I'm pretty sure I've read everything there is to read on the internet. Everyone around me is vacationing and I really need to find something else to do.

I like this.

For Being Smart Again. And Sexy Again. And Optimistic Again.

And this.

A really neat video, and I like the song too. 

And this, obviously.

Sometimes I think I born in the wrong generation.

I find out sometime this weekend (I hope!) If I have visitors coming next month. The suspense is killing me. I also am awaiting a package from Boston, going on two months now, that I will hopefully get this week. Since I don't know what is in it, but have heard from multiple people that it's really good, that suspense is also killing me. 

I think the lady that does my laundry has been stealing some of my clothes. How to confront her about this, since we don't speak the same language, should be interesting. Thats on my to-do list. 

I'm sad I'm going to miss the superbowl. Since I really don't like football, and have trouble following it, what I mean is that I'm sad I'm not going to be hanging out with the boys eating a lot of food and making them turn on the puppy bowl during halftime.

Paulo Coehlo posted the first two chapters of his upcoming book on his blog. The third one will be up next week. I'm not sure how many he's going to post, but it's worth starting if you're interested.

I'm trying to learn new things in this world of the internet. So far: 1) Google Reader is a great invention. If there are a lot of blogs that you follow daily (besides mine, I mean) it really makes things easy for you. 2) Twitter does not make any sense to me, and I question the need to know what everyone is thinking at any given moment. No I don't have an account. 3) I still have a love/hate relationship with facebook. Last night I went through and "defriended" people that I don't ever talk to, won't ever need to talk to (aka, I kept some for networking purposes), or met one night that I barely remember. I have only ever defriended ex boyfriends, which is one of those "it seemed like a good idea at the time" ideas, but it always makes something in the future awkward. Defriending people you don't even know is so much easier, and I recommend it.

I've been downloading a lot of music lately, and finding some great things. Started listening to Regina Spektor, who has a very quirky thing going on that I love. It kills me how much music there is out there, and how easy it is to find/get. If you have anything to share with me pleaseeee do.

I start teaching again next week. Then only three months of teaching! I can't believe how fast timing is flying by. Yet at the same time, time here moves so  s l o w l y. It's like island time, only slower. Once I start teaching and people I know are back in Can Tho, I will be thankful for this. This week it's been killing me though. I miss having annoying conversations and repeating the same things over and over again. In front of where I live there are always a handful of xe om (motorbike) drivers and whenever I walk outside they all try to flag me down, which happens at least once a day since I have to walk across the street to go to the market. None of them ever speak english, but I had a great conversation yesterday...

(driver) "Alo! How are you!?"

(me) "Good! How are you?"

Silence.

(driver) "I love you!"

Ah Vietnam, the land where I am loved, and definitely needed for English teaching purposes. 

Jo took this picture out of her apartment window and sent it to me the other day. I always hated winter, but this makes me miss things a lot. New appreciation for the change of seasons. 

Rant of the week: 

Vietnamese people have an amazing ability to make you feel terrible about yourself in the nicest way possible. It's ironic because on a daily basis they also make you feel like you are a queen, and it seems there is no middle ground. Example: My roommate, one of the sweetest people I have ever met, looks at me with the most genuine smile while she tells me that I have gained weight since I have been here.  They don't mean to be insulting, they are just very blunt, and there comes a point when you want to scream at them for so politely pointing out all of your flaws, but you can't because they are simply stating the facts, and like I said, in the most polite way possible. It's a very strange thing to learn to accept. But at the same time they are always telling you how amazing you are and waiting on you hand and foot, and it is much like being a celebrity/politician, but where is the middle line? Why can't I just be ignored on a daily basis like everyone in America who generally disregards everyone around them? 

Second rant of the week:

It is generally considered rude to not eat what is given to you when at dinner with Vietnamese, especially in their home. When I went to my friend Kieu's house with my roommates, I was startled that I didn't recognize anything on the table, except for the centerpiece of a chicken, was was easy to label because it had the claws and everything. I've gotten incredibly good at trying things I don't understand, even though not knowing freaks me out. But the one thing to remember is to never finish your plate, unless you want seconds, because they will always give you more. I was serious about the being waiting on constantly, every time I put something in my mouth, it seemed to have been replaced before I went back for another bite. The problem comes, well MY problem comes, when I am full. They seem to just not care. After I ate more then my fair share of the meal, I was stuffed, and so was everyone else at the table. But then comes the fruit (fruit is custom after every meal) and they say it's not filling, which I understand, but they were saying they were full and making me eat it! I said "I'm full too!" A million times and it was like they didn't even hear me. THEN came candies and chocolate. (Candy is eaten a lot at this time of year, to bring in a "sweet new year." But the fact that I didn't/ couldn't stomach anything more was irrelevant. Followed by sunflower seeds, which we seemed to be eating just for something to do. None of this would have been that bad, if I didn't have to go to a second dinner with Thao and her friends, but I did. And then my roommates (the ones constantly feeding me) wonder why I'm gaining weight. It's all so ridiculous.

