Toto, I'm Not in Hanoi Anymore

Some things that have surprised me on my travel to the South
1. The people in general are friendlier. There seems to be more laughing and smiling and they are always interested in just talking with you...even if you aren't buying anything from them.
2. Lotteria and KFC, fast food restaurants are all over the place. Its actually a little sad because the sidewalk cafe/restaurant, that became my parent's favorite when they came to visit, no longer exists but has been replaced by a large two-story Lotteria.
3. You can get a crazy looking sunburn when you ride on the back of a motorbike during the noon hour. I have a sunburn on half of my right knee and a strange strip on my left shoulder (I was wearing a skirt so sitting side-saddle).
4. Beware of the area behind the bus stop because it is a popular place for male urination...if only I had known prior....
5. There are men in uniform that help foreigners cross the busy roads!

The Quote of the Week

Tommy...yes, this would be a student who wanted to have an English name reflecting his strong resemblance to Tom Cruise. Tommy was in high school when I was teaching in Quy Nhon and is now studying at a university in Ho Chi Minh City. He is like a younger brother to me in many ways. However, he is super intense and has wanted to spend every waking hour with me since my plane landed in Ho Chi Minh City six days ago. I was touched to go to his small room where he lives and see pictures of me from when I lived in Quy Nhon.

I have the quote of not only the week but could be of the year. As I was riding on the back of his motorbike, Tommy says: "Do you think I'm so dark now?" I replied, that I hadn't really noticed. He then explained that when he returns to Quy Nhon everyone comments about how dark his skin is. "Yes, it is okay because my dark skin shows I'm stronger now. I'm strong because I live outside of my house without my parents (His parents live in Quy Nhon so he lives alone in HCMC). "I once was a young princess but now I'm a man!" Of course, he meant to say that he was like a young prince, or that he was naive and childlike.

Sometimes my life slows down a bit and I feel guilty for not being more productive and then I over commit and I’m frustrated because I can not give my all or my best to what I have committed to. It is a vicious cycle. In all reality, it is my relationships that I want to make sure do not get the shaft. I thought I had learned this lesson before, but I find myself in the same place over and over again.

This past month has been packed with a variety of things—special seminars to teach, visitors from Hope to evaluate my situation, the return of my roommate (after almost 2 months of being away), dates and pampering from my favorite Puerto Rican at the US Embassy, another “Les Runaways” performance, Easter games and activities, my doctorate research proposal being accepted at the University of Melbourne, and the list goes on.

Pictures are of my friend Ngan and I, Face painting at Easter, and Jose and Scot working the craft booth.