Mangoes and Pomelos...

Happy New Year of 2012

2012-01-05T23:26:00.000-08:00

Our family wishes our friends and family a blessed new year of 2012. And here are some pictures of Winter 2011 for you to enjoy!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T01:07:00.000-08:00

Warm wishes to our family and friends!
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given..."

Fall update

2011-11-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

We are doing well this semester by God's grace! Just celebrated my birthday last week and am grateful for life! Teammate Jenny baked a cake with chocolate frosting for me and we shared it with the flock as we gathered in the morning that day. Here are some pictures from this semester so far. Enjoy!

Humongous Beehive

2011-09-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

We came back to the guest house after the summer only to find this humongous beehive nested on the internet cable strung near the ceiling outside our rooms on the porch.

Before and After

2011-09-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

The one wardrobe that the university provided in our guest house had only one functional knob for the two doors. For two years, we stuck a piece of cardboard paper to the door as a handle. This year, I finally decided to get a real knob! Here is the before and after.

Whitening Lotion

2011-09-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

In America, most women want to get a tan. In Vietnam, every woman wants to get whiter. I have yet to find a lotion here that does not have the word "whitening" in the label. I hesitated getting any, not knowing what "whitening" means and what is in the lotion that makes one whiter and what actually will happen to my skin, until I realized I had no other choice...

New Cooking Partner

2011-09-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

For the past three years of living in Vietnam, my faithful cooking helper has been this two-burner gas stove. For three years, we struggled with the decision of whether we needed a microwave. This past summer, friends have blessed us with the gift of one to use in Vietnam! We still hesitated as to whether we should use the funds in something else instead. Well, we finally took the plunge yesterday when Andy brought home a new cooking partner for me! One of our students saw it and asked what it was and how it works. She was amazed when we told her that it can get the food hot in seconds but not the bowl. I still couldn't believe we lived three years without it. And am also thankful that we do have one now. It saves us some time and we are able to reheat things like leftover rice easily. I am one happy mom.

A Pepper-Spray Attack

2011-09-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

We came back to our university yesterday after a week-long retreat in Hanoi with our fellow teachers. We then had dinner with our teammate and a student at a local joint for "cha ram bap" (fried corn spring roll) near the university. Half way through dinner, a person with a helmet and mask still on came through the entrance holding up a can and started spraying something in the air and then ran away. While I was still trying to figure out what it was, people from the first table already started screaming, covering their mouth, and calling out "run!" We were sitting at the second table from the entrance and our student also started yelling, "run outside!" I was trying to process all that was happening in that split second and the next few minutes were all chaos and panic. Everyone started running out the door, and by that time, Andy started telling us to get up and run outside. As I was helping Caleb get outside during all that commotion, I too began to feel the sting and irritation in my eyes, nose, and throat by whatever that was sprayed in the air. It got worse as we ran past the doorway, and all I was thinking about was helping to shield Caleb from that substance. We finally got out of the alley way and into the big street. Our student told us it was probably some sort of a pepper spray that police usually uses to suppress a crowd. We never figured out who that person was, the reason for the attack, and what that substance was. But it sure shook us up a bit especially Caleb since he never witnessed anything quite like that. Our student asked us to get a drink at the store to help wash down the chemical. So I got Caleb some milk hoping the alkaline would neutralize whatever that went in his system. We felt fine after a few minutes and Andy went back with Jenny and our student to pay for our meal. The owner was very grateful for that. Caleb didn't want to go back and just wanted to go home. So we walked back first on our own and had the chance to process a bit of what went on. I was at first concerned most about Caleb, and doubts came into my mind about being in Vietnam and exposing Caleb to possible dangers etc. But Caleb and I both came to the conclusion that our heavenly Father is sovereign over all. We could be in the "safest" place on earth or the most "dangerous" but He is the one who determines what befalls us. He does whatever He pleases. And He causes all things to work for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. At the end of the evening, Caleb said he wanted to pray for the attacker. As we were running out of the restaurant, he said he kept praying for protection over himself from the chemicals. Later after he drank the milk, he commented that it was worse when JC died on the cross and started tearing up. And he offered thanksgiving afterwards for he remembers we are to give thanks in all circumstances. I am so thankful that we were protected and unharmed, and that Caleb was able to apply what he believes in real life situations. It is good to know we are in His hand of providence.

Heading up north

2011-08-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

We'll be heading up north this Friday to Hai Phong to visit our old teammates and Andy's old students from 3 years ago! After that on Monday we'll head off to our annual retreat in Hanoi spending time with our Team Vietnam before the school year begins.

Subscription Links Added

2011-08-18T07:25:00.001-07:00

To our faithful blog readers: you can now subscribe to our blog posts by clicking on the Subscribe To buttons on the left sidebar. Looking forward to sharing more of our lives in Vietnam with you!

A trip to the market

2011-08-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

Here are glimpses of my trip to the market, taken this morning while Andy is watching Caleb.

First I get geared up with my backpack, helmet, and mask.

On the way out to the gate, I pass by ladies sweeping the campus.

Reaching the gate of the university.

My faithful motorbike taxi driver Mr. Vinh (or "The goggle guy" as our old teammates used to call him when he did have his goggles on all the time).

A 5-minute ride costing 50 cents brings me to the main market.

This is the small grocery store where I can get fresh packaged meat in a tray and foreign products such as cheese, margarine, peanut butter, cereals etc.

It is avocado season so they abound in the market.

Motorbike parking is quite a nightmare and maneuvering through them is even more challenging:

Some nice treats from good earth:

I avoid buying meat this way and opt for the packaged ones. But at least I've seen this while growing up in HK so it is less intimidating.

A must-stop is snacks for Andy (banh bo, or "white sugar cake" in Chinese).

The major brand of ice-cream (and all other diary products) Vinamilk comes in durian, coconut, green bean flavors, and more.

Dried shrimps also abound here.

My rice lady enjoying her breakfast in the back corner.

My veggie ladies.

My cute canh chua (Vietnamese sour soup) lady. It comes complete with a slice of pineapple, bean sprouts, tomatoes, okra, tamarind, and other greens ready to be tossed in the boiling water once washed.

Dalat is, I believe, the only place in Vietnam that can grow strawberries.