Well anyway, it's officially a new year. It is kind of nice to get another chance for resolutions, just in case you messed up the first three weeks, here's a chance to start over. It's the year of the Ox, and there has been a lot of celebrating around here. A few customs: Tet usually lasts around 15 days. There are fireworks on New Years Eve, which I mentioned, and the three days following are days of celebration. The first day is reserved for your family, when you all get together and eat a lot of food. The second day is for friends and the third day is for teachers, which is today, and I am going to Thao's house tonight with Julia, Alice, and Alice's parents who are visiting, it should be a nice time. Before Tet, all of your debts must be paid off (great custom, if you ask me) children usually get "lucky money" which is a red envelope (red is the color of good luck) with new money in it, and as the name says, it's known to be lucky. Children also get new outfits, and as was custom in the past, although the new generations have succumb to "Western ways" everyone turns a year older at Tet. Most of my students celebrate their own birthdays nowadays, but some of the older generations don't even know when their "Birth day" is, they just turn a year older in the new year. They also completely clean their house (think spring cleaning) and decorate it with things that bring good luck and fortune. There are a million "good luck things", like a butterfly flying into your house, and whoever is the first to walk through your door in the New Year is suppose to determine the rest of the year. My first guest was Thao's friend Anh, who drove me home after the fireworks, and everyone giggled because a boy was the first person to enter my house. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but they said don't worry, it's good (giggle). 

Don't let the rants through you, I'm having a great time. I start teaching next week and I'm happy to be done with vacation, because I feel like I haven't done anything in a verry long time. I have had a ton of time to read and write though, and I've found some really interesting things online. The latest blog I've added is Ben Casnocha, a very young, (and very good looking, which is irrelevant) entrepreneur. He touches on a lot of interesting points, and he knows how to speak to my generation, so it helps me relate to 'the business world' in a different way. He's worth checking out. 

I've been listening to classical music and jazz, and it's been a great switch. I like it because I can listen to it while I read all of these blogs/random things I'm finding on the internet and I'm not distracted (lyrics completely steal my attention and its hard to read something worth paying attention to while singing) My friend just sent me a Ravi Coltrane album, which you should check out of you're into Jazz. And a little Mozart never hurt anyone...

A text message I received from one of my students, one of the many wishing me 'good luck & prosperity' as well as 'longevity and happiness.' This one was worth sharing:

"Wishing you one year of happiness, 12 months of fun, 52 weeks of gladness, 365 days of success, 8760 hours of good health and 525600' lucky, 31536000s usual. HAPPY NEW YEAR." 

:-)

Added a few new pictures, enjoy! 

Quote for the day; our president. 

"The victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other."

A few things to start. Although feeding the elephant might be my favorite picture ever, I thought I should keep changing it. This was in Sapa, when An and I climbed a mountain, and that was our tour guide! I also recently updated my favorite websites & songs, as well as adding some pictures. I wanted to share some of my pictures from Jamaica, which was my first life-changing vacation. If you're reading this and don't know: I spent my last spring break in Jamaica with a group of students from Northeastern on what is called Alternative Spring Break. Being the "Team Leader," I helped plan a trip to St. Elizabeth where we built a playground at a primary school. We also spent the week teaching the kids some of their lessons and endlessly playing with them. Not only is Jamaica absolutely beautiful, but the hospitality we received from the families in this parish, who are among some of the poorest in Jamaica, opened my eyes to so many things, and humbled everyone on our trip. There were tears in everyones eyes when we left, and I know no one on that trip will be the same. We worked with the non profit VIJON, if you're interested in more information. I'm happy to say that NEU is sending a group of students back to work with VIJON again, and that one of the students from my group is the new Team Leader! I can't wait to hear what they accomplish. Anyway, this was what really pushed me over the edge to do whatever I can to help, and to see as much of the world as financially possible. So I hope you enjoy the pictures! 

