day # 2 in HCMC

what a day, what a day....

we began day #2 sleeping in which is not really that surprising if you know paul and i. :) then we got out and went to this little, authentic french restaurant near the city center called la fourchette. the meal was great and all but two other people in the place were speaking french. it was really cool and the food was incredible. all for a whopping $41.50. crazy times.

after lunch we walked and walked and walked some more. we walked around the city center and just took it all in. this place is vibrant and bustling. i got a manicure and pedicure today for only $6. it was simple and no frills, but the place was super relaxing. paul had a beverage downstairs in the bar while i got pampered. the salon and bar are the same place, so when we paid the bill it was all on the same ticket. who knew?!?! too funny. i hope to have another when we come back to HCMC before going home. so nice to be pampered.

later, we had iced vietnamese coffees while watching the scooters go by at a place called cafe terrace. scooter & traffic watching is one of the things to do here i n HCMC. it is fun and there is never a lack of things or people to watch. it started to sprinkle so we went inside this mall like place called saigon centre. interesting and much smaller than expected. the cool part was that the more we see, the more we think we could live here. there are lots of things here that make life easier than seoul. just from peering in a small grocery store inside this mall the cereal choices are three times what they are in seoul. sad, huh? there is also lots of places for home like things here. i know we are weird when comparing cities. the things we look for are probably nothing that you might think.

after the mall, we were on our way back to our part of town and strolled through a night market. interesting and lots of fake goods. paul got a t-shirt that is cool.

then, we walked back to the area where we are staying that is backpackersville. lots of cheap eats and cheap stays. it is a cool little niche of town. we went back to the hotel to freshen up and then walked around to find a place for dinner. we sat across the street at le pub for a bit trying more vietnamese beers. then we went strolling for dinner. we had a late and big lunch, so we were looking for something light and easy. we made the block once and then settled for a place called allez boo. it is a bar/restaurant that is located on the busiest intersection in the area. last night we had coffee across the street. we had dinner which was ok. nothing to write home about, but we got to try more vietnamese beers and people/traffic watch. one of the waiters was friendly and spoke english well enough. we had interesting conversation with him through the night. he asked me if i loved jesus and then we talked about jesus the rest of the evening. he and paul looked some things up on the touch while i sipped my beer. it was fun and we had a great time getting to know the ins and outs.

things here are great. HCMC is bustling and never quiet. lots of things to do and see. many cool little places to eat and have coffee. it is fun! we have talked many times this evening about living here in HCMC could be fun and exciting. we definitely would have lots of things to see and do.

tomorrow we are going to take a flight north to hanoi and then work our way down the coast back to HCMC. we cannot wait!!!

ponderings on vietnam....

today as we walked around i could not help but think that this place used to be war torn about 30 years or so ago. i cannot even wrap my head around that. the closest i can come is to thinking about visiting iraq in 30 years. i know it is way different, but the only similiar situation for my wee brain to fathom.

i think about the people here and wonder what their stories are---what have they seen, experienced, heard, came back from, and had to rebuild. the place is bustling now and is not in too bad of shape. i mean it is no american city or even seoul for that matter, but the people are vibrant and moving around. there is no evidence to me from what i have seen so far (which truly is not that much) that can help me imagine that 30 years ago this place was a wreck and riddled with war. not too far from here is where the US base was stationed from what i read. i just sit and wonder. i look into the faces of people, both young and old, and want to ask questions and hear them share. i know these stories won't all be pretty or flashy, but it is who they are. it makes them them. just like all my history makes me, me. their history is obviously more tramatic (in my opinion) than mine in ways since i have not lived somewhere where war and unrest happened in my front yard, so to speak. i sit and my brain spins.