Starting a new school year

2011-08-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

We had a blessed time with family and friends this summer in Hong Kong, Canada, and the U.S. See some of the pictures here. Now we are back in Vietnam settling in for a new school year. Caleb started school this week in 3rd grade. Here is his time table. So far so good by His grace!

Caleb got this Pop-Up Port-A-Bug this summer perfect for his bug collection here. Today he caught a little grass hopper.

Do continue to lift us up as we begin our fourth year here. Thanks!

Homeschool in the summer

2011-07-15T19:22:00.001-07:00

The flexibility of homeschooling is that it can happen in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Vancouver, or California. On a reduced summer schedule, we still try to work on some subjects like Spelling, Writing, and Math. Otherwise Caleb's either reading, building circuits, or playing with friends.

Pool and sun time

2011-07-13T20:52:00.001-07:00

Caleb has been able to enjoy the pool a little bit this summer with daddy. He has yet to learn how to swim though. Right now he is still more interested in playing instead. I try to soap up some sun too as my doc just told me I'm low on Vitamin D. Perhaps living in the Central Highlands of Vietnam did it. Or just the fact that I've been doing more of what the Vietnamese do--carrying an umbrella under the sun.

Enjoying some delights of home

2011-06-30T11:37:00.001-07:00

Being back in California means we get to taste and do things not found in Vietnam, like Bok Choy, blueberries and raspberries, asparagus, button mushroom, shaved ice, and miniature golf with friends!

Time back home

2011-06-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

We shared 6 meals in the past 4 days with friends and supporters back home, catching up and blessing one another! Been home for a month and one more to go before heading back to Asia!

Back home

2011-06-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I are back home and Andy will join us Wednesday. We've been traveling with my family visiting relatives along the West Coast. Some pictures of our past three weeks can be found here. Send us an email if you are in the area so we can get together! Lord willing, we'll be back in VN mid-August for our fourth year.

Plans

2011-04-30T10:02:00.001-07:00

Lord willing, we are coming back to Vietnam next school year! Thanks for lifting us up. And we will be home for the summer in June and July. Email us so we can get together!

New projects

2011-04-30T09:40:00.001-07:00

A student introduced me to a yarn store the other day and I ended up with a ball of yarn and knitting needles when I got home. Hopefully by this winter, I will have finished knitting my first scarf for Caleb. Here's the partial project.

There is only one bakery in town where I can find wheat bread. We love making peanut butter jelly sandwich with it as shown here. But when I really miss those whole wheat bagels back home, I have to resort to making my own, for the first time! Here are pictures of the boiling dough and the very-homemade-looking products...

Updated pictures

2011-04-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Finally uploaded some pictures from the past couple months here. Still have more to upload but that will be another night... But here's a picture of my second attempt at using up my whole wheat flour before leaving for the summer: Braided Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

ATC

2011-03-05T06:21:00.001-08:00

We've been back for over 2 weeks now from our Thailand conference but all three of us have taken turns getting sick. Many were sick at conference and so we didn't expect to be spared. Caleb though had a good time at the children's program together with children of teachers of our organization. Here's a clip showing their little presentation see if you can spot Caleb.

Our new mode of transportation

2011-01-31T04:15:00.000-08:00

Some friends back home have blessed us with a motorbike. So Andy is now officially our chauffeur. We do ask for traveling mercies daily as the streets of Vietnam are not the safest of all. Did you know there is not a single traffic light in Dalat? One teacher puts it well--we are always merging.

I've also posted pictures of our HK trip here and recent pictures here.

Happy New Year of 2011

2011-01-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

Spent the new year morning where I grew up with my family...

Time in HK

2010-12-30T05:04:00.000-08:00

Caleb and I just arrived two days ago spending two weeks visiting my parents and, not to mention, seeing my high school friends at our 25th class reunion on Jan 2!! Some pictures of our time in HK can be found here.

Rejoice!

2010-12-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Cookie baking and Christmas caroling with students was wonderful. But what we rejoice in during this season goes deeper and more eternal. And we are glad we were able to share that with many students, especially on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, during which students came with us to various Christmas events at our local fellowship. Songs, nativity scenes, special messages...and two special additions to the family, all because of Him. "I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-24T08:55:00.001-08:00

And here are more December pictures.

November update

2010-12-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures that serve as an update on our time here for the past month. Enjoy!

Miss Jenny's homework assignment

2010-10-23T08:12:00.001-07:00

Jenny's students from her Speaking class were assigned some homework activities, one of which was to hold English speaking parties with the presence of at least one foreign teacher. As you can see in these pictures, our family benefited greatly from this homework assignment!

Pomelo

2010-10-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

We were invited to a student's home for lunch a couple weeks ago. Her family has a home like a mansion with fruit trees, ponds, flower gardens, and more. We saw humongous pomelos on this one tree and got to sample one.

Spaghetti and using a fork

2010-10-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am really glad I was able to make spaghetti the other day for some of Andy's students. It was their first time eating spaghetti and first time using a fork. What fun!

A birthday celebration

2010-10-21T08:37:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had a birthday dinner celebration for one of our dear sisters. The cake really surprised her and brought her to tears. Andy introduced her to our favorite guy JP, and over the summer she worked on translating one of JP's books (50 reasons why J came...) to Vietnamese! Bless her soul!

Caleb's new friend Long

2010-10-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Caleb's been meeting with his new friend Long every week for play time. Long is the son of one of the English teachers here at the University. He's the same age as Caleb and is really good at sports and playing the piano. For now, the only words they speak to each other is basically each other's name...

A special caterpillar

2010-10-21T08:31:00.001-07:00

Caleb spotted this interesting looking caterpillar out on the porch!

Faucet contraption

2010-10-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is the only sink in our university guest house for the three of us and it does not have hot water. But I am so thankful the shower hose is just long enough for me to make this contraption so we have hot water to use in the sink!

Bug collection

2010-10-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Over the summer, the Khuc family showed us their bug collection/specimen. Since coming back to Dalat, Caleb's started this bug collection with an increasing number of amazing creatures. It's been an exciting project for Caleb even though we are amateurs and lack the proper equipment. But bugs and acetone abound in Vietnam, and we are waiting for our next target--a stick bug.