I think you should:

Listen to: 1) the new Andrew Bird album, Noble Beast. One of the better things I've heard in a while. (Dad- I think you'll like it!) 2) Chris Cornell - anything acoustic/live. He's my latest obsession.

Read: 1) The Alchemist. I found it incredibly easy to read and follow. Great story about following your dreams, everything Paulo Coehlo lives up to. He is coming out with a new book soon, I'm pretty excited. Check out his blog, and read the entry of his comments on the new book, The Winner Stands Alone. It sounds like I'll love it. 2) Revolutionary Road. Actually, I didn't like this one. However, I've heard great things about the movie, so you might want to read it before/after and decide for yourself. I'm betting I'll like the movie a lot more. 3)I've started reading Sense & Sensibility. I found a SMALL section of English books at the local bookstore, all of them classics, and I realized I've never read Jane Austin. I'm about halfway through it, it takes me a lot longer to read then Paulo Coehlo, but I absolutely love the language, and the romance. It's keeping me occupied.

Watch: 1) Blood Diamond. I think Leo gets better with every movie he does, but this was just an amazing movie. I also watched some of "The making of" and it's so interesting how they filmed it with real children (as opposed to actors, not fake children) and were able to educate them about it at the same time. Anyway, definitely worth watching. 2) The Prestige, One of those movies where you can't get up to go to the bathroom or you'll miss something, and one that you have to watch again to figure everything out. I'm still thinking about it. 

Life in Vietnam. Well last weekend I had a great American weekend. It was Alice's birthday, so Frank came up and we had a party. We made mojitos (mm) and she made homemade chocolate chip cookies (she brought baking soda back from America, and they were perhaps the most delicious I've ever had.) We also introduced my two favorite American drinking games, Beer Pong and Flip Cup. Although some of my students were there, and it was slightly embarrassing, we tried our best to teach everyone how to play. Flip cup ended terribly (some people just can't flip cups!) and beer pong was a lost cause because there were no specific teams, and we all know that I get angry when the rules are not adhered to. Regardless, I was incredibly happy to play for the first time since August. It's the little things. We spent the next night playing Kings (my least favorite drinking game) and then went out dancing, and it was a good old American-college weekend.

The two days after that I went to Rach Gia. It is a province about three hours away from Can Tho. Our friend Frank teaches there, so he showed me around. I actually really like it there. It's less of a city then Can Tho, but still pretty big. And a little cleaner.. mostly I think because there is less traffic. It was a relaxing few days though, bike riding, eating delicious food, the normal Vietnam days, just in a new place, which I'm hoping to do more of. You could tell there were a lot less foreigners in Rach Gia because i got about a million more stares then I usually do. I don't think you can truly understand what I mean by this... people actually just stare at you. Some of them smile, but even then you cant be sure what they're thinking, because its culturally known that some Vietnamese smile when they are nervous, not happy. Anyway we sat down by the river and people literally would stop their motorbikes right next to us and stare. I would say "Wanna make bets on how long they will stay there?" It's ridiculous! I thought it must be what being a celebrity is like. A few people stopped to talk to us, and one girl came up to me with her cell phone and asked if she could take a picture of me. That turned into a photoshoot: Me and her, Frank and her, the three of us together, us with her friend. It's completely nerve-wracking, I wonder how quickly those pictures get forwarded to all of her friends and passed around the internet, I will never know. Note to self: I could never be a celebrity. Although Frank mentioned that its close to being a politician, which I have to agree with. Everyone wants something from you, but mostly they just want to be in your presence. Invite you out with their friends just to say that you were there with them, and you have pictures to prove it. While it is really, really annoying sometimes, I can't imagine what it will be like to walk down the street and NOT be noticed. Another reason going home is going to be hard to adjust to.

I stayed there an extra night to watch the inauguration because my hotel room had a tv. This turned out to be quite the ordeal. Just as it goes in Vietnam, if you're having a great day and have high expectations for the evening (ie. being able to watch the inauguration) something will not work out in your favor. To make a long story short, we finally found a TV that showed it, at 11:30pm, but it was a French TV station. So yes, I watched in inauguration as it was overdubbed in French. Quite the experience. I was able to listen to most of it, some of it got lost in translation (HA!) but there is always youtube for that. It was a pretty funny experience. It was nice just to watch it and feel a little bit closer to home, part of history, even though I'm half way across the world. 