then add to that spinning and curiousity, the faces of western men i see here. they are a part of the generation that vietnam conflict was, at least from my age guess. many of them are aged, you look at them and see that their lives have not been a walk in the park. this is all my speculation, of course. i do have to wonder though about why they are here. have they ever left? does anyone know they are alive? did they return for closure and then never return to where ever home is? did they return to find their kids they learned about after the war was over? a war time romance they could not leave behind? what is their story? most of them sit solitary sipping on cold beers and others sit with comrades. many of them have the forearm tattoos that were part of that military generation. i am curious. i have questions. i most likely won't have any of them answered the way i imagine i would love to, but i can think and wonder. that is part of the great joy of having a brain and being wired to be compassionate for others. it would be such a joy to me to be able to share a drink with some of the old guys and hear what they have to share. are they bitter? upset? happy to be here? did they fall in love with this place or have compassion for a country so broken?

tonight at dinner paul and i were sitting just inside the closed glass doors of the restaurant we were eating at. on the front porch, there sat a man....older, aged, sipping a cold beer. he sat alone. he was people watching (at least i think he was). he also wore an united states marine t-shirt. was he a marine here? behind me sat another man with a local lady who had tattoos on his hands. he was western, most likely american and from the same generation of folks that would have served in vietnam. i sat and wondered. towards the end of our meal, one more american guy came in. he was more dressed up than the others which is not to say much really since it is a tropical culture where flip flops are the norm. he wore a collared polo like shirt with khakis. he walked in and spoke to the waitress in vietnamese. he also had a sleeve of tattoos on one arm and then some solitary forearms on the other. again, questions spun.

it would be really interesting to find out these guy's stories. some may be more heartfelt than others. i am sure i might be digusted by some, cry at others. it would be great to come back, hang out and just listen. take notes, take pics, do some sort of photo documentary on their stories and the country now. that would be cool.

feel free to post comments, thoughts, questions, or email me too. i am really desiring some good dialogue about my thinking. pipe up people....

what an afternoon.....

our first purchase in vietnam (other than the bus fare) was the lonely planet guide book for vietnam. i had looked in book stores in seoul to find nothing--sold out. then paul and i also checked in the three book stalls in the airport before leaving seoul, and again--nothing. argh. we took the bus from the airport to arrive in the backpacker's part of town to find a place to stay. as we were walking down the street i noticed this guy with a huge stack of books all bound together. they were on display and he was selling. books tend to be more expensive in seoul, but i also knew what the lp book would be on amazon and it was on the cover too. i checked to make sure it was the most recent version and bam, we made our purchase. it ended up being about $17 US. well, we stopped for a refreshment before picking a hotel and i opened the thing up to realize that it was a pirated copy. crazy. it totally would have fooled anyone i know, but in the guide book it does mention these sales folks selling pirated books in this area. oh well.....it was cheaper than seoul even if it is a pirated copy. the only way you can tell is that the maps aren't as clear b/c they were copied. too funny. paul had a dragon fruit shake and i had a mango one before going out to find a place to stay.

after selecting a place to stay (saigon comfort hotel), which is only $26 a night, we rested for a bit before going out again. in this time is when i posted an update and such. yes, the hotel is safe, clean and reasonable. we are not staying in a rat hole. i promise, mom! i have taken pics that i will upload later.

we both changed into some cooler attire, and we went out to walk about to see what we could find. we were getting hungry, but did not want to go to the first place. we walked down this street that i had read had many options and figured we would troll and see what looked good. we went for italian at a little place called stella. it was good. we were both pleased with our meal which ended up costing less than the travel guide book for both of us. nuts. we each tried a local beer--paul had larue and i saigon red. we both decided we prefered the larue.

after dinner, we walked toward the city center but did not get too far as we both were getting tired. we ended up at highlands coffee and each had an iced vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk. amazing! we chilled in the comfy chairs and watched the activity outside. the streets are non stop place of action. crossing the street is totally nuts....i took video of two people doing it so you all can see the game of frogger in real life.

since we have been out walking around i have been pondering some thoughts and questions which will be in a seperate post. i am anxious to start some dialogue about my thinking and see what people think, feel, and want to discuss. more on that later.........

don't forget to check out my flickr page for photos.......

welcome to ho chi minh city, vietnam!!!

yes, we made it. the flight was good even though we woke up 45 minutes late. the alarm clock has an issue....sometimes it works, sometimes it just does not go off?!?! anyway, we made it in plenty of time with no problems.



here are some of our first thoughts/impressions when entering vietnam---

• it's hot....i mean REAL hot!


