Water Tank

We came back to Dalat at the end of summer only to find out the landlord did not install any water tank and the water pressure had only gotten worse. We continued to experience interrupted showers. Finally we got a handy man recommended by a brother and installed a water tank and pump for a good price. The handy man told us our area is notorious for water pressure problems and most every house has a water tank and/or pump. Here is a picture of the nice blue plastic water tank we got which is half the price of the more popular metal ones that are mounted on roof tops. This plastic one rests in our front porch and a water pump is used next to it to get the water up the pipes. We've been enjoying uninterrupted showers for a couple weeks now. We don't know how long this system would last, as is with any thing in Vietnam, but bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!!

 

Cousins' Visit

Picking fruit from plum tree in backyard

Sweet plums

Caleb's cousins from Texas visited and stayed with us for the past three weeks. We enjoyed some camping at Big Basin, family reunions, swimming, and more...

 

 

 

A visit to IHOP

 

Camping at Big Basin

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking together

 

All the kids

 

The Dao clan

 

 

Cousins

 

Summer fun in the pool

 

Enjoying the Great Mall

 

At Majestic Park

 

Time in Hong Kong

We spent a couple weeks in Hong Kong visiting my parents at the end of June...

Waiting for the 208 bus

First time ice skating at Elements

 

Enjoying some snacks and drinks

 

Celebrating birthday with grandma

 

Easter...to Graduation

Sorry we have left our blog unattended for a few months. To compensate, we have pictures from Easter to Graduation here for your enjoyment...

Boys coloring Easter eggs

Their creation

Happy boys

Caleb learning the guitar

Graduating our first batch of students

Our sister graduating

Got a headache? No problem!

The first year when our family traveled to Vietnam, our suitcases contained shampoos and conditioners, deodorant, vitamins, and all sorts of medicines among many other things we did not think we could find in Vietnam. Four years later, most items we bring with us are Caleb's homeschooling materials. We still bring vitamins and some meds, but I have learned to get the basic common ones here in Vietnam. For a mild headache, I would take Panadol which is equivalent to Tylenol. But for a bad ache, one can actually find Advil and Aleve here, but not in a new bottle. I go to the local pharmacy and tell them I would like to get some Advil, then they would go to the back of the store and bring out this big dusty bottle (most items you buy at the stores here are dusty) of Advil that has been opened, ask you how many you would like, and cinch them up in a little plastic bag with a rubber band. I do ask to see the bottle to check for the expiration date and ingredients etc. And the bottles do look genuine and are in a recognizable packaging from Advil. So there, I get my Advil for my cramps and Andy gets his Aleve for his back pain.

 

Getting Gas

For over four years in Vietnam, I managed not to have to call to order gas when it runs out since each time it happened Andy was home for the rescue. (Here people cook with portable propane gas stoves.) Yesterday Andy was out taking a student back to her hometown two hours away for an emergency in the family. In the middle of cooking dinner, the fire went out, and I knew what I had to do... I called the number on the tank and ordered a tank of gas. That I managed to say, plus our address. But when the lady asked me what color the tank was, I realized there are different ones like red, blue, and gray etc. for different sizes I believe. Ours was the gray one, but I didn't know what "gray" was in Vietnamese! But, I did know "red, blue, black, and white." So I told her literally, "Not color red, not color blue. Color black and white." Voila! A grey tank of gas was delivered within a half hour! Learning to survive in Vietnam still...

 

 

Photography

Caleb is really into taking pictures these days, snapping shots usually of nature. Here is his bagworm munching on his lunch and some wasp he found lying on the floor.