Then I took a mini vacation to Phu Quoc, which is an island in south Vietnam, although it is very close to Cambodia and apparently they want ti claim it as theirs, but it's not. I rode the SuperDong (insert own joke here, the boat really is called the SuperDong, and I really did have to ride it to get to the island) about 2 1/2 hours from Rach Gia. I stayed in a cute little bungalow on the beach, and just relaxed (and got a tan!) for a few days. The water was actually a lot dirtier then I had expected it to be, so for my last day I went to a different side of the island and it was absolutely beautiful. After my trip to the islands in Thailand, I think I'm a little bit spoiled, because I'm not sure anything can compare. But it was a beautiful island, and had I gone there first I would of thought it was absolutely amazing.. I'm just a little spoiled now. I'll put up pictures soon, but hopefully I'll go there at least one more time, it's easy to get too, just a little expensive (relatively.)

Last weekend one of my students, Duy, aka Tiny Cat (they choose their own English names..) took my back to his hometown for the day. It was about a 2 hour motorbike ride to the province of Vinh Long, which is right next to Can Tho. I love going to the country side, it is so beautiful and a nice change of pace from Can Tho. I met his ENTIRE family.. as is custom to Vietnam, you don't move far away from your family. A whole row of houses consisted of his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother, a 92 year old blind woman who was incredibly happy just to touch my arm. It was a really nice day. Duy's mom made a delicious meal, and he taught me some Vietnamese! He has the most beautiful garden in his backyard and I got a lot of fruit to take home, picked right off the trees! The country side reminds me a lot of Jamaica, and then I realized.. thats just because it's a countryside in a tropical location. Anyway, beautiful. Unfortunately I forget my camera, but they took a few pictures of me with the family I'm hoping he will send me.  

I've also spent some time touring more of Can Tho with my friend Thao, who I have mentioned many times before. I also forgot my camera for this trip, but it was really nice. She showed me a famous pagoda, and there were kids practicing dragon dancing in front of it, which i love. We also went to this French colonial house, which has been featured in movies, and I forget the details of it, but I'm hoping to go back with my camera one day because it was beautiful. 

So, thats a sum of my life recently. Today is New Years Eve, and tomorrow starts Tet. I have a few plans for the next few days, so after it all wraps up I will write a little about the Chinese New Year! I hope everyone is well. xoxo.

Bono wrote an op-ed piece for the NYTimes. I don't care what you say, I like him. Read here. 

I also read this interesting article and I wanted to know what you thought about it (Doug?) I don't know how I feel about religion and for some very specific reasons I don't really care to figure it out right now, but I have to be curious about this. I think some people, especially the young professionals this seems to target, want something to believe in, no matter what it is. But is this it? It seems to me like it would be too easy to belong to a group of people, and not necessarily what the group is based on... but then again, if it works for someone, where is the harm in that? I'm choosing whole-heartedly not to get into how I really feel about that, but I want to hear your opinion.

In other news, The New York Philharmonic is going to Vietnam for their next tour for the first time ever! It looks like a started a trend huh? 

Yes I spent the entire night on NYTimes.com.

How can you not love Asia? 

Watch this. I've never actually seen this, but i did actually laugh out loud while watching this video.

And this.  At first this might be overwhelming, but watch it a few times and notice how smoothly everything actually works out. It's unbelievable. I was re-reading my orientation packing from CTU, and thought this was worth sharing: 

Road Rules:

Basically, there aren't any. The biggest vehicles win, by default. Be particularly careful about children on the road - you'll see kids playing hopscotch or football in the street. In cities there is a rule that you can turn right on a red light. Jaywalking is common here. 

I'd like to add: Turning left on a red light is also common. And in my opinion, a lot easier. 

Things I remembered I forgot:

1) I received another gift from my university. Just in case you don't remember the first one, it was for Woman's Day, and inside a plastic bag I received a bag of pasta, a can of condensed milk, and a bag of sugar. This time it was for Teachers Day, (which was in November, but I just received in my mailbox after being on vacation) and it was.... drumroll please: 

A bar of soap, and some cheese.

If I didn't love Vietnam before, I definitely love Vietnam now. There's not much else to say about that. Just another "Only in Nam" story. 