• the people are quiet, not smiley like in thailand, but helpful when you ask (sometimes too helpful)


• lots of honking horns---buses, taxis, scooters, you name it---they use it!


• many taxi drivers asking, "where you go?"


• we sat on the bus waiting for it to leave and were sweating like mad


• "vietnam is more like thailand than seoul or manila, but different"--paul


• lots of scooters--everywhere!!!


• the bus driver sat smoking in his seat while he waited to leave. he had his feet propped up on the steering wheel near a sign that said, "no smoking." too funny.


• many people wear flip flops even in a uniform


• many ladies at the airport were wearing the traditional Vietnamese dress which i don't know how to spell


• people on scooters cover their faces with scarves and face masks....they even wear gloves.....protection from the dirt, i guess.


• the traffic here is nuts---have no idea how it even works....our bus would honk at the intersection and then go right through and the oncoming traffic would yield?!?!?!


• crossing the street is what you imagine if you were playing real life frogger......crazy!!!

the most amazing story....

today i went to the bookstore looking for the lonely planet for vietnam. they were sold out. as i walked around just perusing, i found this book with a picture of a handsome cat on the front. i could not resist, so i read the jacket cover and was hooked. the book is dewey: the small-town cat who touched the world by vicki myron. i left the store, rode the subway back to meet paul at the coffee shop, and opened the book while i sipped my tiramisu latte. i was hooked from page one........three hours later i am almost two thirds finished with the book and had a difficult time putting it down to eat dinner. we came home after dinner and i began packing us for vietnam. once i was at a stopping point, i went back to my book. i finished it, and yes with a few tears coming down. it is the most heartfelt story. if you are a cat lover or not, it makes for a great read. i totally recommend it. paul was quite shocked that when we went to dinner i was already over halfway through the book that is 277 pages. it would make a great Christmas present.

dewey, you are amazing!!!

oh, what a glorious feeling....

i am feeling much better this morning. the adult decisions paid off, i guess. i slept well last night and had some good rest. the congestion, the yuck stuff that would not go away, seemed to pass this morning......so i am feeling better. i still have residual phlegm, so i did take some cough meds to help me since we do need to run some errands today before our trip.

hoping to have a good day!!!

meet my new best friends....

responsible decisions are hard...

paul and i decided that we should not go to cirque. i am still on the mend and paul has lots of work to do before we leave on tuesday. being an adult sucks sometimes. we know that we won't be able to see this curque show ever again b/c after this run cirque is retiring it from their list. that is ok.....my health is more important right now. gosh, i cannot believe i am saying that. so, with that said, it is another day of rest at home.

i am going to snuggle with the kitties on the couch.

day #3.5

yep, i am still at home resting and trying to kick this junk out of my system. it still stinks. i did feel better yesterday a little and thought i needed to get out of the house. we went out to dinner which was fine at first, but by the end i was uncomfortable. we came home, i took some meds, watched an episode of the office with paul, and then went back to bed. the edges around my nose were raw....had no idea what to do for it. i tried some lotion, but it stung. after a while when it still would not stop i got out the neosporin and rubbed it on. voila! it did the trick. the other issue keeping up was my throat. this painful, dry feeling on the right side. it just stung with pain. nothing i could do would soothe it other than cough drops and those while sleeping don't usually work out. i took some tylenol and then some advil four hours later. i did manage to get some rest....finally. i can breathe today since the congestion is my nose is loosening up, thanks to claritin.

i am hoping to be better by tomorrow. paul and i really want to go to cirque du soleil. it opened in october and we still have not managed to get to the show. we plan to go early since i seem to feel better then. i am going to stuff my pockets with cough drops and tissues. :)

being sick sucks!

sleeping...

gosh, i have slept loads of the last two and a half days. loads! i am feeling better, not much, but enough to take a shower and put on clothes instead of pajamas. that is a huge feat in my world. now i am dealing with lots of congestion and coughing. i am trying mucinex to combat it and praying for the best. i also have added halls cough drops to the arsenal just recently. hoping that those will soothe my throat and sinuses.

