Don’t jump up and shout, “Yes, this is what I want! Let’s do it!”
Just stand up quietly and dance with me.

Show me how you follow your deepest desires,
spiraling down into the ache within the ache,
and I will show you how I reach inward and open outward
to feel the kiss of the Mystery, sweet lips on my own, every day.

Don’t tell me you want to hold the whole world in your heart.
Show me how you turn away from making another wrong
without abandoning yourself when you are hurt and afraid of being unloved.

Tell me a story of who you are,
and see who I am in the stories I live.
And together we will remember that each of us always has a choice.

Don’t tell me how wonderful things will be . . . some day.
Show me you can risk being completely at peace,
truly okay with the way things are right now in this moment,
and again in the next and the next and the next. . .

I have heard enough warrior stories of heroic daring.
Tell me how you crumble when you hit the wall,
the place you cannot go beyond by the strength of your own will.
What carries you to the other side of that wall, to the fragile beauty of your own humanness?

And after we have shown each other how we have set and kept the clear,
healthy boundaries that help us live side by side with each other,
let us risk remembering that we never stop silently loving those we once loved out loud.

Take me to the places on the earth that teach you how to dance,
the places where you can risk letting the world break your heart.
And I will take you to the places where the earth beneath my feet and the stars overhead make my heart whole again and again.

Show me how you take care of business
without letting business determine who you are.
When the children are fed but still the voices within and around us shout that soul’s desires have too high a price,
let us remind each other that it is never about the money.

Show me how you offer to your people and the world the stories and the songs
you want our children’s children to remember.
And I will show you how I struggle not to change the world,
but to love it.

Sit beside me in long moments of shared solitude,
knowing both our absolute aloneness and our undeniable belonging.
Dance with me in the silence and in the sound of small daily words,
holding neither against me at the end of the day.

And when the sound of all the declarations of our sincerest
intentions has died away on the wind,
dance with me in the infinite pause before the next great inhale
of the breath that is breathing us all into being,
not filling the emptiness from the outside or from within.

Don’t say, “Yes!”
Just take my hand and dance with me.

Thoughts of the day: Feelings. How can a person affect the way you feel? Shouldn't you be the only one in control of that? How can you go from not caring at all to caring too much? How can you be sad when there is generally nothing going wrong, and actually, everything seems to be going your way? How can you be happy when you know you aren't going to get what you want? How can you feel guilty when you didn't do anything wrong? How can you be all of these things at the same time? And how can a couple of hours change your entire view on a subject, on a person, on life? How can you be so adamant about something and with a flick of a switch, it just suddenly doesn't matter anymore. Like knowing all of the reasons you were mad but just not caring anymore. And not in the apathetic way... just letting it go. And not in the zen way... just.... it just doesn't matter. Because when it comes down to it, we're all here together, we're all part of the same thing, and aren't we all working towards the same goal? Why do we make it so difficult for each other, for ourselves? It seems like a big waste of time. Worrying is a waste of time. No matter how many times you picture something happening, it almost always turns out differently. Why do we spend so much time hypothesizing when we could just not worry about it and deal with it when it comes. This is a lesson I have to teach myself. Easier said then done.

“Don’t bother trying to explain your emotions. Live everything as intensely as you can... The best way to destroy the bridge between the visible and invisible is by trying to explain your emotions.” - Paulo Coelho, Brida

Thought that always blows my mind, especially on a day like today:

“Because they are so long lived, atoms really get around. Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. We are each so atomically numerous and so vigorously recycled at death that a significant number of our atoms – up to a billion for each of us, it has been suggested – probably once belonged to Shakespeare." - Bill Bryson

Paulo Coelho's book Brida talks about this a little bit, and I can't find the quotes anywhere online. But if this is true, and I believe it is, we really are all connected. Perhaps some of us more then others. I think that is why we draw certain people into our lives at certain times. Also why we loose them. Maybe we lost the atoms that were keeping us together in the first place. Outlandish? I think it's as simple and as complicated as that.

Thanks to my great co-worker Lisa, for finding things to watch on a Friday in the summer when no one is actually in the office except for us. This is mesmorizing, and this song is beautiful.

Completely in love with Boston. Despite the fact that I make some questionable decisions, I love living in this city. Even when you have to walk two miles in the rain to get to the bar and you are soaking wet when you get there. Even when you can't find your umbrella, loose people on the way home, and get into arguements with unnecessarily-rude cab drivers. This is because my friends are completely amazing, and no matter what happens (I stressed myself out this week for no reason at all) they are always there for me. We're all pretty lucky.

Last weekend we went to the beach in Revere. It was my first time going to the beach in Mass, and I've always been nervous since I'm kind of a beach snob (I'm a local.) and I've heard a lot of negative things about it, but it actually wasn't too bad. Jersey is obviously better, but it'll do. Now that a lot of my friends have cars we are planning all sorts of weekend trips, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of the city then I have before. This apparently isn't hard, since it seems I've never ventured out too far. I've got a list of things to look forward to!

That night we went out to the bars in Southie. It was nice to be in a different area, new bars, new people. Of course Michelle was by my side, but we went out with a few new people, and some old friends met up with us too. It was a nice group and we had a really good time. Southie isn't as bad as it's cracked up to be (although I wouldn't walk around there alone...)