Writing Chinese

2010-10-01T08:14:00.001-07:00

Caleb continues to practice writing Chinese characters each week, just for exposure and fun. Here's a short clip of his writing exercise.

Handwriting

2010-10-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Caleb's new friend Sue who's the same age as he is (7) was visiting the other day and doing her writing homework. I was so impressed with her penmanship for a girl her age. I guess I would have to agree there's a big difference not only between a boy's handwriting and a girl's, but also between that of an American and a Vietnamese!

Making Kim Chi

2010-09-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

Our teammate Jenny and I got a mini-course on how to make kim chi the other day from our dear Korean neighbor Mrs. Park. We each got to take home a good portion. Caleb actually really likes it even though it is spicy. And I am slowly acquiring the taste as well. Here I am including a short clip of how Mrs. Park rubs the paste onto each leaf. Fun exercise!

Joy

2010-09-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Dunkin' pictures of three of Andy's old students in HP brought tears to my eyes when we received them from an email yesterday...

Enjoying the Coconut Jello

2010-09-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

How you know your son has been "Vietnamized":

2010-09-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

When he starts posing with the "victory" sign in pictures.

Young Coconut Jello

2010-09-27T08:41:00.001-07:00

Though cooking is still more of a chore than fun to me, Andy's students never fail to delight me in this aspect whenever they come and show me a new dish or dessert. This time they made young coconut jello. First you cut a hole on the top of a peeled young cococut, pour the juice out to make the gelatin mixture, then pour the hot mixture back in the steamed young coconut (so the jello will stick to the coconut flesh). Refrigerate until set and cut into wedges and enjoy!

Mid-autumn festival

2010-09-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

We sampled some interesting moon cakes from the school this year, including a chocolate one and a green bean pandan leaf one. Caleb also got a nice lantern from a student and had a nice outing with a new friend (cousin of the student who gave him the lantern). His new friend "Sue" came to play a couple times, and one time with another younger cousin. Caleb enjoyed showing them all his trinkets and toys.

All in Three Days!

2010-09-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Wed midnight: took a bus to SG
Wed 6:30am: arrived in SG
Wed 10am: appointment with dentist
Wed 10:30am: root canal started
Wed 1:00pm: root canal done, walked back to hotel
Thu 8:30am: more root canal, post implant, molding, temp crown
Thu noon: done, walked back to hotel
Fri 11:00am: back to dentist for the real crown
Fri 12:00am: done, paid $800USD, went to lunch, taxi to bus station
Fri 1:45pm: boarded bus
Fri 10:00pm: got home, sore gum, aching back, very tired and sleepy
How would this have happened in SJ, where my dentist was 2 minutes away?

A few updates

2010-09-10T08:27:00.001-07:00

We've been back in Vietnam for over 3 weeks now. Last week was a highlight where we spent 3 days in Haiphong visiting old students and teammates and then 5 days in Hanoi with Team Vietnam on our annual retreat. We are now back in Dalat with our new teammate for a new school year.

In Haiphong, we spent some kindred moments with team and flock, eating and sharing together. The picture shows the girls picking rau muong for dinner!

While in Hanoi, we met the sister of one of Andy's old students who is working as a legal assistant in the capitol. She insisted on bringing dinner to the hotel for us. So we enjoyed a nice bun cha night snack as seen in picture.

The first weeks back in Vietnam always means lots of cleaning. After cleaning up our room which was infested with rice weevils, we helped our teammate clean up her room which had a fridge infested with thousands of maggots. Actually it was not us but students who really helped her clean up the room. You can see the maggots in the fridge magnified in the picture. It was my first time in over 40 years seeing these horrid creatures. Caleb also was a mighty little helper in sweeping the whole corridor for the foreign teachers while the cleaning lady from the university dusted the doors this morning. The guesthouse for foreign teachers is again filled for the semester, with three older Korean couples, a new older Japanese teacher, another teacher from the US, and our team.

Being back also means lots of catching up with students. You can see in the picture Andy and Caleb introducing their new frisbee from the US to one of Andy's students in the backyard. And some students already came to cook dinner for us as shown in the picture where you can also see our new teammate Jenny.

Back in Vietnam

2010-08-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

The first days back in Vietnam always make me nostalgic and homesick. Yes, I do miss home--beautiful and comfortable America and Hong Kong--especially when we came back to a room infested with rice weevils (from a bag of glutinous rice we left behind), worms emerging from cracked tile floors in the bathroom, and a big cockroach running under our bed! But God is good. The three of us, together with 5 pieces of luggage, made it safely back to Vietnam after 3 flights and 2 long layovers. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!

Some more pictures

2010-08-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

I've uploaded some random pictures here taken in the latter part of our summer. Caleb and I are in Hong Kong now visiting with family and friends. A few more days and we'll be meeting up with Andy at the airport and fly back to Vietnam! Maybe because Caleb is older now, he unusually missed the US this time around. Leaving Daddy behind made it doubly hard. But he's enjoyed his share of fun here in Hong Kong playing with his grannies, eating delicious food, and going to the science museum once again.

Last Meal in the US

2010-07-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

This is what Caleb requested today as his last meal before going back to Asia. We will all miss it...

Friends

2010-07-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's been wonderful seeing friends and being pampered by special treats back home in California. Some have treated us to amusement parks and zoos and to dinners. Here is Caleb enjoying the merry-go-round with Eli at Happy Hollow, and an after-dinner picture with my bridesmaids and college friends of 24 years. Caleb got to watch airplanes landing by SF Bay all throughout dinner at Elephant Bar. He had a blast and we are thankful for the love of friends.

Things we pack

2010-07-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, we do pack brownie mixes and Jello with us though not as much as some of our teammates do. And we've learned to toss the outer packaging and keep the instructions!

as it flows

2010-07-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

relieved, happy, thankful, spoiled, undeserved, humbled, worried, prayerful, expectant, dependent...

Enjoying a toy

2010-07-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

from uncle Chris. I thought about teaching him Kirchoff's laws, but didn't want to ruin his fun ... yet!

Caleb on the Kindle

2010-07-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

Cherries and blueberries

2010-07-08T00:12:00.001-07:00

Some of the treasures of summer.