we leave tuesday for ho chi minh city, vietnam and i am praying that this all passes before then. total bummer for vacay if i am still sick. pray that somehow i can be rid of this junk before tuesday.

i am sick...

and i hate it. i think i caught a bug from my kiddos b/c they have all been or are sick these days. i woke up wednesday morning and just did not feel right. i managed to get a sub for the second part of the day, so i came home just after 11:30, ate some lunch, and then went to bed. i woke up around 4ish and felt bad. i took my temperature and had a low fever. i took some tylenol and made the call for a sub on thursday. i have slept pretty much the entire time i have been home. i missed an art opening that i have been waiting weeks to go to, and i am also sick on paul's birthday. it is now 2:28am on friday morning and i still feel bad. my throat is sore and my head is now congested. ugh. i want to go to school to be with my kiddos, but i just don't think i can or should. ugh. what a way to begin the holidays?!?! i also want to be better before tuesday when we leave for vietnam.

i hate being sick.

only 5 more days...

of teaching until the christmas holiday. it is crazy to think that the year is already half way over, almost. this week was nuts with all the holiday buzz around school. my kids are going wild and the weather has gotten much colder this week. going out for recess is a production and coming in even more so. they are so cold when they come in and have to wind down to get warm. i also had a lot going on this past week too. subject area ordering for next year was due friday and it seemed that everyday after school i had to be somewhere or do something.

although on friday night i was helping joann with the holiday bazaar sale at the middle school christmas concert. she has been heading up the bazaar that raises money for three different places we support. i was stationed upstairs with the snacks and had two of my students who were there to watch their sisters sit with me. the sisters were scheduled until the end and they did not want to sit through 12 acts. i told them they could help me and hang out which they did. it was nice to get to chat with them, talk to them, and just be ourselves. these two boys are great and very down to earth. they get my jokes and are responsible and mature for their age. it was great. i laughed and they were great help to me selling food items. it was a highlight of the week for me for sure.

today paul and i both slept in which was awesome! i was exhausted last night when i got home from the sale and stuff. i did not go home after school, but right over to help joann in her room get ready. i left the house friday morning at just before 8am and got home just after 10ish. it was a full day and i felt like i deserved a day of sleeping in and resting which is exactly what i did.

this next week will be nuts as well with the holiday only 5 days away. i have one student that is already gone on holiday and i have a few that leave thursday. tuesday and wednesday are the two big days this week for 4F. tuesday we have our christmas party which is an all day, literature enriched day. we begin by coming to school in our pajamas and reading the book, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Then we have math that involved problem solving situations from the book, followed by making reideer christmas ornaments. Lunch is potluck from the parents that includes yummy desserts. After lunch, we sip on hot chocolate and chocolate treats while we snuggle and watch the movie. It will be a great day and my kids think it is extra special that we are doing it. They have already publicly claimed that 4F is having the most special Christmas party in the fourth grade. Too funny. Wednesday we have two Christmas plays to go to. It will be fun..........just super, uber busy all week.

Hopefully your holiday season is restful and not too crazy!

it's almost official....

paul and i have booked our flights to ho chi minh city, vietnam for the christmas holiday! now we just have to secure our vietnamese visas through the travel agent. we are excited to explore yet another country in asia. we have heard incredible things about vietnam and cannot wait to experience all the goodness first hand. :)

we are thankful to not be in thailand at the moment. we were just there and would have been some of the folks that are now stranded in the airport in bangkok. pray that all this unrest will be resolved quickly and peacefully.

wonderful sunday...

finished off with dinner at on the border.  this is where we are sitting at the moment....yes, i am at the table with paul typing this blog entry.  i love my new wee laptop.....makes me happy and i can do all sorts of things on the go now since it is small and lightweight.  

ceramics was good today.  got to bring home my two coffee mugs and three elephants.  i worked on glazing my coffee dripper, coffee spoon, and small round dish.  so fun!  i did not start any new projects since i will be not going for a few weeks with the christmas break coming up.  it was good to go and be creative.  