The next day (Sunday) was absolutely beautiful and Michelle and I layed out by the Charles. Right under the Mass Ave bridge there is a little dock that I never even knew existed, and we had a nice time talking about ridiculous things and getting sunburnt. Then we had dinner at a new Thai place we found on our walk there, and it was the best Pad Thai I've had in America. Michelle's fried-rice looked so good I had to take a picture of it.

This week was full of fun, too! Spriko and I went to Petco and saw the CUTEST puppy Husky, and started talking about getting a dog in the fall. It's still questionable but it is something we are all talking about. The worst thing would be who would get it when we all split up, and I don't think my idea of the four of us living together forever was something I was serious about. Either way, I'm really excited to move in with some of my best friends, live on the Hill for the first time, and although I'm not totally excited about sharing a bathroom with three boys, the kitchen looks awesome and I'm really excited to finally settle down in a place.

Michelle and I (and various friends) spent a night at Conors, and a night at Pour House/ Whisky's which was a nice time. It's nice to casually just go out after work and see people during the week. We embarrassingly polished off a huge batch of nachos both nights, and we are a little disgusted with ourselves. But I will still stand strong on my claim that that Pour House has the best nachos EVER.

Tonight we are having a girls-night-in, and I'm really looking forward to it. Then in the morning Marg, Michelle and I are visiting Joanna in Nantucket, to make it a full, well deserved girls-only weekend. I went to the Cape once last summer but I've never been to the islands, so I'm looking forward to it! Jo has been co-oping there so it will be nice to spend some time with her. I'll give you an update next week! In the meantime, there are a lot of things that are blowing my mind this week.

1) Sandcastles. When we went to Revere beach they were having a competition and it completely blew my mind. We read that they actually use sand brought in from somewhere else (I think New Hampshire?) And then they use some sort of special glue-spray.. but still, these are amazing. My favorites:

2) Good photography. I assume a lot of it has to do with being in the right place at the right time, but pictures like this are incredible. The picture with the lightning storm is ridiculous, and I LOVE the one with the elephant.

3) Human Art. I couldn't even think about something like this, let alone make it work. I admire people who use their creativity to its fullest extent. Admire and envy. The last picture (on the stairs) completely blows my mind.

4) I just love this.

5) We all know how thinking about the universe is my number one mind-blowing event... but these pictures are just beautiful. The longest Solar Eclipse of the Century.

Last but not least (I hope this all kept you occupied!!) Quote of the day:

“I looked at the menu, then I looked at my wife. The one thing about her that I always loved was that she was never one of those people who thinks that someone else is the answer to their happiness. Me or anybody else. She’s always had her own built-in happiness.” - Bob Dylan

Quote of the day:

My mom tells me, "When you were a kid, you were so laid back and happy that we were worried you might be retarded."- Ben Casnocha

I don't know who still reads this, but here I am!! I'm officially back living in Boston (on my friends couch, but I'm here nonetheless!) I started working at Northeastern University and I'm already loving it. I use to work in this office (Student Affairs) as an undergrad, but now I'm on salary (EEEK!) and have real responsibilities that I'm not ready for, but I love it. And today I got my first paycheck! Which is probably why I am in such a good mood. Since I'll be sitting on the computer so often with an ample amount of free time, I'll probably start writing again. I can't promise it will be as interesting as it was when I was in 'Nam, but it will be a little view into my Boston life. Just a little. There are some things I just can't repeat.

My first week and a half back has been incredibly eventful. I love walking everywhere, just roaming around Boston, or stopping at a friends place.. it's good to be back. I'll feel more comfortable once I get a place of my own, but my amazing friend Cait has been letting me stay at her place so I'm incredibly lucky. Friday night I had a good old fashioned night out in Boston that involved so much dancing my legs hurt the next day... and I loved every minute of it. Sunday I went to see the new Woody Allen movie, Whatever Works. It was ridiculous, but I loved it. I loved the whole premise of it. You know when you watch a movie (or read a book) that is just perfect for your life at the time? I think that's why I liked to so much. Anyway, then I went to a Vietnamese resturaunt for dinner. It was sub-par. I've yet to been happy with Vietnamese food in America, but I'm going to keep trying.

Yesterday we got together for Tibaudo's birthday for some taco's and cake ala Marg, which was delicious. Then we went out for Whitney's last night. If you don't know Whitney, she was my first friend at Northeastern. (I knew Marg first, but we got off to a rough start...) Through Whitney I met every single one of my friends and I'm pretty sure I don't know what I would have done without her. We lived together, worked together, had classes together, went to Stockton together (WOO!) didn't go to the gym together, ate way too much food together (an entire bag of chedder pretzels in a single cab ride! how did we do it?!) and at times had a little to much to drink together. I'm really sad she's leaving Boston. On the upside, the reason she is leaving is to teach english in Chile! I'm so so excited for her and her new adventure, and I know she's going to be amazing. Since she came to visit me in Vietnam, I pretty much have to visit her in South America.. so although I cried a lot at the bar last night saying goodbye, I do have something awesome to look forward to. I wish her the best of luck, and I'm sure she'll be keeping a blog that I'll have a link to if you're interested!

