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!!