Have you ever noticed that when you buy a new car, you are suddenly aware of how many times you see “your car” being driven around? You aren’t aware of how popular your car model is until you purchase it. That’s how it’s been in preparing for the World Race. Since my acceptance, I am more eager and excited to learn about the different cultures I will experience during the Race.
A few weeks ago, I recruited my friend Dina to help me cut my support cards at Kinko’s. She was a good sport about
it, so I wanted to treat her out for lunch and she suggested a Vietnamese restaurant Pho Hung located down the street. What a great idea! It was around 11:30AM when we had lunch and the restaurant wasn’t crowded when we arrived. One interesting thing I noticed about this restaurant was the way the tables were laid out in the restaurant. There were four tables along the walls, but in the center of the restaurant, tables were lined up in four rows, table ends connecting to one another. I have never seen this before in a restaurant. This kind 
of layout, I thought, doesn’t really reflect privacy, but it does nurture community and trust, even among strangers. Interesting concept. The food was delicious, of course! I had spring rolls and pho with flank and brisket. Dina also had spring rolls and a noodle dish. I struck up a friendly conversation with the waiter and informed him of my future trips to Vietnam and Thailand in the World Race. He was excited to hear about my plans to visit those countries. He also taught me “Thai” means “soup”. So, Thailand is Soupland for short. ☺
This coming weekend, I plan to be in Dallas to celebrate with the Irish the North Texas Irish Festival (http://www.ntif.org/). I’ll keep you posted of my experiences there and my learning from that adventure.
Until then, may the grace of the Lord be with you.