Today I had lunch with a friend of a friend who is Vietnamese- American and is intersted in Teachers for Vietnam and maybe going next year. It was nice to be able to talk about it again and get him excited to go. He's not sure if he's going to go through with it yet but he really wants to, and of course with an advocate like me, I'm sure he'll be convinced soon. I enjoyed reminiscing about the good and the bad, I want to find a way to keep all of my memories fresh.

Things that are blowing my mind today:

1)Pictures of the universe. It makes me feel so incredibly small.

The view from the Apollo 11 Command and Service Module (CSM) "Columbia" shows the Earth rising above the Moon's horizon on July 20th, 1969. The lunar terrain pictured is in the area of Smyth's Sea on the nearside. (NASA)

2) This kid. He is 12 years old!!

I am constantly reminded that I haven't written anything since before my last trip and my homecoming. To all you avid followers, I am sorry. As you've already heard/seen I am home safe and sound and it has been really great to see everyone and reconnect.

My reason for not writing... I just haven't been inspired. I've had a lot of downtime to relax, read, go to the beach, see the sunrise, visit boston for the beer marathon, spend time with my dog, and readjust back into my "american life." For the most part I've been pretty lazy, but it has been nice to not have anything pressing to do for a few weeks. So far I have loved being home, but I'm starting to feel the pull of... what's next? (Perhaps that's why I'm finally writing?)

If you don't know, I'm moving to Boston next week to start my job at Northeastern University working for the VP of Student Affairs. I worked there when I was a student so I know what I'm getting my self into and I'm looking forward to it. The plan is to go to grad school next year. I'm really looking forward to it, though I'm not in any rush.

People keep asking me if I'm going to continue writing and the truth is I haven't decided yet. Once I get settled in my new job and find a place to live (I'll be a nomad until September) then perhaps I'll make a decision. As I mentioned.. right now I'm just not too inspired. I suppose an 'end of my experience' recap is due, and I'm sure I will get to it. Who knows, maybe I'll want to write again tomorrow. I'll keep you all on your toes.

In the meantime, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for all of your support while I was gone. I definitely wouldn't have been able to get through everything without you. I am incredibly lucky to have such an amazing support system here, and I'm excited to be back and give back as much as I can to those who I now know (if I had any doubt before) will always be there. For those of you who wrote me constant (and sometimes the length of a short novel) emails... Thank you. For my parents who maybe didn't understand at first, but will always support whatever I decide to do... Thank you. For those of you who read every ridiculous thing I wrote in this blog... Thank you. For those of you in Boston who put together that amazing package that I finally received at my welcome home party... Thank you. For those of you who had to endure me on gchat/skype/etc. when I was homesick/sad/or any other emotions (and there were many)... Thank you. You know who you are, and I feel incredibly indebted to you. I hope you all know how appreciative I am not only to know you, but to have you as a constant in my life. If I learned anything (and there is a lot in this category...) the number one thing is that I have amazing people in my life, and I am incredibly lucky. I love you guys!

As for my write off's:

I just read: My Sister's Keeper. I don't want to talk about it. I don't know what all the hype is about and I don't really want to see the movie (but I will.) Not that it wasn't well written, I read it in about two days and enjoyed almost all of it, but the ending nearly killed me... and not in the good way. Read with caution.

Currently reading: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. While I was gone I started a list of books I wanted to read when I got home (no book store in Can Tho.) I completely forget where the recommendation for this came from, but I bought it nonetheless. Just starting it, so I can't say anything yet.

Currently listing to: Jack Johnson. His music will never get old. So relaxing, such good lyrics.

And as always, quote of the moment. This one is from Joey Comeau, the guy who writes the "comics" on ASofterWorld.com.

"When I talk about the literature and art that I like, I use the phrase, "good natured" a lot. Because what's better than being reminded of the good things in life? Watching the Muppet Show, and being reminded how great it is that friendship exists. Or reading Kurt Vonnegut and stumbling across, "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" I don't think that all art should be life-affirming or upbeat or anything like that, but man, you can't deny the pleasure of realizing how great it is to be alive and loved, once in a while."

Checking in from Hanoi!

I love everything about this city. Except the pollution, which is really everywhere just more apparent here, and the barganing, which is also everywhere except Can Tho. I've been in shell shock the past few days trying to get use to city life. It's a little bit ridiculous, but I have had some anxiety getting use to things. A lot of foreigners, a lot of English flying around. I'm officially done living by myself in the Delta and it has been hitting me hard. Luckily I'm staying with Kristen so I'm not going through the transition on my own. She has a lot of friends here and it is overwhelming to meet everyone, but once the anxiety settles I remember that that is what I love about Hanoi, and why last time I came to visit I wanted to move here. I still have that feeling.

I rented a bike, which is terrifying and definitely not something everyone could do, but since I have experience riding already I went for it, and it was a good idea because it is saving me a ton of money. Once I got past the initial "Wow, this is NOT the same as riding in Can Tho," it's actually not that bad. It's a great way to get to see the city. And staying with Kristen is nice because I am basically pretending that I live here, and I like it. (Mom & Dad- don't worry, I know what you're thinking, and I'm still coming home.) But they have a lot of non-profits here, so who knows.. maybe one day.

