Well, I’m not sure if his name was Charlie, but I did meet a cute Vietnamese baby at the Co-op supermarket, and he was super cute, and he did grab my finger and immediately chomp down on it, much like one of my all-time favorite YouTube videos.
Parents love for their kids to wave and say "hello" to us Americans.
So, please forgive my silence for the last couple weeks, but I’m back, and I’ve got updates! For your reading ease, I’ve created a bulleted list of the most recent and exciting events in the land of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
- Making it to the half-way point on the Race! 5 ½ months down, 5 ½ to go! We’ve traveled roughly 21,000 miles, slept in approximately 15 different beds (or floors), spoken (at least a little of) 4 different languages, and been in 9 different countries since we started. We decided to celebrate with an 80s Skate Party!
Never knew my hair could get this big…
- Teaching English (surprise, surprise!) to our hotel owner’s daughter, Svieta, and multiple English Clubs. At English clubs we converse, play games, dance, and sing with young Vietnamese students and professionals who want to improve their English. It is such a blast!
Chatting on a literal sidewalk cafe
New friends at English club
- Prayer-walking the streets of District 3 (Yes, we have districts, much like the Hunger Games!) We pray for the country, leaders and people of Vietnam, that they would come to know the Father and that He would one day reign in this place.
- Getting past my wall. Yep, as much as I hate to admit it, I hit a wall. I was home-sick, drained of joy, exhausted, and at the end of my rope. But through some intense, down-on-my knees moments, the Father has once again filled me with joy and strength and refreshment. Thank you to all who have fought for me. I am so blessed!
- Learning more about the history of the Vietnam War. So much I missed in my history classes. We visited the Cu Chi tunnels, where we crawled underground where the Vietcong fought with guerilla warfare against the American army. We also visited the Vietnam War Museum, where we saw some very disturbing photographs and accounts of the horrible suffering of war victims.
American Army Helicopter
- Getting creative with hair-dos and outfits. After almost 6 months of wearing the same 5 outfits, you do what you can to introduce a little variety.
Bec & I raided each other's closets!
My Pinterest-Inspired hair creations on Nikki & Shanna
- Seeing a Saigon Heat basketball game! Oddly, most of the players are American, and the stadium was roughly the size of my high school’s basketball arena, but it was a good time nonetheless.
- Going to a water park with 200 orphans. We has a blast loving on the kids, racing and crashing on the slides, relaxing in the lazy river, and attempting to run across a floating bridge without it flipping over.
- Getting stuck in a TINY hotel elevator with 7 people. Whoops.
- Finding out that they actually DO wear these hats in Asia.
- Discovering my love for Indian food (go figure) and Avocado smoothies! Sounds gross, I know, but add sugar and condensed milk and it is amaaazing… Try it. It’s really good for you and has about zero calories. 🙂
- And finally, daily battles with the insane motorbike traffic as we cross the streets. There are more motorbikes than cars here, and they do not yield for pedestrians!
How many motorbikes can you squeeze into one lane?
And, just to give you an idea of how crazy the traffic is, another little video for you!