Angel Island

2010-07-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a day of hiking on Angel Island with the Twoys. Caleb and I rode the Bart out to SF and joined the Twoys on the ferry out to Angel Island. We hiked around the whole island and Grandma Twoy put me to shame with her stamina! Here are some pictures of the day's outing.

16th anniversary

2010-07-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Per our tradition for the 2nd year, Caleb again took us to Black Angus for our anniversary dinner. Andy and I enjoyed thick pieces of good tender beef and at the same time realized what an odd piece of meat it might look to people of another culture and land. Well, we've been eating more beef in the past month than we have in the past year. We've forgotten how tender beef can be! 24 years of friendship and 16 years of marriage, and counting... His blessings.

Summer update

2010-06-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Summer is going by fast for us! We've been seeing family and friends these days and have gotten our doctor's appointments out of the way. And Caleb has met up with a number of his old buddies already. Andy is enjoying his time to catch up on some reading, besides staying connected with his students and getting his presentation done.

I've pretty much done most of my shopping for the coming year, including homeschooling books for Caleb who will be in 2nd grade and our medicines. Oh how I am grateful for the chewables. No more extra weight and spills in the suitcases!

Never thought this would happen, ...

2010-06-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

but it is. The invitation happened at least as early as last September, but we've just found out about it this week, and I've just done some reading on what others are thinking about it, trying to find out how they are reacting to it. Living and working in VN, we've been out of the loop on these matters, good or bad. I don't know yet what to feel about this, but I can say that I was surprised. There must be a lesson for me to learn somewhere in all this, and I hope to find out what it is.

Beijing Trip

2010-06-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Caleb was blessed with a trip to Beijing with grandpa and grandma last month while we visited them in Hong Kong. We joined a 5-day tour and got to climb the Great Wall. Caleb was excited to see in person what he had learned in history this past year. While my dad stayed at the bottom tower, my mom made it up to the first tower, and Caleb and I almost finished one section with him having to push me up those final few steps. Here are some of the pictures we took on the trip.

Back in California

2010-06-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

We are back in sunny California! Still suffering from jetlag. At 4am you are bound to find at least one of us walking around the house. And both Caleb and I already caught a cold. Haven't driven yet myself but Andy's been. Just like last year, I believe it is one of those skills that just comes back. And Caleb has already made a lot of comments such as "How come there's nobody walking in the streets?" and I find myself forgetting how to stand in line!

and I am Mexican

2010-05-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

according to some of my ex-coworkers in the US. They even gave me the name Antonio Gonzales.

Here in Vietnam, I've been assigned many different nationalities, the least of which Vietnamese.

This year, I taught this small group of engineering students for 5 whole months, and the whole time they didn't know was actually Vietnamese (by ethnic). And even after they've heard Vietnamese coming from my mouth during our farewell dinner, one of them leaned over and asked me, "How many years have you been learning Vietnamese?" I said, "Since I was born."

When I walk into a local eatery not usually catered to foreigners, waitresses have a panic look on their faces and tell each other, "You go serve him." Then I have to quickly put them at ease by saying something in Vietnamese. And even then, most of the time they still think I am a foreigner who can speak the local language.

I have noticed so far that people tend to trust their eyes more than their ears.

But there have been a few occasions where someone would tell me that he or she knew for sure that I was Vietnamese the first time he or she saw me. In these situations, I'd like tell them, in English, that I am actually Mexican, from Haiphong, living in Dalat, with an American passport, and can speak Vietnamese with a Saigon accent.

I am Chinese!

2010-05-11T02:37:00.000-07:00

When I am out with Andy on the streets of Vietnam speaking English, I am often mistaken by locals for a Vietnamese woman married to a foreigner. And when I am now in Hong Kong out with Caleb on the streets speaking English, I am mistaken by locals for a Filipino domestic helper! I have learned to ignore the stares.

By the way, Caleb and I just arrived in Hong Kong. Andy will join us in June for another week before the three of us head back to the States on June 9. Caleb enjoyed his library trip today so very much! And my first reaction upon arrival was: There are so many cars (not motorbikes)!

Foods we miss

2010-05-07T00:56:00.000-07:00

Top 10 foods we miss from home in California (not in order):
* Vietnamese food (believe it or not!)
* McDonald's (Caleb's choice obviously since there's none in Vietnam)
* Panera breads, especially bagels!
* Sushi (maybe just for me and Caleb)
* Jamba juice
* Pizza
* Good pearl drinks
* Marie Callender's Pies
* Quesadillas
* Blueberries
I think Californians are spoiled... :)

Plans for next year

2010-05-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Two years in Vietnam have gone by fast! By His grace, we're committing to a third year of service here. We look forward to seeing friends and family again this summer in both HK and the US.

A Student's Apartment

2010-05-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

We went to visit a student at her apartment. She lives by herself in the small little room with the bed itself occupying almost half of it. Her kitchen is a little corner on the floor to the left of the entrance. She shares two squatty toilets and two shower stalls with 13 other residents in the complex. There's no hot water. The rent is $380k a month (almost $20USD).

Visiting an orphanage

2010-05-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend is a long weekend for Vietnam due to 4/30 being liberation day and 5/1 labor day. Many Vietnamese travel during this time, so Dalat is filled with tourists from Saigon. We chose to stay home. Yesterday, Friday, we had some students over in the morning to help them prepare for their Speaking final exam. Then in the afternoon and evening, we had some students over for dinner. We introduced them to spaghetti and garlic bread.
Today, Caleb and I and one of my students walked 50 minutes to a bus stop to take a one-hour bus trip to a small village outside of Dalat to visit a small orphanage. This was our second visit this year. We spent part of the morning and afternoon there playing with the kids and eating lunch with them. I ordered 13 boxes of "bun thit nuong" here and brought them there for lunch. I played soccer with the older boys while Caleb played with the two girls. My student got along well with the younger kids and they loved her. It rained in the afternoon, and we waited for the rain to stop before we headed back. The long walks to and from the bus stops were hard for Caleb and the bumpy bus ride was hard on my back, but we had some good fun. I thought it was time well spent, and hopefully the kids felt the same. Here are a few pictures.

