If there is something that I am both accused and guilty of…it’s not taking enough pictures. I never seem willing to sacrifice taking life through the lens…but one of my original teammates, Kendra, is an amazing photographer. So in order to share with you a glimpse of Vietnam…I’m reposting her original blog below. Hope you enjoy! -Brandy
Unexpectedly, I believe I’ve enjoyed Vietnam more than most other countries on the race so far. We leave this country in 5 days, so before we do, I just want to give you a glance of what it’s been like here.
I think the first thing I noticed about this country was how many motorbikes are on the roads. The mass transit system is not that great in Ho Chi Minh City, with only a small bus system, so everyone just has a motobike. They do wear helmets, but that’s about the only protective gear they wear. Most women wear face masks and long-sleeved sweaters to prevent their skin from tanning, but sandals and high-heels are common footwear on the bikes. I have gotten many opportunities to ride with some students on their motor bikes and I also wear flip flops with little fear of getting my feet mangled.
The second thing I noticed is that the powerlines here are insane. This is the view right outside the front door of our hotel.
This is what evening looks like on our street…
This man has evangel-ized to almost everyone in our group at different times (we’re working with two other WR teams this month). He hangs out on our street and tells us about Je-sus. He says he’s been put in prison 8 times for this, but he still does it enthusiastically.
This is a temple that we visited during one of their services . The religi-on combines like 5 religion-s, one of which is Bh-uddism and another relig-ion that worsh-ips coconuts. Sounds logical to me!
After seeing this man, I thought to myself “And I thought I could sleep anywhere”
One of the things we’ve been doing since coming here is visiting the elderly. It’s been one of my favorite things to do. They all appreciate us just coming and holding their hand. We can’t understand a thing that each other says, but it’s just nice to go in and see how happy they become when we get there.
The old ladies here are so cute and full of character!
These are some college students Katie and I have met during our time teaching english. These two are very fluent so it’s easy to talk with them. They even have asked me what certain english words mean, and I don’t even know!
And here are just a few more of my favorite images.