2) Mosquitoes are nesting EVERYWHERE. Since I've been back it's been worse then ever, and the other girls have confirmed this, so I'm not just going crazy. Every time I move something a million mosquitoes fly out of it. They like dark things/places, and that has always been true, but I'm wondering why there are so many of them right now. Maybe because the weather is cooler? I thought there would be more when it was more humid? My roommates told me that the females bite, and the males are the ones that nest, so in theory I don't have anything to worry about. In practice, its terrible and I wish they would disappear. 

3) Another Only in Nam story (which could be changed to "Things I Never Thought I'd Say" : last night my roommate accidentally killed a toad. They usually hop around the house all the time, although lately I haven't seen them as much. They don't do any harm, and I have it in my mind that they probably kill insects that I don't want around, so we never do anything to them, and they generally stay out of our way. Well last night one of my roommates opened the door to the outside bathroom, and it happened so fast she smashed the toad and killed it and screamed. She actually started crying and it turned into a little situation. Being a Buddhist, she is against killing animals, and i had to convince her that it was just an accident and it was okay. The whole ordeal didn't last longer then five minutes, but I thought it was worth sharing. 

4) Watch this video. Great story, great interview, great film.

"Whatever you do, do it for peace." 

Since I've been back in Vietnam, I've had many instances where I am literally thinking about how I'm going to write this in my blog when I get home, but once home, I'm usually at a loss for words. I've been struggling with how to explain some of my "every day life" situations to people who have never been here. It's much like taking pictures. As you can tell, I take a million pictures everywhere I go, but looking at them never does the subject any justice. Part of what is so amazing about being here is that I do get to share it with you, but its the hardest part to fulfill because no matter how many pictures I show you or how many stories I write, it will never describe exactly how I felt at that moment. For example, being in Kuala Lumpur, standing next to the Petronas Towers, which were the worlds tallest buildings until 2004, and are now the tallest twin buildings in the world. I took a million pictures and posted my favorites, but will you ever know how it felt standing there? It was incredible. 

 

I didn't take this picture.. but it's beautiful. And hey, I was there!

Anyway, since I've been back in Vietnam it has been really nice. It was a place I recognized as home, but it was still foreign to me. I thought I was going to have slight culture shock again after being in big cities for so long, but it wasn't anything like that. I knew this place, and I was so happy to be back. I spoke only in Vietnamese when I got off the airplane. Okay, so I can't "speak Vietnamese" but I can try, and I said every single thing I knew how to say, including tell a random stranger I was an English teacher at CTU, because that is the once sentence I've perfected. It was comfortable to be back. After being really homesick before I left for vacation I was considering moving, and I'm so glad I didn't. A good rule of thumb I can apply to a lot of things I've ever experienced is "When it's good, it's great, but when it's bad, it really sucks." not one of my finer quotes, but it's as simple and as complicated as that. In a way I think that it's good, I don't really do anything half way, but thats always been true. When I'm homesick I want to book the first flight home, but when I'm enjoying everything, I can picture myself here forever. Well maybe not forever. but certainly longer then this. In a way I think I'd rather have it this way. But when I'm homesick, its so hard to be away from everyone.