April update

2010-05-01T03:02:00.000-07:00

This has been a short semester for Andy since his Speaking class had only 10 weeks instead of 15. So he's officially done with teaching this semester except for the Engineering students that he's volunteering to teach until the end of May. April 30 was a national holiday for Vietnam and so we had the day off. The Engineering Department delivered a cute little cake for Andy's help. Of course since he doesn't like cakes, Caleb, the students, and I enjoyed it all.

On Easter, Caleb made some colorful Easter (duck) eggs for a few students as well as the children at an orphanage that we visited. I think Andy may post some pictures of one of our visits there later. But here are the colorful eggs that we made together for the first time! We were blessed to see coffee plants at the orphanage. The lady gave us a branch to bring home for study. Caleb and I made a little project out of it. We dried the branch, peeled open the beans, and roasted them in the oven. Too bad we are no coffee drinkers to appreciate the taste. But it was a fun activity.

"Who Am I?"

2010-04-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Some of my students love this song by Casting Crowns. They are working with me on a Vietnamese translation of the song.

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Bridge:
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.

Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am yours..
I am yours..

It is I

2010-04-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,

to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.

Does the clay say to the potter,

`What are you making?'

Does your work say,

`He has no hands'?

Woe to him who says to his father,

`What have you begotten?'

or to his mother,

`What have you brought to birth?'

"This is what the LORD says--

the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

Concerning things to come,

do you question me about my children,

or give me orders about the work of my hands?

It is I who made the earth

and created mankind upon it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens;

I marshaled their starry hosts.

Dunking Dung

2010-04-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

Dung's special day! We were invited to rejoice with her on this very special occasion last week. Congratulations!

Some pictures from March 2010

2010-04-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

A few highlights in March:

1. We and Hong Anh visited Dung's home. She lives with her mom and sister in a small little room in her grandmother's house. We met her mom and grandmother and had nice long chats with them. Her grandmother talked about the hard old days during the war when a bomb dropped right in front of her house. Then after the war was over, there was no food to eat. Brought back some of my own personal memories. It was humbling to see where and how they are living, with squatty toilets outside the house and no hot water. Dung's mom made delicious "bun rieu" for dinner in spite of the tiny little corner they called "the kitchen."

2. Nho, Meo, and Hanh came over to visit and we decided to play some games. One of the games was Tumbling Tower (or Jenga). The loser had to pump 10 times, Vietnamese style.

3. Hanh came over with her car and took all of us on an outing around Dalat. We visited a place with lots of nice flowers and another place with lots of nice embroideries. After that, she drove us to a restaurant for some nice "mien ga," a recommendation by Nho. For desserts, they took us to a "che" place downtown. Then Hanh actually drove into campus and dropped us off right in front of our door. We felt like VIPs!

Visiting Dung's humble little dwelling and meeting her mom.

Oh no, the Tumbling Tower is about to ...

Flowers everywhere!

Very nice flowers in the background

Which ones are real?

Welcome to our beautiful living room and our comfortable couch!

Nice pose!

The stick bugs are back...

2010-03-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

...and so is spring!

Caleb turned 7

2010-03-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

Caleb turned 7 on March 1st while we were in Haiphong visiting with the team and old students. It was a blessing seeing familiar faces, reconnecting with many students, and sharing with like-minded ones. We miss them! Now Caleb and I are working through finishing up his 1st grade work before summer comes.

Team Vietnam

2010-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here are our dear fellow teammates serving in different cities of Vietnam: Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Quy Nhon, and Dalat!

Visiting Former Students at HPU

2010-03-04T02:08:00.000-08:00

Since we still had another week before school starts and knew that this would be the last chance we would have this year to visit our former students, we made a trip up north to Haiphong to see them. It was a much anticipated visit because many students have been waiting to see us again (and vice versa) since we parted last summer. Although it cost a lot for the whole family to fly up to Hanoi and taxi over to Haiphong and stay in a hotel, we trust that the encouragement we gave and received and relationship building that we all enjoyed made it all necessary.

Not only did we get to see all the students, we also got to see them during their military training time. This was a very special time for them because they all got to live in the dorm together away from family for 4 weeks, spending time together over meals, lessons, activities, training, games, and sleeping in bunk beds at night. We also got to celebrate Chi's birthday and Caleb's birthday up there with some students. Caleb got to run around and be spoiled by many of the students who really love him and missed him.

Besides having meals with some students and visiting them at their dorms and their canteen, we also had a chance to worship together with the group of like-minded students who are part of our family, singing songs and studying the word. It was a good time of encouragement both for them and for us. It was a really good encouragement for us to hear them share and see how much they have grown in their faith in the past year. I was asked to give them a little workshop on how to properly interpret the word. I also shared with them some video clips of a new family member here on our campus, and it was a blessing for them to see that they have a new sister in a province far away and to hear her testimony. Although they have never met each other, they seemed to share a common unspeakable joy with one another as if they were truly a family. It was such a huge blessing to be among them again. Even though it was a very tiring trip both for us and for Manny, Ruth, and Caroline, we were truly blessed and thankful.

You can see some of the pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/an.duy.dao/March2010#

Lunar New Year Holiday

2010-02-23T06:47:00.001-08:00

Though we do not get Christmas and New Year off here, we do enjoy a month long Lunar New Year holiday. Andy does not start teaching until March 8. So, we've made used of this time off to visit with students and experience what New Year (Tet) is like in Vietnam. We got to visit with two families during new year, and many students came by to drop off New Year gifts (mainly Banh Chung, the sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf with green bean and pork stuffing).

We also made a trip to Nha Trang, a beach town 4 hours by bus north east of Dalat, with two students. It was an amazing time of bonding and enjoying the beauty of our Father's creation. Caleb enjoyed for the first time taking a dip in the ocean where the water is actually warm. And I got promoted to be a mom of three when locals asked if Caleb and the two students were all our kids.

I am also including here some random shots taken in Nha Trang that I thought were interesting, including the speaker connected to the power lines for public announcements. At certain times during the day, you will be listening to broadcast by the government. Strangely we don't have any in Dalat.

Happy New Year of the Tiger

2010-02-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours!

Năm Canh Dần

2010-02-14T01:52:00.000-08:00

(once a year for Vietnamese readers. Apologies to all our other readers ...)

