Vũng Tàu #2

It was a four day weekend for us as we celebrated April 30th (35th anniversary of the Americans leaving Vietnam) and May 1st (Labor Day). It was a weekend of FIRSTS, and not just for me!

*First time at Vũng Tàu Beach for Erica and myself, but I guess that one's a given...

*Jenny's first family trip to the beach. She has been alive one week longer than we have been in Vietnam. Boy, she was popular. And so darn cute.

* My first time eating dog. I had soup with bamboo and dog meat. Don't judge me. This dog did not have an owner or a name, and it was mean to small helpless animals, and barked all night long outside your window. And it was tasty.

*Our first time watching a fight in 'Nam (somebody got ripped off at the beach), sucking a snail right out of the shell, attending a Death Anniversary Party, sitting on a bed while a 91 year old woman sits on the floor.

* Phượng's first sleepover with us. woot woot. I showed her what a pillow fight is, and it was very one-sided

*My first time being stung by a jellyfish. It was totally as painful and everyone made it sound. In the South China sea too... does that make it a vietnamese jellyfish, or a chinese one... I guess they're international..
*Chị Hồng's first time at the beach, or seeing the sea. Ever. She didn't know how to swim, and didn't know to jump when the waves were coming. I got to hold her hand for a while and watch her choke and spit and laugh like a child. It was awesome!





*Oh, and I forgot to mention, my first time swimming at the beach in jeans. People just go in their clothes. And it was great! I couldn't swim very fast, and when I lost in a race, i tried to explain that my jeans were a heavy, loose, parachute, but they didn't understand. I need to improve my vocabulary.

*Also, my first time being cold in Vietnam. Riding on the back of a motorbike in soaking wet clothes.

*Our first time running out of gas on a motorbike. Well maybe not Phượng's, but mine. Her cousin-in-law brought the smallest gas can in the world to help her make it to the pump. Motorbikes rock.
*And last of all, my favorite. We rode three on a motorbike frequently (totally against the law, BAs), but one night (for my first time), we got four. AND I was comfortable. We didn't get a picture of that, but it will forever be burned in my memory.