New format! I get bored very easily, I like change, call it whatever you want to, it will probably happen again. I've added a fun "widget" (again, technology evades me, why is that the name?) with my favorite books, and if you want to be inside my head you should read them too. I just read The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac, and it was great. Just another reminder that I was born in the wrong generation. It touched on a lot of thoughts on spirituality that I've been contemplating lately, I love when books come into my life at the exact time I need them. I've always loved Kerouac, but I liked this book more then On The Road. Although I think I need to read that one again. 

Sorry I haven't really been around this month. I have been very busy spending extra time with my students outside of class. This semester I am teaching a lot more first year students, where as last semester I was with mostly last year students. They have even more of an innocence to them, and are so eager to learn. My students have the ability to make me feel really great about myself, with daily comments like "You look so lovely today!" but they also make me feel so insignificant sometimes. Not on purpose, but I just admire them so much. A question I often get asked is "What do you think of Vietnamese students compared to American students?" My answer is usually that Vietnamese students are much more dedicated, are such hard workers, and I admire them very much. That is the simplest way to put it so they understand me, but it is so true. They had to work really, really hard to get into University, and they work so hard while they are there. Not to mention that they are having a full conversation with an American - which just embarrasses me. I've LIVED in their country to six months and I can't hold a conversation (although, I have been having great exchanges in Vietnamese, which always makes me proud...) but I still feel inadequate that I don't speak another language. And I know, they have been studying since they were kids, and no one anywhere ever told me I should know a foreign language, so technically it's not my fault, but I'll take responsibility, and I'll study a new one when I get back. I can't decide between Spanish or French.. thoughts? And of course I'll keep up my Vietnamese. I found a few organizations in Boston for Vietnamese, and there is a larger number there then I realized, so hopefully I can find some way to keep a little bit of Vietnam in my life. But anyway, my students are amazing, so I'm trying to spend as much time with them as possible. Here are pictures of four of my favorites (I know, I shouldn't have favorites. But it's too hard not to..) they came to my house to cook me dinner, delicious Sweet Soup. I couldn't even tell you what is in it.. definitely sweet potatoes, a green vegetable, beans, coconut milk, some jelly thing, etc.... At first sight, it might not look appetizing, but trust me, it's delicious.

I also spent a day with my friend Angela (not a student, a girl a met through An) and we spent the entire day baking. She found me all of the ingredients (even chocolate chips!!!!) for chocolate chip cookies, and I made them from scratch. She had never had chocolate chip cookies before! I officially made her the first batch of homemade cookies ever (and her mom, who also loved them, and continued to pass them around to their neighbors, and then invite me to her sister's wedding...) We also made a homemade apple pie which was the first time that I ever made a pie on my own. We even made the crust, which I've never done. I also decided last minute to throw strawberries in, and it was so good. A successful day of baking always puts me in a good mood. Her mom also made me dinner that night, and it was as delicious as I could have asked for. I'm pretty lucky.

We had a great weekend in HCMC. I met a lot of great people that are teaching English there and it is always so refreshing to talk to them. There are so many people out here doing this that stay for longer, throughout their twenties. It reassures me that its OK to think about that, even though a majority of Americans don't understand it. Part of what makes me feel comfortable enough to go back to Boston is the fact that Vietnam will always be here, and I feel like I will always be welcome to come back. There will always be an opportunity and I will always have friends here.  Again, I'm pretty lucky.

I wanted to write an unofficial (and too early, as this is bound to happen a lot more often over the next two months) Thank You to everyone who has helped me through this process. It's been incredible, but I have had bouts of homesickness and most recently, general freak outs about returning back to America. There are so many people I can talk to, and some of you have helped without even realizing it. I'm especially grateful to Sarah Kaplan, who I would like to officially recognize as my life mentor :-) I'm really not sure she realizes how helpful she is or how thankful I am to have her in my life. She was the first person I talked to about wanting to go abroad, the person who pushed me (in the best way) to do it, and she is actually the person who found Teachers for Vietnam in the first place, because she talked me up to them while she was at a career fair and I was sitting on my butt at home. And still today, she is giving me advice and pushing me to go for what I want and to not accept any less. I love her for this. My new official motto (as of tonight) is that I will be "Kicking ass and taking names." So thanks for that. :-) I also want to thank Finn for being the most logical person I know, which I need in my life to offset the emotional decisions I make. He recently helped me put things into perspective, and I'm really, really grateful for it. It's really nice to find solace somewhere that you don't necessarily expect to find it.

Anyway, there are probably a million other things I want to share with you, but yet again I'm exhausted. I did want to tell you to read the blog White Hot Truth. It's currently my new obsession. I love where she is coming from and the way she does things. And while it's impossible to agree with everything someone says, I see eye to eye with her on a lot of points. My current favorite quote is from her, when describing tonglen meditation: "It's not as easy as it sounds. It may shatter you. But wouldn't that be grand? To be shattered?  To be so immensely open that you'd feel the truth..."  You can apply that to life in general if you are not into meditation, but I can't even begin to explain how powerful that is to me, and I absolutely love it. I'll leave it up to you to decipher on your own.

I see Whitney and Nikki in less than 48 hours!!! I think it's exactly what I need. I can't wait to share this with someone, and I could use a little Boston in my life. Last but NOT least, a picture of the newlyweds :-)

"The circumstances of existence are pretty glorious" - Jack Kerouac