need to be creative more often.......should plan a crafting night at my house......so fun!  i also want to begin reading the artist's way again...........on the to do list for sure.....

saturdays are awesome!!!

this morning i woke up earlier than usual to make brunch for my hubby, paul. i had the grand idea yesterday at the store and thought he would appreciate my efforts. he totally did. i got up and made, from scratch, banana pancakes. it was so fun! i even went all the way to the effort of the presentation on the plate. i sliced up fresh banana, sprinkled them with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and paul's had three whole pecans on top. he loved it. i also made fruit smoothies with mangoes and strawberries with some orange juice, yogurt, and some sprite. they were yummy and paul really liked those too. i poured them in wine glasses for presentation. i also made coffee which sounds simple, but we never make it at home.

he really loved the brunch and thoroughly enjoyed every bite and spoonful. he is worth it. gosh, saturdays are the best.

now i am going to make some cowboy cookies as leslie and i have treats this week for the elementary school. we are once again having a texas themed treat day. since the weather has been quite cold we are making cowboy stew and chili with other odds and ends to go with. should be fun! i had two little friends come over to help me make cookies today, alexandra and max jefferd. it was fun and i think they had a good time.

paul and i took a nap after they went home and then went out for some dinner even though it was soooo cold. it was quite windy today which makes it feel even colder. brrrr!!! we went to jenny's cafe in hongdae which has become one of our favorite spots. the best food in seoul. we had caesar salad, a bowl of spinach soup (amazing!!!), and then gorgonzola manzo penne. so yum! after we stopped at the coffee bean for some warm up coffee before making our way home. now we will probably watch some episodes of the office........our usual at home activity.

we love saturdays!!!

the friday after thanksgiving....

there is no black friday here in korea. paul and i slept in until noon-ish and then went out to lunch at an indian place in sinchon near the house. paul went to work in a coffee shop while i went shopping at Emart with tim and joann. we had a grand time and it was fun! then joann and i did some crafting at her place---she is crocheting wee christmas stockings to make earrings with and making some paper origami boxes to make advent calendars while i was crocheting java jackets. fun, fun, fun! i also got my korean craving fix by ordering dolsot bibimbap for dinner from the korean take out place. it was so yummy! i also had some mandu buns. yum! then joann and i went back to crafting and chatting. exciting day in the life o' me! no massive crazy shopping here in korea which is good!!!!

happy thanksgiving!!!

paul and i had a great day! we went to the electronics market to shop for a new laptop for me. the one we use for the tv is dying slowly, but surely and so we decided to look for a new one for me. paul has been researching and reading online all about the ones he had in mind. i told him the things i was concerned about, and he thought of all the technical needs. we did it....we bought a new laptop. so fun! we got a 12" hp tablet pc which is a small laptop whose screen rotates around to fold down. i can write directly on the screen with the stylus. it is sooooo cool. now paul just has to transfer all the stuff from the laptop i currently use and also load up all the software too. he has it all laid out in his head which is good b/c i would have no idea. hee hee.....he is the best!!!

after we bought the new computer, we headed for lunch at the COEX mall. we had a snack when we arrived and then stood in line for tickets to the new bond movie. once we had our tickets, we did some meandering in the mall. we looked for a sleeve for the new computer, shopped for leather shoes for paul, and i got to walk around the english section of the big bookstore--bandi & luni's. i had fun! it was the best. when paul found me i had four books in my hands and he said, "do you want to buy all of those?" i told him that i was collecting and browsing to then find a seat on the floor to look at the books i chose. he had gone off searching for a spot for dinner while i soaked up the bookstore. i just had not found a spot to sit yet and was still walking around taking in all the books. i know i am a dork. i did end up with two new books to add to my reading. one of the books i got was on the clearance shelf.....score!!! only 3,000. the other was 17,000 which is normal for english books in korea. completely nuts!

we ate dinner at the intercontinental hotel in one of their restaurants called the grand kitchen. they had a dinner buffet which we both enjoyed. paul stuffed himself with a wide array of meats. we both did have some turkey in honor of the american holiday.