Trước hết, tui xin chúc bạn một năm mới dồi dào sức khoẻ và sống lâu trăm tuổi. Cái lời chúc này hơi dỏm một chút, xin bạn thông cảm vì đây là lời chúc di nhứt (duy nhất) mà tui đã học thuộc lòng từ nhỏ để được lì xì. Còn nếu bạn thích lời chúc màu mè và có văn chương hơn thì chắc tui phải lên mạng chơm vài câu.

Một năm mình cũng ráng viết tiếng Việt một lần cho đở quên, chịu khó lôi móc mấy từ nằm ở góc kẹt đen tối bỏ hoang mà mấy chục năm nay mình không rớ (đụng) tới. Hơi đau khổ (nhức cái đầu) một tí, nhưng đây cũng là một vài giây phút để mình "trở về nguồn cội" nhân dịp Tết (ta).

Năm nay mình ăn Tết ở Đà Lạt. Nói hai chữ "ăn Tết" chứ thiệt ra mình cũng không có ăn Tết. Đâu có dọn dẹp nhà cửa, lau bàn thờ, rước Ông Táo, đi thăm mồ mả, bà con họ hàng, đi chợ mua sắm, cúng tụng, thăm viếng chúc Tết ai, và cũng không ăn nhậu cờ bạc gì hết. Mình chỉ có mặt ở đây trong mấy ngày Tết thôi. Vài sinh viên có đến thăm và tặng 4 cái bánh chưng, một cái bánh tét, 2 hủ dưa món, và mứt thành ra mình không cần mua món gì hết. À quên, mình có mua cho thằng Vinh một bộ áo dài và khăn đóng màu xanh cho nó mặc chơi cho vui. Mai là Chủ Nhật và cũng là mùng một Tết, nó sẽ mặc đồ đó đi nhà thờ.

Năm mới sắp đến thì mình nhớ lại năm vừa qua. Để coi có chuyện gì đáng kể cho bà con thiên hạ nghe chơi cho vui không nha. Tuần rồi mình có ở Sài Gòn 6 ngày, trưa nào cũng đi ăn ở Khu Ăn Uống ở trong Diamond Plaza hay Parkson vì ở ngoài nóng quá Vinh chịu không nỗi. Ăn ở đây thoải mái vì có máy lạnh và có nhiều quán bán đồ ăn khác nhau cho mình tha hồ lựa chọn. Mình ngồi đó vừa ăn vừa quan sát xung quanh, thấy khu ăn uống này vừa sạch sẽ vừa phục vụ khách hàng chu đáo. So với khu ăn uống ở Grand Century San Jose, khu này sạch sẽ và hiện đại hơn. Và so với 30 năm về trước, khi dân Sài Gòn ai cũng đói và không có miếng cơm ăn, không được mua được bán, bây giờ thì đồ ăn thừa thãi dư dật, muốn ăn gì cũng có. Nghĩ lại thì thời đó cũng như là một cơn ác mộng. Nhưng khi mình nhìn xa hơn, ra khỏi Plaza và để ý những bà già gánh đồ bán dạo, Sài Gòn bây giờ có thật sự phồn vinh không hay là chỉ giả tạo và ở bề ngoài thôi?

Dù sao Sài Gòn hồi xưa vẫn đẹp hơn Sài Gòn bây giờ. Tui nghe nói Đà Lạt cũng vậy...

Time in HCMC

2010-02-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

We got back to Dalat last night and enjoy once again the quietness after spending a few days in the most crowded place in VN. The city continues to amaze me (and my dad) with the number of motorbikes and cables/wires on street poles as shown. Andy took us to the zoo he visited as a child. Caleb got to feed the elephants sugar cane and pose in front of iguanas. I also got to see dragon fruits on the plant for the first time.

Time with Mom and Dad

2010-02-06T00:56:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad spent 8 days in Vietnam (4 in Dalat and 4 in HCMC) visiting us before our conference in Thailand. We are thankful for the wonderful time we had even though it rained 3 out of 4 days in Dalat while they were there and Caleb was sick half the time. I am so glad they were safe and enjoyed the trip. Here's my folks walking in the rain while I showed them the market where I shop, having local treats out and at our home, riding the horse carriage around the lake on the last day in Dalat when the sun finally came out, and enjoying a meal with two of our students. Ho Chi Minh City on the other hand was very warm. And we did make it to Pho 2000 where President Clinton ate in the year 2000.

ATC

2010-02-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

We spent last week in Thailand for our annual conference meeting up with teachers from China, Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. We are now in Ho Chi Minh City for a few days before returning to Dalat. It was a refreshing week of renewal and encouragement and exalting. We are so thankful for the children workers who came from a fellowship in the States to conduct a VBS type program for all the children of our teachers. Caleb enjoyed it so much. And here is a clip of the children singing a song on the last day of conference.
Indeed, the joy we have is unspeakable!

Here are a couple pictures of some of Team Vietnam in our ao dai and Team Haiphong past and present.

And one highlight of the week was we ran into an old friend from home whom we hadn't seen for five years right at a food court on the only evening that we ate out. He was with another team there for a short-term medical visit. It was an amazing appointment from above!

Pause and commercials

2010-01-22T23:13:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City last night with my parents (Andy is still in Dalat proctoring exams). Caleb got sick and is resting in the hotel now while my parents ventured out themselves. This is Caleb's first time seeing a TV since the summer (we don't have a TV in Dalat), and he usually just watches a couple videos on our laptop. This morning while he was watching some cartoons on TV he asked, referring to the remote, "How come there's no pause on this thing." And later he asked, referring to the commercials, "Mommy, why are they showing these things in the middle?"

Mom and Dad are here!

2010-01-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to see them! We went to Dalat airport to pick them up last night. It was our first time riding down the mountain since we came in September! Caleb loved the 30-min ride through the hills. And when the taxi stopped in front of the airport, I thought he took us to the wrong place because I did not recognize the modern structure in front of us. Turns out the airport was remodeled and just opened two weeks ago! When we came in September, it was an old little building, and now it is a two-story airport building with very modern architecture, and two huge Christmas trees all decorated at the entrance! Yes, Vietnam is developing indeed.