I haven't had many responsibilities lately, but it's been nice to just hang out. I've been spending a lot of time on the internet - it's amazing how much you can find. I use to hate the internet, and well i certainly have a love/hate relationship with facebook, but I've found so many interesting things. There are countless blogs - on anything you want. I use to hate them but since I've started writing one I really enjoy reading others' perspectives. I've also been doing a lot of research on sex trafficking, which is the field I'm looking to get into in the future. (I know music will make a way into my career one day.) There is so much I want to talk about, learn about, but mainly it all comes back to one thing: what can I do? My only answer right now is to share with you some of the interesting things I find. First, here are a few facts about human trafficking today, also known as slavery in the 21st century. The average age of a woman getting into prostitution is 14. The youngest is 5. A few stories that really got me thinking: A mother sold her own daughter to sex slavery in order to obtain money for their family. The mother would boast to her neighbors about how her daughter was living in Cambodia and making all of this money, and she had a nice house and car to show for it. She left out all of the details, but had no problem showing off all of her new "things" to her friends. It wasn't until her daughter contracted AIDS and all of the money had gone toward her hospital bills that her mother was ashamed for what she had done. Now at the age of 27, they are waiting for her daughter to die. And she was lucky. Her mother, being the one the owned her, brought her home and brought her to the hospital. Most girls living in brothels don't have this luxury. Another disturbing fact: The problem with fighting this crime in Cambodia is that the government is corrupt. The police are often customers to these brothels. Not only do they know what's going on, but they are having sex with these girls. When a brothel gets found, and authorities go to "take it down" in many cases, the police warn them ahead of time and by the time the cops get there, its empty. The story that weighs on my heart the most was one girl the age of nine, who entered herself into prostitution to make money for her father. The stories get worse. I put a link up of an op-ed column in the New York times I found. His name is Nicholas D. Kristof, and he's done a lot of research on sex trafficking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which was not only my first stop on vacation, but the girl I met there was doing work with the Somaly Mam Foundation, which is another website you should look at, and which is how my interest in all of this got started. (How was that for a run on sentence, Miss Samantha? I swear my English is getting progressively worse.) Anyway, his latest article is just one small testament of how horrible it is for these girls that get trafficked. Be sure to watch the video he added. It will change the way you think about slavery, and hopefully get at least one person worked up enough to do something about it. You can find the article and video here. If you have time, read his other articles too, I think he's a great writer, and he writes about other topics, too. There are a lot of videos and articles you can look at online, and I encourage you to explore these. If for nothing else, just to educate yourself. A little while back, I was talking to someone I was very close to about new things I was learning about the treatment of animals and the meat industry in America and how I felt about it, and he replied with the very well known "Ignorance is Bliss." Really? It's true, what you don't know can't hurt you, but are you just willing to accept that? I'd like to believe that we can gain knowledge without losing the joys of innocence. Of course there is a balance, but how can you just accept ignorance as an answer? That was (the beginning) of my realizing that I'd rather not spend my time with people that think that way.You can argue it, and I can see where that particular person was coming from, but I disagree. And I'd rather not surround myself with people that can settle for that as an answer. 

Well I certainly can digress. Back to Vietnam...

I've been spending a lot of time with my friend Thao. My first day back she let me drive her motorbike! Upon returning to Can Tho I had it engraved in my mind that I was going to rent one. They look easy enough, and especially when it gets unbearably hot, I will not want to be riding my bike around. So Thao put her life in my hands and taught me how to drive. It was the most exciting thing I've done in a while, but I was going ridiculously slow and in circles, because turning left is the single scariest thought that crossed my mind. And while I was driving "on the road," once we got to big road that had a lot of traffic I pulled over and made her switch haha. She's determined to let me do it again, but every time I say.. maybe next time. I think maybe I'll let her drive me around until I stop being scared. We eat A LOT of food, drink a lot of bubble tea, play badminton, and my favorite thing, just drive around the city. There's not a whole hell of a lot to do, but I love just driving around. And Tet is coming fast and the streets are so busy and decorations are going up everywhere.. more on Tet at a later date. Thao and I also have had some really good conversations. She's becoming more and more comfortable speaking English and  even corrects herself, which is good because as we both realized yesterday, I tend to not notice her most common mistakes anymore. I think it's because my ears have adjusted to "Asian English" and for the most common mistakes (ex: When do you come back to America) I usually miss the problem. 1) Every student makes that mistake, mainly because that is the literal translation from Vietnamese to English and 2) I hear it so often now I understand what they are asking and just answer the question, forgetting I'm the English teacher. 

Really Long story short: I'm really happy to be back. I love Can Tho and everything about this experience, even when is sucks. Last night, driving around with Thao, the thought crossed my mind that I was leaving soon and I got sad. Isn't that crazy? It's too soon to be getting sad. But in the happiest moments, you never want something to end. I've also come to LOVE my roommates. They are leaving in about three weeks, which I am pretty sad about, it was lonely before they got here. And it wasn't that I didn't like them, but I was kind of hoping for Western roommates (albeit probably European). That was so silly. It's been so much fun living with girls from Thailand. They are my age, but with the innocence level, it's was very strange at first. But coming back, I love it! They laugh at the silliest things, and are ridiculously happy. They are great cooks, and kind of treat me like they are my mother, but in a way it's nice. It's nice getting to know people like them, and I'm sad that they are leaving soon.