after dinner, we went to the movie. good stuff! if you have not see the new bond movie, you should. lots of action and it is bond.

we made our way home and we are both pooped. long day of shopping, walking, meandering, and hanging out. we both enjoyed the day of just spending time to hang out with each other.

happy thanksgiving to all!!!

homesick....

i am realizing that the longer i am away from home and friends that i am able to disconnect the emotions. i know that may sound weird or stange, but it is the truth. we had a great time hanging out with matt and cameron in thailand. it was awesome to see them, catch up, break bread, and chill. i would not change it for the world. since our return to seoul i find that i miss friends and family. i am little homesick. i got to hang out with peeps from home and that tears at my heart.

i miss all my family and friends that are in the states or around the world! i wanted to let you know that even though i might stink at keeping up via email or other communication means, you are thought of often! i think about you and wonder what is going on in your neck of the woods. how life is treating you and what you thinking about. :)

had to share that with you all.....
xoxoxo

art position

so there is no news on the art position yet. please continue to pray about this for me and paul. it is currently in a holding pattern until mid-february. there are many factors that must be worked out before they decide. with recruiting it becomes a giant puzzle to work out with teaching couples, housing issues, the unknown state of the economic crisis in america and such. we have 111 GM kids at the elementary school and if GM does not make it through this problem, it might affect our school. since that is 1/4 of the elementary population there is a lot to think about.

i keep reminding myself that God is in control and He is able to make the impossible possible if it is in His will for me to teach art here at SFS. it is working on my heart though to be honest. i want to know now and not sit in limbo for two and a half months, but i guess again i am being reminded that it is not in my timing, but in God's. i am thinking about many points that Tara Leigh spoke about at the faculty retreat in september. one thing she said that stuck with me is that trust is our gift back to God. so i am diligently trying, really.

i had wednesday morning devotion before i went to thailand. the monday before i was awakened before the alarm went off thinking about proverbs 3:5-6 which says, "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." i realized that i needed to trust God to take care of me and He will. another verse came to mind which is jeremiah 29:11, "for i know the plans i have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

with all that going on in my head, i am choosing to trust God with all of this art position stuff. i know that He can make it happen if it is suppose to be. i trust that He knows best because He knows me and my heart. i do ask for your continued prayers.

mmmm......

so the last day in chiang mai was great. we ate, shopped, and hung out with matt and cameron. we had a late night flight to bangkok and then had an overnight to seoul. tiring, but a great weekend. seeing matt and cameron was amazing!

school is going well. the next few weeks will be crazy. this week we have thanksgiving holiday, so we only have three days of school. so nice. we are not going anywhere, but plan to rest and hang out. might have a tv-watching marathon of the office or pushing daisies. who knows? we also want to see the new bond movie which is out in seoul at the moment.

the weather has gotten really chilly. it has been freezing or darn near close this last week. it even snowed a bit on thursday. brrrr.......

tuesday my class has their thanksgiving party with turkey and all the fixins. it should be fun! i look forward to sharing this meal with my kids and talking about being thankful. so cliche-- i know, but we have been thinking about service all this month. it does make a nice tie in.

speaking of service, my kids have been working hard on our craft projects for the holiday bazaar we have each year. my friend joann organizes this deal each year. the money made benefits the TB care center in north korea that SFS supports, the river of grace orphanage here in seoul, and the high school service trip to the philippines. it is great and i love helping out. my kids made accordion books which are really great. i also taught them how to crochet and we made java jackets which are the same at the cardboard deal that the coffee shops put on your cup to protect your fingers. instead of using the cardboard you would use a java jacket. surprisingly, my kids are loving it. it has been so fun to share this with them. i will have to take some pics for you all to see.

after this week there are only two more before the winter/christmas holiday. i cannot believe that it is already here. crazy how the year is sprinting by. it will be crazy at school with all the holiday events we have planned and going to. the time will fly! at the moment, paul and i are planning to go to vietnam and cambodia for the christmas holiday. we are working out the details with our travel agent. we are excited to experience more of southeast asia after loving thailand so much. should be great and not to mention warm!!!