We helped my mom and dad check in at the hotel and went to dinner. It was a little chilly for them and the sidewalk was a little hard to maneuver but they've been to China experiencing similar things on their short-term trips. My dad said Dalat reminds him of Cheung Chau (Long Island) in Hong Kong.

It started raining last night, which is quite unusual for this time of year. And our teammate is hosting a January triple birthday party for herself, a Japanese teacher, and Andy this evening in the backyard. My parents will get to meet students and the community here.

3 firsts with students

2010-01-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

Ever since we came to Dalat, we've heard of three new foods that are local specialties: chả ram bắp, chả ram, and xắp xắp. We kept hearing about them and wanted to try them out, but never had the opportunities (even though they were just right there on the streets and we passed by them all the time). But opportunities do come in God's timing.

A few weeks ago, two students came to visit us and wanted to take us out for chả ram bắp (Grace explained this dish in her blog, and notice the correct spelling). But we had to refuse because Grace was not feeling well, so we missed the opportunity. And then just last week, one of those two students stopped by right before dinner time with a big bag of fresh hot off-the-wok chả ram bắp that she had bought to-go, with all the trimmings and sauce. That was very nice of her to remember and to bring it. We chowed it down in no time, in the comfort of home.

A few weeks back, I went with a bunch of students hiking up LangBiang mountain. On the way back, a student took us to what she called the best xắp xắp shop in town. That was my first time eating it even though I was tempted many times before that to just try it on the streets. While I was sitting there enjoying it, a couple of Vietnamese tourist ladies passed by, and one pointed at the words xắp xắp and asked the others what that meant. The other ladies shook their heads. I knew from their accent that they were from Saigon, so I wanted to help them out (or maybe just to show off). I yelled out "gỏi đu đủ" (papaya salad) and the ladies were happy and walked on. It's what the Dalat locals call papaya salad with beef jerky and hot sauce. I once asked a student why the name xắp xắp, and she said maybe it's the sound made by the scissors when the ladies cut the papaya into shreds.

As for chả ram, three students came a couple of months ago bringing them for us to try. They kept saying that it's a Dalat specialty and it's really good. At first, they brought some ready to be fried, and I fried them myself. But then after they found out that I didn't fry them correctly, they came again a second time and fried them for us, the right way. We ate them with vermicelli and it was delicious. It's similar to what's called chả giò in the south, but here, it's called chả ram. And in the north, it's called nem rán. And in English, it's called egg rolls. VN is a small country, but it's amazing how there's so much variation in the language. And Dalat is a city where you can find all the variations, and so the local accent sounds like a combination of all of them.

I could have tried these three dishes by myself a long time ago, but I later realized it was more special to wait for the right opportunities to come along and to enjoy them from the hands of the students or with them, especially when they initiate it.

Long time no updates

2010-01-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

Just finished with classes yesterday (Saturday). Today is the first day of a long Tet holiday break until the second semester starts again in early March. It's been a busy semester, and one where I got sick quite a few times. Two days ago, I went to a 7am class (an extra class I gave just to help the students prepare for their final exam), and, right after I walked into the classroom and told the students to sit down, my stomach started hurting and I had to excuse myself. I ran back home (good thing the classroom was close to home) because public bathrooms here aren't so usable. This was something that I've been fearing since I started teaching in VN, and it finally came. But God provides. The following day I was still pretty weak from the stomach pain and just general body aches from some kind of a flu, and had another 4 hours of extra class. But He carried me through again. I went home afterward and went straight to bed and slept till the next day. This morning, I wasn't sure I felt good enough to walk to church and thought about taking the taxi instead. But at 6:30am I received a text message on my cell phone from a student asking if she could walk to church with me. She said she was sad and tired (I think from too much studying for the finals) and she wanted to go to church for some entertainment. I thought to myself, "This is her second time going to church, and the first was to the Christmas service a couple of weeks back. Maybe she was expecting the same kind of entertainment every week?" Well, she may not get entertained but at least she will get 40 minutes worth of English practice to help her on her final exam. And yesterday, another student asked me the same thing in class. So, I texted back and told the student to meet me at the 5-way intersection (ngã năm) at 7:30am. So sure enough, I had just enough strength to make it there in time with the two students. It turned out to be a pleasant walk (like the many times before) and my stomach didn't act up at all! Praise God! At the end of service, I asked them if they understood anything, they said they didn't understand a thing, even though it was in their native language. We all went out to lunch together afterward, including a teacher from LA who used to teach here 10 years ago and is coming back to visit and staying for more than a month. It was a good fellowship time.

I recently realized that I've been doing a lot of walking the past few months. Added to that are all those hours of standing and walking around in the classrooms. I will need new walking shoes when I get back to the States this summer.

I just remembered that when I was still in the States, I used to dream of a day when I could walk to church with people on Sunday mornings. I just realized that it has come true. The only thing missing is the nice, wide, clean, and safe sidewalks. Here, walking takes a lot of mental power because you have to constantly walk around obstacles and look around you all the time to avoid falling down into a sewer, stepping on undesirable objects, getting bitten by a dog, getting burned by a motorbike exhaust pipe, or, worse yet, being run over by a motorbike. Minor technicalities, though, after your system gets used to it. It's nice to be able to walk with students who have never gone to a church their whole life. One student found her true everlasting peace and happiness as a result last month! Yeah! She is now taking class to get ready to be dunked.

Another dream of mine was to be able to walk to work. Well, that has been true since last year. We can almost walk to the market to do grocery shopping, but not quite. It's still a little far and we still have to rely on the motorbike taxis.

I'll have to proctor two final exams, one next Saturday and the other the Monday after that. Both will be at 7am. Too early if you asked me. Good thing I am proctoring them and not taking them. Right after the exam on Monday, I'll take a grueling 8-hour bus to Saigon, and from there fly to Chiang Mai for a one week conference and training (and dental checkup). After that, we'll come back to VN and spend a quiet Tet here at the school.