On other news - I think I'm moving to Boston when I come back. I've been pretty up in the air about it, and I have a lot of different feelings about it, but the more I start to tell people the more I think it's the right decision. And maybe it's not forever, but I think it's okay. At first I was skeptical and well I don't want to bore you with the details, but even through all of it, I still think its the right decision. If its not, I can always come back here next year, or move somewhere else. The thing about an experience like this is it opens your mind up to so many different opportunities. Half of me wants to settle and half of me wants to be a nomad for the rest of my life, but all of me knows that nothing is permanent,  and I think that is the one thing I can be sure of. I get a little disappointed when people think they can't change where they are in life, even if they are miserable and now exactly what will make them happy. Some people aren't fortunate enough to believe in the fact that things can change. Digression again. So there it is, in writing, I'm moving back to Boston. 

A higher note to end on, and one that is impossible to digress on: I LOVE FRUIT. I decided today, a little while ago, that I am going to buy Pineapple and Dragon fruit, among a few others, every day. Maybe not every day, especially when my roommates leave, but there will ALWAYS be fresh pineapple in my fridge because it costs me the equivalent of .30 cents, and as much as I love Haymarket, I doubt I will ever be able to re-live this experience. And they are just so good! 

I don't know when this became an image of the day blog, but I think my dad will like this! :-)

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!!

(Happy New Year!!)

I'm back home in Can Tho! Still reeling off of vacation (you always need a vacation from vacation) and I've been lounging around the house/ sleeping for the past few days, but it's really nice to be back. It is nice that it actually feels like home, after sleeping in different beds every night for five weeks. My first night back I went out with my (former) student and friend Thao, for dinner that I absolutely missed - the food here is just so good - and bubble tea, my most favorite thing ever. I would describe it to you, but I don't really get it. It's tea - but it usually has milk and you can add a flavor (mango!) and it has bubbles - alright you might have to google that one. Anyway, then we rode around the city and she let me drive her motorbike!! It was more terrifying then it should have been and I was afraid to make left hand turns, but I was out there on the road with every one else!!! Okay, I was wayy on the right side of the road going a lot slower then everyone else, but I was doing it! I would love to rent one, I'm going to find out the prices tomorrow! It was a great welcome back. I spent NYE with An and her friends and I had a lot of fun. I'm so glad to be back! I start teaching this week, but my schedule is pretty slow and then I have another two weeks off for Tet, which is their New Years holiday (lunar calendar).

Goodbye 2008. A great year in review: It started off with a bang at 486. New Years Day was even more memorable then NYE, which can only mean good things. Momentous events: I spent my spring break in Jamaica building a playground at a primary school and teaching and playing with the kids all week, as well as being in a beautiful country and getting to know really great kids from Northeastern. I graduated college. Even though I don't intend on using my degree anytime in the near future, as Marisa says, undergrad is more about learning about yourself, teaching you how to drink, and meeting your best friends. All of which, I accomplished. I fell in love., even though I knew I shouldn't have. I spent time home this summer, which I haven't done in a few years, and it was really great to be a part of Ocean Grove again. I even won an award for "Best Comeback" or something like that. What was that called? The awards were silly, but it was true. I had been gone for a while and it's great when you can come back and its like nothing ever changed. Or a lot of things changed, but for the most part, you can try to pick up where you left off, and I'm incredibly lucky to have such an amazing group of friends. I moved to Vietnam. I became a teacher. I visited Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, & Singapore. From having never been out of the country before to in one year being to six different countries, and living in one! It's all kind of surreal. That's a lot for one year, I can't imagine what is going to happen next. For that reason, I say Hello 2009, but I'm not putting any goals or restrictions up. If, on NYE last year, you asked me if ANY of the above would have happened, I would have said no. (Well I knew about Jamaica and graduation... but nothing else!) I have high hopes, at least! 

Marisa sent me a great e-mail with 101 questions about my life and what's going on here. I'm going to use that to update you all within the next week. I've gotten way to personal on this thing- what is it about blogs? Anyway, sorry about that for those of you who really don't care haha. I'll have updates about teaching and getting back into my Vietnam life soon! Until then enjoy my pictures, and there are still a few more to come!! 

Another great quote: (yes I have a library of them, and can give you a quote for however you feel on any given day.)

"Tourists are those who bring their homes with them wherever they go, and apply them to whatever they see... Travelers leave home at home, bringing only themselves, and a desire to see and hear and feel and take in and grow and learn."

And congrats to the Bostonian of the Year, and one of the many loves of my life, Paul Pierce. 

Ps. I bought my plane ticket home! May 25th (if anyone's keeping track..) And no, I'm not flying into Boston, and I've already gotten yelled at twice for that, so don't bother. My parents would have killed me! :-)