Expect More Metaphors to Come

I thought I was being so clever with my title, but there has been some confusion. Since many of you are reading this in a different time zone, I thought it appropriate that you hear about my day before that day even happens for you.... Does that make sense? Please feel free to comment on my cleverness.



Just an update on my status. We are still sitting in the same cafe and Erica is reading and I am typing. We have finished the coconut milk and are now scraping the coconut from inside the shell with a spoon. It comes off so easily and is so tastey. Today we found a market near our apartment and we bought some dragon fruit and some other thing that I love and Erica hasn't made up her mind about yet. There was also so much seafood that we hope to check out later. Fish off the street for dinner tonight!






We are struggling a bit with learning Vietnamese. It's hard to write down the words in a way that helps me remember how to pronounce the words. There are 6 tones, so one sound can be pronounced 6 different ways and have 6 different meanings. One of the tones makes the word sound like a question. And since I am usually unsure that I am saying the right word, i say it with a question inflection, which changes the word. Frustrating.

Here I am assembling our water filter with Vietnamese directions. Thankfully, there were pictures.

So far, I haven't had food here that I haven't loved. Here is the food at a stand where we had breakfast the other day:
















Also, in case there was any question, we are having the adventure of a lifetime. I expect there to be hard times, bad times, maybe times when I'll need to come back and read this post, but for now, everything is exciting (especially motorbikes and street food). It helps that my roomate is fantastic (more on that later). We've been frustrated, confused, lost, hungry, scared, bored, very very sweaty, just about everything, but we feel very cared for and protected(and thankful that so many of you are lifting us up).


And crossing the street in HCM City has tested that faith but has also increased it so much more. Motorbikes and cars do not stop when pedestians cross. We were told, but didn't learn until we experienced it firsthand, that when you walk across the street you mustn't falter. If you keep your pace and continue walking, the motorbikes will avoid you, but if you stop or speed up, there's a greater chance that they'll hit you (Don't worry Mom, I'm being safe). It is SO HARD to keep walking when there are vehicles in every direction that look like they'll hit you. It also helps that I have Erica with me and that we can encourage each other. Do you see where I'm going with this metaphor?