I've spent a lot of time catching up on sleep. I didn't even realize how much sleep I wasn't getting, but I certainly have needed a few days to get myself together. It's hot here, but not as hot as in the Delta yet, and Kristen's room is cool and there is a comfortor on the bed... I can sleep with a blanket again! And no mosquito net! It really is the little things in life...

So I'll be spending the next week here until Geoff comes to visit. Tomorrow I think we'll find a pool and just relax, and I've been doing a lot of reading. Finished Bill Bryson, which I've already raved about. Just read The Last Lecture (in about one day). If you like Mitch Albom, I'd highly recommend it. It's prety similar to Tuesday's with Morrie. I'm now reading A Return to Love, which I'd recommend if you like analyzing your life, thinking about spirituality, God, or looking for a change. It's a lot of ideas I'm already familiar with, but it has a little bit of a twist that I find intriguing. So far, so good.

Congrats to NU Class of '09! ...which is pretty much all of my friends in Boston. I just spent the last hour looking at all of your pictures, and I'm so proud! I wish I could have been there. It was weird only graduating with a few friends, Marg and I didn't go to ANY senior week events haha. Anyway, Congrats! I can't believe it's already May. I'll be home THIS MONTH. I'm not ready to leave. I know I say something different each time I mention that. Feel bad for the people (Geoff) that will be around me my last few days here. It's been a rollarcoaster of emotions.. but at least I'm consistant about that being true! I hope you are doing well, where ever you are reading this from! xoxo

I miss Louie.  What a great video! Yes, I know Louie as well as you can know anyone you've never talked to before. And yes, I already (and have for years) belong to said facebook group. I even know one of the guys in the video that works at the bike shop. I can't wait to be back in Boston. I loved seeing everyone in jackets. Remind me I said that when I'm complaining about how unreasonably cold Boston is.

Tomorrow is my last full day in Can Tho before leaving for vacation. I've been done teaching for a few days but I couldn't get a plane ticket until Saturday, so I've just been relaxing. I've started drawing, which might tell you how bored I am, but I'm really enjoying it.  I'm excited to travel and explore Vietnam as much as possible before leaving in less then one month! I'm ready to come home. I'll miss it more then I can explain, but I need to be back in real life with people I get along with on my level. 

The nights are starting to cool off a little bit, and I went for a great run tonight. I love the high you feel after you finish running... how you feel like you can't possibly go any further, and then you do, and when it's over it's just such a rush. I was never a particularly good runner, but I sure love that feeling and I would like to get back into it when I come home. We'll see. 

For now, Louie has inspired me. I'm going to go for a nice long bike ride tomorrow. 

Okay, I lied.

But did you really think I was going to write every day? I've been incredibly busy and extremely tired, so as usual, sorry for not keeping up with this! 

As of today.. I'm officially done! I still have one more class to finish grading, but I'll be handing my grades in on Monday, and then spending the next day or so saying my last goodbyes. To tell you the truth, I'm really ready to get out of here. The goodbyes are sad, but they're happy too. My students are so amazing, and they keep telling me they'll miss me and they wish me good health and happiness, and it's just a really refreshing goodbye. It's a happy goodbye. I feel like I've made an impression on their lives, and now it's time for a new teacher to come and teach them something else.

Another reason I might not be too sad is because after I'm done traveling I'm coming back here for a day or two to pick up my luggage, so I don't have that "last time" feeling, because I know I'll come and do everything one last time. I already have plans with some students for dinner while I'm back, and since I'll be with my friend Geoff, I plan on stopping at all of my favorite food places so he can have the full Can Tho experience. I'll be flying up to Hanoi next week, so the next few days are filled with more happy goodbyes, then I'll spend the next few weeks traveling. 

I'm getting really excited about coming home, I miss everyone so much. I spent last night looking at pictures on facebook (my favorite past time) and I'm just really ready to be back. I know I had an amazing time in Da Lat but after talking to my logical counterpoint I've realized that Vietnam will always be here, and I can always come back. I'm ready to be home now. But first... time to explore the rest of the country! 

I never told my stories of going to the countryside. Basically, one day I went for a motorbike ride to the province of Tra Vinh with Thao. It was about a three hour ride through the countryside, then we went to a pagoda, had lunch, had a coffee and rested in hammocks, and then drove three hours back! It was a beautiful ride, and I already put up pictures for you to enjoy! Then two days later was the Khmer New Year. How luck am I to have celebrated THREE New Years this year? If only I had resolutions..

Anyway, one of my students is half Khmer, and her hometown is in another province, Soc Trang, which is about two hours away. A group of her classmates were going to her home to celebrate the new year with her family. Apparently there is a large Khmer community in Soc Trang, as well as Cambodian temples. So we dove out there and spent the night at her house, and I had a slumber party with my students! It was two days full of too much food, but it was a lot of fun to be with a whole group of students. Usually it's just one student taking me home, but it was nice that a group of her friends went to her home and celebrated that part of her life. The next day after a large breakfast, even though I was still full from dinner the night before, her mother showed me a video of her niece (I think, the translations get confusing) getting married. The idea was to show me a Cambodian wedding, and it was really interesting to watch.. But then TWO DVD'S later, I was still sitting there watching it, not understanding the language, and now just watching the reception, which is literally hundreds of people just sitting around eating. Then I had lunch. Besides going home sick, as usual after a trip to the countryside, it was great to spend extra time with my students. Here, us at dinner! 

