Hello all! This is Anh, the elder of Cathy’s younger sisters. I’m so tired because there hasn’t been much down time since getting here. So let’s start, shall we?

First, Michelle (the other sister) and I went to visit my friend Yvonne in Tokyo. She made us a cute welcome sign and rice balls for us to eat when we arrived (aww!).


For the next couple of days, we zipped around the city, going to Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza, etc. Visited an origami museum that Michelle adored. I adore all those vending machines! We met up with Aikawa, one of Cathy’s Japanese friends. He took all of us for kaiten sushi (conveyor belt style) which was very fun.


So after three days, we flew to Ho Chi Minh City and arrived early at the airport. But Cathy was there waiting for us already in the hot stuffy weather! We spent a few days there getting our hair done, experiencing pain and relaxation from a Thai-style shiatsu masage, eating and shopping. Michelle experienced some food poisoning and didn’t get to go down into the Cu Chi tunnels during a tour, but I did. Very dark and cramped.

Then we flew to Da Nang, after being delayed for about an hour. Cathy’s friend Eric picked us up at the airport and we drove to Hoi An to stay the night. The next day, we took a look at the old houses and temples around Hoi An while we had some clothes made. We took a little boat around the area and Michelle almost tipped it over while taking a picture! The beach was very windy so that wasn’t so enjoyable. We ended up staying late because our clothes didn’t fit properly, and our taxi broke down on the way home because it was overheated. We had to wait for anothe taxi in the outskirts of town with drunk guys walking around, but it wasn’t as sketchy as it could’ve been!

Now that we’re in Da Nang, things have died down a bit. We did spend the whole day in Hue yesterday, visiting temples and tombs, but besides that, it’s been less busy. I’m actually home alone right now while Cathy and Michelle are out carolling. Tonight we’re going to hand out presents at a orphanage and have a Christmas dinner at a French restaurant. I’m hanging out by myself now because my energy is at an all-time low. Haven’t fully adjusted to the time here in Asia, so I know I’ll be really messed up when I get back to Vancouver. We’re leaving to see our grandmother in Cam Ranh in a couple days and will spend New Year’s in Nha Trang. Then we’ll be heading home on January 2nd at 6am. Talk about a whirlwind trip!

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While eating at an Indian restaurant in Hoi An, we had the good fortune to meet a Californian couple who had just adopted a Vietnamese baby girl.

She was so cute, and there are many others just like her. Just some food for thought for now I guess.

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I have to admit that my job has perks. For example, this week, I had two dinner “obligations” with our Aussie group, and I accompanied them on a countryside visit where I got to see rural Vietnam with its water buffalo and endless rice paddies.

With this group, what’s really great is that they’re all around my age, so we have lots in common and we can talk about academics (you know I have that geeky side) and VNese and Aussie social customs. I actually took some of them to the local club to observe VNese gender dynamics!

I’ve picked up lots of AussieSpeak from them, and I actually really like it b/c they like to abbreviate everything (uni[versity], kindi[garten]) or give nicknames to all things and ppl. And of course to me, they have a very pleasant accent, and there’s definitely a strong Aussie presence in VN.

But I’m not sure I have the “best” job in Danang, because one of my friends trains VNese lifeguards so for him, life is a beach and the beach is warm! (Just remember though, Canada is cold and it has no bugs that want to eat me so I consider that a very good thing!)

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Cheerio! With Marisa and Shueey (Aussie mate) in tow, I spent a rainy day in Hue. You’d think it’d be easy to get there when you look in the Frommer’s Guide, go to the tourist office, and wait for your car, but this is VN, and nothing is straightforward!

The car we rented had a few problems:
- It was leaking exhaust b/c we could smell it, but it didn’t leak enough for us to go delirious.
- The passenger side door could only be opened from the outside, and there was a perma crack b/w the window and the door so it never was fully closed.
- We had hoped for a CD player and had expected A/C, but instead, the speedometer didn’t even work, and the driver had to put in his own clock b/c the car didn’t have one! We think we might have been putting our lives into a bit of danger at this point.
- It was pouring for most of the day, and the backseats were damp so we think s/thing must’ve been missing b/w the seats and the bottom of the car.
- Our driver didn’t know Hue so we had to use our tourbook and give him directions on where we wanted to go. We felt like backpackers, but with a car!

It was dangerous but oh so fun…on the way back, we made sure we had stocked up on HUDA, Hue beer, and asked if our driver had lights that worked, knew how to change a tire, and would drive slowly. I also had cellphone reception for most of the ride just in case…

The city tour for us was a grey, wet mess. But the city had lots of history and ancient tombs of the past rulers of the Nguyen (my surname!) Dynasty. IT was a fun little ego boost for me to see my last name plastered all over the place, and yes, even though I was wet, I kinda felt like royalty.

Upon returning to Danang, I discovered that for the same price, I could have had a nice Mercedes van if I had rented from another place. Gotta luv that!!! It was a one-time deal and at least I had good company. As MK likes to say: Ghettofabulous!

