English

I feel as though there are so many little things in my life that remind me every day that I am in Asia. Many times I don't think to sit down and write about these things because they have become such a part of my day to day life.

So I decided today that I am going to start writing about these little things in order to give you a clearer picture of what it is like to actually live in Vinh, Vietnam.

I don't think that if someone had told me a year ago that I would be living in Vinh that I would have believed them. Life is so interesting and different over here. I don't leave my apartment without something interesting happening to me. I stand out so much in this city. I know that many of you have come to Hanoi before but I think that in many ways Vinh is very different. There are many tourist that come to Hanoi and most of the Vietnamese are used to seeing foreigners but in Vinh I am one of five foreigners in the whole city. To put it into Texas terms, Hanoi is comparable to Dallas, where Vinh would be comparable to Midland. Vinh is still a well known city in Vietnam but maybe it is just a little sheltered or secluded.

This brings me to my little daily life event. Whenever I go I am noticed and stared at, which is bothering me less and less everyday. But one of my favorite things about living in Vinh is when I pass a group of friends the brave one of the group will look at me and say "hello". Then the whole group will stare at me to see if I understood what their friend said. So, when I turn around, smile, and say "hello" back the entire group erupts into laughter. It always makes me laugh, but usually once I am past them. But today I was so taken aback what one student said to me. A group of students passed me and I got the usual "hello" from the brave one, but then another student said, "I...love...you." It took me a while to figure out what he had said because I wasn't expecting it but as soon as it registered I began to laugh. But it was nice to hear someone say they love me even if they didn't really know what it meant!

On a side note, it has not stopped raining for the past four or five days. It has really started to affect my mood. Please ask that the sun comes out soon.