In other news, this week I met two new people. One day on my way to class it started to pour and I didn't have my poncho, so I was waiting under a little roof for the rain to stop and a student came up to me and started a conversation. She asked the normal questions, and then said that she sees me around campus all of the time but she was always to nervous to talk to me. I guess me standing in the rain, incapable of escaping from the situation, gave her the guts to go ahead. Anyway, her name is Nhan and she turned out to be really sweet so I gave her my number and we had dinner a few nights later. That night she sent me a text wishing me a good nights sleep. The next night she sent me a text saying sleep tight! Etc. The other day I was on a completely different part of campus and she ran up to me, incredibly excited, and asked to have dinner again. She is really sad that she waited so long to talk to me and that now I am leaving, and she really is nice (not a creeper, like the last guy, who I haven't heard from since then)  so I will see her once more before I leave. She's going to make me one of my favorite meals, so I'm not going to complain. 

The next girl accosted me on my daily morning walk to get coffee and pineapple. (You read that right, I'm averaging one pineapple a day.) She was not as successful as Nhan. It was too early. The conversation went something like this,

"Hello! Can I talk to you?"

"Sure."

"How long are you here."

"Actually, I'm leaving in a few days."

Silence.

"Can we talk." 

"Sure, but I have to get ready to teach." This was partly true. I did have to get ready for class. The fact that class wasn't for another four hours is irrelevant. 

"When do you leave?"

"In a few days." 

"Can we talk?" 

I could see that this was going nowhere, she wasn't a great speaker and I had to say everything a few times. Sometimes, I can take it. Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood. I ended up saying "nice to meet you!" and walking away.. it was as much as I could take. The past few days it has amazed me that I still get starred at every single day. Even on campus, the place I go to get bubble tea every day (yes, almost every day) there are people who are still seeing me for the first time and point and stare. It doesn't bother me anymore, but I just think, where have you been the past nine months!?

Well, I'm off to finish grading. I'll write again before I leave for my trip!!

Note: Since I know you all care about my every move, I added another photo album about said trips to the country side that I will write about soon. I also added my youtube link. I listen to music on youtube all of the time and save my favorite songs, so I thought I'd share. Some of them I like the song, some the video, some are really random. Enjoy!

Quick update: 

Yesterday it was 39 degrees. Thao told me that this month has been the hottest month in ten years. I'm not sure where she got the statistics or if it's true.. but it's still pretty ridiculous. She followed that up with the fact that it will probably be hotter over the next few days. Sweet. To be honest, it's actually not that bad anymore. I do sweat profusely and I'm tired all of the time, but I've definitely become accustom to it and besides the two things I've just mentioned, I generally don't care anymore. Almost done with my time in Can Tho, which means that even though I'll still be in Vietnam, I won't have to be in long pants, etc. and I will probably even spend some time at the beach! ONE MORE WEEK OF TEACHING LEFT. Completely ridiculous. I'm basically done... just finals and grading, and having dinner parties with my students. I'm completely booked over the next week and a half. I've had a very busy few days and I will write all about them (trips to the countryside!) in my next post.

Just one reason why I now hate English.

I came across this question and it's one of the best I've heard in a while: What is one thing you've learned recently that has blew your mind? It takes the WhiteHotTruth's idea of "I'm loving..." to a whole new level. So I wanted to share a few things I've recently found and ask you to do the same.

1) Anis Mojgani & Slam Poetry. I don't know anything about slam poetry, but I recently came across this video and it blew my mind. He's incredible. I love all three of these poems. I also love this one. Not that I'm a newfound slam poetry fan.. but I would vote for Anis Mojgani any day. 

2) The religion/ spirituality debate. I've been spending a lot of time defining things for myself, coming to terms with my past, and looking towards others to open myself up to new ideas. I've recently gotten into a few debates with some friends, and I've since noticed that everyone around me is talking about it. Whitney's last blog post mentioned her thoughts, and Ben Casnocha just mentioned some of his. I'm blown away by the intensity of the people I'm close to, as well as, God or no God, how strong people can be in their beliefs. If only we were a world open enough to talk about it without fear of who's listening. I came across SoulPancake, founded by Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute) and I've found some great debates. Some people write ridiculous things, as always happens with an open forum, but some of the ideas are well justified and I'm starting to love a good argument. So check out those links and if you'd like, send some of your thoughts my way!

3) The Universe. I stand strong in my belief of the Law of Attraction, but the more I learn about the Universe the more I am blown away. I'm currently reading BIll Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, and it's just incredible. Granted, I think I learned most of this in school, but I didn't retain any of it, so Bryson's book is a great book for me right now. The fact that in terms of the size of the universe we are so incredibly, incredibly insignificant constantly blows me away. "The bottom line is that life is amazing and gratifying; perhaps even miraculous, but hardly impossible - as we repeatedly attest with out own modest existences." - Bill Bryson. This also reminds me of one of my favorite movies, What the Bleep Do We Know: Down the Rabbit Hole. If you're at all interested in the metaphysical world, watch this movie. It will blow your mind!