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It’s been two months and I’ve been to five weddings I believe. VN ppl tend to get married earlier than we do in Canada and it seems that every weekend in Danang, there’s at least three celebrations going on per day.

BUT I made a promise to myself after the second one that I would sing at the next one. Then conveniently, I was invited to a colleague’s wedding so I chose an “old” hit from my boyband days and practised Westlife’s “My Love” until I almost didn’t like the song anymore. It’s a big hit in VN and so my colleague was thrilled that I would sing it at her wedding. This is how it panned out:

Usually weddings in Danang take place midday. Her wedding was on a Saturday. On that morning before 11am (wedding and singing time) I proceeded to go swimming with a dear VNese couple at 5am, go house hunting and ride my motorbike in heels for the first time at 8am, smash a glass bottle of Coke which jabbed my foot and bled profusedly until my flip flops were stained red at 10am, lose my motorbike keys at 10:30 and arrive at the wedding w/my Saigon suitcase b/c I had to leave early.

But the singing went well, and three ppl actually gave me roses!

When s/o asks me what I do in my spare time, I just say that I go to weddings and really, I’ve only known the new couple 1 out of 5 times so far. I even went to one as part of my work at the university with the Australian students.

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Have you even been so busy that you forget what you do in one day? I don’t know if I would call myself “busy” but I am definitely preoccupied and in the midst of doing a thousand things. My sisters are coming to VN and that means lots of prep work on my part to ensure that they have an awesome time. It also means booking plane tix and hotel rooms etc. and it is not that easy when you have to work, move, meet ppl for coffee, and update blogs. Excercise is out the window and my only hope for peace has to be for January. Hopefully by then, I’ll be stable, in my own place, and ready to work harder, play tennis, teach French, and basically live in Danang. December is bound to be a crazy month so here’s my little stress reliever rant. It’s also not that hot right now with this crazy wind, but at least, there’s no typhoon. I’m off to Saigon again but this time, with a more touristy intention. I can’t believe I’ll see my sisters soon!

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Why do the bugs follow me wherever I go?

I’ve just moved again after passing a few glorious weeks in a bug-free zone (my American friends had their place exterminated), I’ve moved on to another friend’s house. However, it’s a big place and I’ve been designated a room that faces the outside streets and has not had anyone live in it for awhile. I was pleased to finally settle in (I still haven’t found a place of my own though b/c of my crazy schedule) and just as I was going to take a shower, I moved the curtain and saw smthg brown and fuzzy: SPIDER and the biggest one I’ve ever been in a room with! Ahhhhhhhh! Good thing I knew where the RAID (my new best friend) was. I ran out to get it and then chased this creepy crawly and soaked it w/pesticides but b/c it was mighty big with a fierce and fat body, it didn’t die but kept running and climbing the bathroom walls. Finally it went in the corner where the toilet plunger lay and so I covered it with the plunger. Nasty! It didn’t die and I could still hear it scratching at the plunger…….I wanted to die!

Then I heard other buggy noises and saw giant cockroaches trekking into the bedroom. These guys are almost two inches long with nasty WINGS and long legs. RAID got them but they shake when they die and it’s sooooooooooo gross! At the end of the war, I killed 10 roaches and their carcasses are still lying all over the place. HELP ME!

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Hey again, I’m squeezing in blog time as I wait for a ride to Binh Dinh for a working visit with an Australian university group.

So last weekend, I went to Saigon to pick up Marisa although I couldn’t really pick her up so she had to start her VN vacation by going to the hotel herself, but she got there and so did I.

Saigon is fabulous for a visit! I was feeling like the Danangian bumpkin who went to the big city and I went wild. Meaning, I shopped, bought shoes, got a stylish haircut at Happy Time!, went to a great sauna/massage place, ate French pastries, went to cool lounges and clubs, and met cute boys….What else can I say but it was awwwwwwwwwwsome! When I went back to Danang w/Marisa in tow, everyone thought I had changed something but actually, almost everything was new and improved. Man, good times are to be had in that bustling city!

And I get to go back soon to pick up my sisters

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When the social/personal and professional life collide, I cannot update my blog!

So in the last couple weeks, I bought a motorbike who’s also named Cathy, had my best friend visit, went to Saigon, got a haircut and nails done, saw Vietnam as a traveller again, and also made progress professionally.

So, b/c I am homeless, I decided to buy a bike although I don’t have a license, have never been on a scooter before, don’t even know where to buy a helmut etc….Slightly dangerous I know, but didn’t s/o say that the only way to improve is jump right in?
I’m learning by doing and well, within the first two days, I had a flat tire, smashed my left blinker, and ran out of petrol but since then, I’ve been cruising! I’ve even driven w/two ppl on the back of the bike and ppl say that I am quite the safe driver!

This may seem crazy for North Americans but it’s all in good fun. I will get my licence as soon as I take the test so that will be great

ttyl!

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