Mid-year homeschool update

2010-01-14T07:37:00.001-08:00

Home-school has been going well this year. Caleb continues each weekday with Saxon Math 2, reading various classics from The Odyssey to The Trumpet of the Swan to Aesop's Fables, writing, spelling, doing grammar, learning plant science through hands-on experiments, and studying ancient history. I'm learning so much in the process! He's also writing Chinese characters here and there for fun. And since he continued to show interest in learning piano, we picked up a keyboard here in Vietnam and continued on with our lessons. Dalat also makes for a wonderful place for Caleb to study the amazing creation that surrounds us, from stick bugs to caterpillars and cocoons to frogs and toads.

We are trying to finish up this week's school work awaiting for my parents to come visit next Monday! Yes, they've finally taken the courage (being in their 70's) to come visit us in Dalat for four days, and then Caleb and I will fly with them to Ho Chi Minh City and visit for another four. Andy will join us there on the last day after he finishes with proctoring final exams. And we will fly to Thailand for our mid-year conference. Time flies!

Treats from students

2010-01-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

The other day a student brought us fresh milk from her family's milking cow who had just given birth to a calf. She added Milo (sweetened cocoa powder) to the milk and steamed it for 20 minutes and out came delicious milk custard! The student said the milk curded up easily by itself because it came from a cow that had just given birth. Caleb enjoyed it thoroughly.

Another student brought us Cha Rem Bap (Corn egg rolls), specialty of Dalat. Instead of meat they put corn in the egg rolls, and you roll it up in rice paper with herbs and pickles. It was another delicious treat!

Finally, we received a heart-shaped sponge cake yesterday to our delight.

Colgate with an Asian twist

2010-01-14T06:21:00.002-08:00

Green-tea flavored toothpaste!

Christmas and New Year

2010-01-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas is not celebrated here nationally but Andy did get one day off for New Year and we did receive some presents from the University and students since we are foreigners.

The dry season started back in November so we've enjoyed being outdoor more. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Night, we walked with students to the Christmas gatherings and enjoyed meaningful and fun conversations and relationship building.

On New Year's Day, two students invited us to the newly opened shopping mall in town. It is the first shopping mall opened in Dalat. It has three stories with escalators. So it was actually the first time one of these students ever stepped on an escalator! Vietnam is indeed developing.

The bi-annual Flower Festival in Dalat happened to be going on during the New Years and so we spent the day playing tourists as well. Here are some pictures we've posted of the day.

Thousands of tourists are in town and all the hotels are full. We can see much effort has been put into this Festival. Students told us that the power will be shut down for the whole town after the Festival for a few days just to recover. I hope we'll be ready for this one!

Happy New Year of 2010!

2009-12-31T02:09:00.000-08:00

Caleb lost another one of his pearly whites while eating sweet'n sour chicken this time...

Wishing our family and friends a blessed new year of 2010!

Rejoicing over one

2009-12-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Seven students came with us to the Christmas Eve celebration tonight, and we rejoice together over one who made the turn. What a wonderful Christmas gift!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

We have fun too

2009-12-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, we do have fun here too. In the picture you can see us in bumper cars at a local park that we visited as a team last week. It was a relaxing trip. The boys swung on swings. We sang songs together. And I even spotted the "shy grass" which I hadn't seen since childhood in Hong Kong. We all had fun touching the leaves and watching them close.

A guest at the door

2009-11-29T05:50:00.000-08:00

I usually sweep our front porch in the morning each day. One morning, as I lifted the door mat to sweep the floor, I found a little visitor resting underneath. Here's a picture of the little critter. I guess since the weather has been getting colder at night, a door mat can make a nice blanket for spending the night.

Sunday

2009-11-29T05:37:00.000-08:00

I came down with a cold with body aches, runny nose and all. But I am happy two students joined Andy and Caleb this morning at our favorite local place. PTL! They had lunch afterwards together and had some good conversations. And two other students came in the afternoon to take Caleb for an outing on campus. So Andy and I got to get some rest. PTL again! These same two students had come a few days ago to make Bun Cha Gio (Vietnamese eggrolls with rice vermicelli) for us. It was delicious. PTL!

Introducing pizzas

2009-11-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

A group of students have been meeting with Andy on a regular basis. They were here yesterday afternoon to meet with Andy and also wanted to invite us to drinks at a cafe after dinner for Teacher's Day. So in return, we invited them to stay for dinner and ordered pizzas and other things (yes, some restaurants here actually attempt to make pizzas). For some of them it was their first time ever eating pizza! We had an extended time together from 3 to 9pm, and some significant conversations were had.

The uppers don't meet the lowers

2009-11-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

Yep, Caleb's at that age...

Some pictures of our living quarters

2009-11-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

I've uploaded some pictures of our living quarters at Dalat University here. The building is provided by the University for their foreign teachers. There are 9 units in our building and we are in unit 5. In this building, there are two Korean families, our teammates Karen and the Rowleys, a single Korean teacher, a single American teacher, and us. Each unit has two rooms each measuring about 19 feet by 11 feet. We use the front room as our living room, dining room, and study area. The back room is our bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen. Hope this gives you a better idea of where we live. Though these units were not built for families and do not have kitchen and individual laundry facilities, we do enjoy the security, serenity, and proximity to campus and students here.

Teacher's Day

2009-11-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

In celebrating Teacher's Day in Vietnam (November 20), the university students put together a performance for all the teachers. The celebration for the Foreign Language Department was held last night. As our appreciation, Laura, Karen, and I represented the team by singing "Be Thou My Vision" in our Ao Dai's.

Sharing a bed

2009-11-18T06:36:00.000-08:00

In Vietnam sharing a bed is done not only by couples. Here is a picture showing partially our bed which is also our "bedroom" with a makeshift "bedroom door" I sewed from a nice piece of fabric I found from what our teachers from last year had left behind. Caleb sleeps right above in the loft. We are happy in this space. Andy visited three students the other day who share a rented room together. Many students here are from outside of Dalat from all different parts of Vietnam and so they need to rent here while away from family. These three students cook, study, and sleep in this one small room. And there is only one bed that is even smaller than the one we have. Andy was told the three of them need to sleep sideways each night in order for them to fit. It makes me appreciate the space I am given so much more.

Farmer's Market

2009-11-18T06:27:00.000-08:00

Here "Farmer's Market" happens everyday. Dalat is famous for its abundant supplies of fresh flowers and veggies.