I wanted to share with you one more quote that I just found and love. I've been talking with a friend about doing good, and how even if we as one person make small changes in our every day lives we will make a difference. I was on a kick with this before I left and I can't wait to get back into it. Volunteering, taking canvas bags to the grocery store, turning off lights and electricity whenever possible. It really is the little things. Anyway, I found this quote and it made me smile.  "If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never shared a bed with a mosquito." 

Okay, I'm off to create a final for my pronunciation class, which is giving me a headache. Expect an update soon about my past few days! 

Yesterday I was walking home from a coffee shop when I guy pulled up next to me on his motorbike and says "Hello!" I said Hello back and continued to ride away. (This is perfectly normal.) However, two minutes later he came back from the other direction and the same exact thing happened. I thought hmm that was weird, but didn't think much else of it. Then, he came back again, this time stopping for a longer conversation. And it was perhaps one of the strangest I've had in a while. It went as follows:

"Can we talk?" (him)

"Sure! How are you? (me)

Silence, awkward smile. I'm still walking, and he's still following my on his bike.

"Are you a student?" (him)

"No, I teach English at the University."

"I went there. But don't tell anyone about me."

"Umm.. okay." 

More silence. Then he drove away. Sure enough, he came back from the other way yet again.

"Can we talk?" (him)

"Sure! How are you?"

"Can I have your number?" 

"Okay. Maybe we can get coffee." (This is normal, giving my number to complete strangers and meeting them for coffee, not as creepy as it might sound to you.)

"Okay, but I don't want to meet at the University. I don't want to see anyone."

"Okay, maybe we can meet right here." 

"Alright, but don't tell anyone about me."

Then he drove away.

Sure enough he did call me the next day (three times, also normal) but I was teaching and conveniently forgot to call him back. Ahh Vietnam.

If you watch 30 Rock, please watch this. Hilarious. If you don't watch 30 Rock, you probably should. 

I added a picture album of some of my adventures with Kristen, including the beautiful pool we spent the day at and some pictures of Da Lat. Enjoy!

Quote of the day:

We shall not cease from exploration.

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started.

And know the place for the first time. -T.S. Elliot

 

I'm failing to keep you all informed of my incredible life. 

To sum it up, I don't want to ever leave this place. Well, I do want to come home and see everyone, and I'm really looking forward to everything everyone is already planning (most of it has to do with food, and that's really exciting) but I'm second guessing my plan. I'm not second guessing Boston, I love Boston and I really do miss living there. But I'm questioning my decision to settle there for a few years. I can't imagine not coming back here, I can't even really imagine not living here. I'm not ready to get caught up in the American way of life. Not permanently anyway. So if you talk to me over the next two weeks (TWO WEEKS LEFT!) expect me to be slightly crazy.

I'm going to try (really this time) to give you more of a day to day update. I keep noticing and appreciating some amazing things happening around me and I want to try to document as much as possible. To catch you up to today.. Kristen moved in here for a few weeks. It has been great to have someone to talk to, spend time with, going around the city with. She taught here last year and even though I've been here for 9 months, she has been places I haven't, so we've been showing each other around. We've gone bike riding as much as possible, stopping at different coffee shops we've never been to and found some new places to eat. One day I had off and we found a beautiful hotel with a pool and it cost about $6, but it was worth it. (Notice that $6 seems like a big day of spending.) It has been great to see Can Tho through a new set of eyes. I'm just trying to appreciate everything as much as possible. Even the incredibly hot weather.. I've always loved summer and always hated winter, so I should be soaking all of this up. So I am. We've been spending some mornings sitting outside, going for more bike rides. I'm actually getting the tan that I assumed I would have had months ago. All of the hardest days in the world can't compare to how amazing Vietnam is. 

Last weekend I had a small vacation, and Kristen and I went to Da Lat. Da Lat is in Central Vietnam (about 11 hours north of Can Tho) and we went to represent Teachers for Vietnam and meet with the University there and see if we could open a post for next year. I had an amazing time. I wasn't expecting anything, I didn't know anything about the city or the school, and as usual, I was blown away. The city is beautiful. It's in the mountains, there is cool, fresh air, and everyone we met was incredibly nice, spoke English really, really well and spoke highly of the University. The campus was beautiful, the people we met with were incredibly nice guys and I had no trouble at all picturing myself there. I don't know.. it's only been a few days and I haven't really gotten a good nights sleep since then, so its a very very new, probably passing thought. But it's really making me think. I'm sure these are natural transitional thoughts.. but I haven't actually transitioned yet. I knew once I was home for a little while and the initial enthusiasm about seeing everyone wore off, I would miss Vietnam. But I haven't even left yet! Regardless, I'm incredibly excited to finally travel around Vietnam and see the rest of the country. Not that it will help with this problem at all, but it will be a really great trip. Until then, I will spend the next two weeks creating finals and grading a million things and spending as much time with my friends and students as possible. I'm looking forward to everything ahead, and leaving it at that. One day at a time right?

I am looking forward to seeing everyone. It's amazing how many relationships have gotten stronger since I've been gone. Even some that started off shaky, or not at all, seem to have evolved into closer than before. I'm constantly surprised by people. It's a really nice, refreshing feeling to be surprised by people instead of feeling let down all of the time. I've let go of so many things,its kind of ridiculous how easy things are when you when prioritize them. Decide what matters most. That's been my mantra these past few weeks. 

Enjoy this video. Thanks to Ashley for finding that, it made my day. We could talk about the moral dilemma I have that 1) These parents are not only playing Lil John for their children, but clearly enough times so they know it well enough to choreograph to all of the derogatory parts, and 2) The parents are not only encouraging the ridiculousness (I know, not a word) but taping them for the joy of posting them online to show all of their friends, and millions of people who don't even know their children. This seriously bothers me, but I don't even care, because I did enjoy it... it made me laugh and now I'm sharing it with you. Reason number 70842 why I hate the internet. 

The mosquitoes are back, and in FULL force. I don't know why, but ever since I've been back from Da Lat (about three days) I've accumulated about 100 bites. I wish I was over exaggerating, but I'm just not. I counted twenty on one foot before I got fed up and stopped counting. I remember one of my first posts or maybe an email to my dad that said "It's so bad.. I just want to cut my feet off." That's how I feel right now. That is clearly the only thing that will give me relief. Only now its worse, because it's my legs, my arms, and my hands. I don't know what's going on. I think they know I'm leaving and they want to get as much of me as possible. Thao keeps saying "They love you so much!" It's true, and it's not flattering at all. 

Quote of the day:

"I could tell you my adventures - beginning from this morning," said Alice,  "But it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then." - Alice in Wonderland.

A great shot of photos from Earth Hour. I hope you participated! I was at a fellow professors house with the other foreign teachers and we had dinner over candle light! Besides there being no power for fans and everyone sweating profusely, it was a nice experience. 

A new music video that you should watch, and pass on to people you know. The song is Blood into Gold by Peter Buffet, featuring Akon, and it pinpoints the issue of human trafficking and slavery. Please pass along. Remember, this is happening everywhere. "The slavery of millions is our burden. If we do nothing, all of us are less free." 

Congratulations to one of my very best friends and her wonderful boyfriend, Erica & Phil, for recently getting engaged! I couldn't be happier for the two of you, and I can't wait to be back to celebrate. I officially have three weddings to attend and am assuming that this is only the beginning. Welcome to adult life! 

4 weeks of teaching left! Except a update soon. xoxo.

It's funny because it's true.

I'm alive! I've been on a roller coaster of emotions these past few weeks, so I haven't really been inspired to update my blog. I apologize! I only have five weeks of teaching left, so things are crazy. I am sad and happy and I want to go home now and I want to stay forever and I've been kind of sick and (most of all) the heat is killing me. Apparently it's not even that bad.. but I'm not sure how much longer I can handle this. I'm just constantly uncomfortable and sweaty. Gross! I also have a slight case of senioritis, but it's worse as a teacher because instead of a few classes to be sick of, I have 200 hundred students that I'm responsible for. My brain has checked out in the lesson-planning department, which drags things on for quite a while. But other then that, everything overall is great! 

Whitney and Nikki came and went. It flew by so fast! You can see a slight recap on Whitney's blog, but as I say all the time.. it's pretty indescribable. It was great to see them, although I think the vacation put a jumpstart on my senioritis. We spent a few days in Saigon, and then they came to Can Tho and we lounged on the hammocks and played games with my students. They did a great job learning the language... I was so proud of them for trying so hard! They could have had me do everything for them but they wanted to try, and they learned a lot in only one week! Nikki took about 200 pictures, but I haven't seen them yet, and my camera broke so I don't have very many. For now here is a picture of them straight from the airport and thrown onto the back of a motorbike, and one of us (with An!) at Xe Loi, the only place to 'go out' in Can Tho:

I was inspired to write tonight because I had a ridiculously Vietnamese twenty four hours, and since I haven't written in so long I thought you would enjoy this story. I woke up on Saturday morning, after an unusually late friday night, and remembered I was going to the countryside with my friend Thao. (Not one of my students, but the one I baked chocolate chip cookies and pies with!) After pulling myself together I took a xe om (motorbike taxi) to Thao's, because she lives on the other side of town and there was no way I was riding my bicycle there in the mid-day heat. Xe om drivers like to pretend they know where they are going just so you will choose, and therefore pay, them, but sometimes drive in circles until they magically find the place. This was my drive to Thao's. Luckily I had been there before (on baking day!) so with my slight memory and his slight knowledge I eventually found the place, but it wan't easy. (Sidenote: I haven't had any minutes on my phone for about a week. I'm tired of being attached to it, but I'm also really low on money so I'm just not motivated to buy more. People can call me and send me texts but I can't text back or make calls. This is what made finding Thao's house almost impossible.) So anyway, I made it and we walked to the ferry. The ferry is the only way into Can Tho (for now.. they are building a bridge, which I have previously written about before, which will make Can Tho way more accessible and even more touristy, but for now it's still a ferry ride to the next province.) I've never walked on the ferry before, I usually take a bus to wherever I am going, so it was new experience. Motorbikes try to push through as fast as they can to get a spot and if you are walking you really have to watch your step. If you are wearing shorts (which I was) you have to be extra careful because the exhaust thing on the side of the bike WILL burn your leg, and that is how close they are to you. I made it unscathed, but then had to climb over a few (literally climb) to get to the stairs to find Thao, who clearly had done this before. When we got off of the ferry we had to walk to the public bus (still the in midday heat) and I was literally dripping sweat. So, we sit down at a side-of-the-road coffee shop and just as I start to drink my drink a bus rolls (yes, rolls) up and she grabs her bag and says "Oh they're not going to stop!" And I had to jump onto the bus that was slowly rolling by. I've never actually rode a public bus in Vietnam before, so that was an experience. There was no air conditioning, which I was dying for, but we saved a lot more money not taking a tour company bus and the open windows actually provided a nice breeze. 

After you get off of the ferry you are officially in Vinh Long, but we drove about an hour into it to arrive at Thao's family's house. We got dropped of at a bus stop (the bus did stop then) and waited to get picked on by some of her cousins. When I got to their house, although I picked up cues on the bus ride, I realized we were attending her cousin's wedding. I remembered her mom inviting me last time I saw her, but I also made plans to go to the countryside with Thao separately, and I did not put the two and two together. Welcome to being blindsided in Vietnam. Upon arriving Thao and I sat down at a table and were served about a four course meal... four full meals, for two people. I've already gone on about how I get force-fed, but especially in the country side they cook an incredible amount of food, and especially for weddings.  The first course was obviously a soup with a mixture of things in it, but when I asked what it was the translation was "mixed soup." I had no idea what was in it, although I thought I tasted bacon which is strange because I haven't found any bacon since I've been here (pork, all of the time, but not in bacon form..) Then the next meal was a mixture of vegetables, which I had had before, so no shock there. Then a plate of meat comes our with bread and I get excited because I love bread, and all of the sauces are homemade and great for dipping. While already full from the first two meals, I eat some bread in this gravy, while I'm staring at how good the meat looks. After a while the meant went untouched so I had to ask about it... and thank god I did. It was pig stomach and tongue. I shivered a little just writing that. Since I had been staring at it for the last ten minutes I immediately felt nauseous and could no longer eat. Right when I thought I was going to be forced to eat it they offered me beef, and although I couldn't think of stomaching anything else, I accepted, because that meant I wouldn't have to eat whatever was in front of me. Crisis averted. 

The rest of the afternoon we went to this separate island with Thao's mom, uncle, and cousins, which included another ferry ride, a nice motorbike ride through the countryside, and a tour of a fruit garden, where I had to continue to eat all of the fruit they were picking. After this I was so full I wanted to cry, incredibly hot, and extremely tired, still from the night before plus an exhausting day of eating. We went back to the house and I believe I took a short nap, and then had to get up and go to the party for the wedding, where again I ate five full meals. I've been having some stomach trouble anyway so after that I was pretty miserable, and luckily was able to go to bed around nine.

At 5AM I was woken up and told to get ready for the ceremony, which was at 6AM. There I was given cafe sua da, which use to be my favorite coffee, but I can't drink anymore. No more condensed milk for this American. So, still sick from the night before, I felt worse. Then after the ceremony we went on a bus back to Can Tho to the grooms house. All Vietnamese weddings have two ceremonies, one honoring each family (neither of which I can see or understand.) Then SURPRISE is the reception. What happens at a reception? EVERYONE EATS. And please don't forget that it's only 9Am, and these are not "breakfast foods" these are full meals that could be served for dinner. I looked at the menu and saw a list of six coursed and felt sick just reading it. I finally had to tell Thao that I really didn't think I could handle this I was feeling really sick. (I also had not showered or changed my clothes from the sweaty day I had before, and everyone else was dressed up and I felt out of place (as if being the only white person wasn't enough.) So she promised me I wasn't going to be forced to eat anything. Well the woman sitting next to me felt otherwise, and immediately filled up my bowl to the rim with a mixture of fried foods (still 9AM.) After the third meal I asked Thao if I could get a ride home. I thought about faking sick but then I actually felt really sick. It's now 9PM and I still feel really sick. Thao said something to the affect of "I know, every time I come to the countryside they always make me eat so much!" And my response was "Yeah that happens to me every time I'm in Vietnam." I'm not sure she fully grasped my sarcasm, but she did find me a ride home. 

Not to make it sound like I had a terrible time. On the contrary, it was great. I just wanted to describe in full detail toe ins-and-outs of a pretty typical weekend. Thao's family was incredibly nice and welcoming. Her third uncle (co ba -literally means third uncle, so instead of "Uncle Randy" or "Uncle Ray" their names are uncle two, etc., in order of their birth) Anyway, he worked in the Navy on America's side during the war and he spoke broken English. He said he learned then but he hasn't spoken it since then, so it was exciting for me to have him feel comfortable to speak with me. I only understood about half of what he said, but that's where Thao's translating comes in. So overall, it was a really great time, and a lot of fun.. I'm just not sure I ever want to eat anything again.

Well I hope that keeps you amused for a little while. I'll try to keep writing even if it's only a little bit, I haven't forgotten about you I've just been preoccupied with other things!!  I'm trying my best to keep up with your letters but I've had a lot lately so I'm sorry if you haven't heard from me. I'll try harder! :-)