November 2010
1 post
One week left
I realize I have been neglecting this blog for the last 3 weeks, so I promise to try to put some thoughts together within the next few days. I have reached my final week in Vietnam. I am SO excited to be coming home, but I will greatly miss this place and the people who have become my family these last 5 months. Here are a few pictures to hold you over until my next post:
My closest Vietnamese...
October 2010
8 posts
Last class with the munchkins. Very bittersweet.
And the diagnosis is in...
I took a little visit to the doctor this morning and it seems that I have bronchitis again…this time with the added bonus of a throat infection (not really sure what that is, but that’s all the doctor could explain with limited English). So I’m trying out a different antibiotic this time. We’ll see how it goes. Prayers are always welcome :)
I am sick. Again. Luckily it is not as bad this time, at least so far. Kind of the same sickness minus the fever. Although I’m very glad not to be as sick as the last few times, it is still pretty frustrating being sick here. I really just wish my mommy could appear and make me some chicken noodle soup :) Aside from my current sickness, things are going well here. I am really enjoying...
I seriously cannot believe how fast time is passing. I have been here for about 4 months already and as the end of my time here gets nearer it seems to go by even faster. I booked my flight home so I will officially be landing in LA on November 20. AND my friend Kaitlyn is going to be coming home for the holidays so we will be on the same flight back! I am very excited to have a travel buddy this...
September 2010
5 posts
A quick update
Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written. Here’s the latest. I had my cell phone stolen and had to buy a new one. Good news is I got a phone, a sim card and about half a months worth of credit on my card for about $35. The stolen motorbike has been returned!!! I met with the owner yesterday to settle the money situation and we decided that since the bike was gone for 3 months...
News and Epiphanies
My current courses at the English school finish on October 2. I had originally committed to then teach the next courses that go through December, but today I gave my official notice that I will be leaving the school. I have been asked to begin the new courses with my classes and teach until mid-October when several new teachers will arrive and someone will be able to take over for me. All of my...
A visit to the Vietnamese doctor's office
As you know if you read my last post, I have been sick again - sore throat, cough, congestion, fever, body aches. So after 3 days of this I decided it was time to see a doctor. I really had no idea how to go about doing this so I called Teresa, who is also a teacher at the English center (and is the director’s wife so she has been here for a long time, and is a mother so she’s always...
Such fun...
…it is to be sick. Again. I just love having a fever…burning up and then suddenly getting the chills. Laying in bed all day. Such fun it is.
August 2010
11 posts
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear...”
– Arundhati Roy
Some more pictures for you
Here are some pictures of my house that I share with my friend Ashleigh and an older woman, Karlee.
These are the front doors and the front room which we just use as a “garage”
The downstairs hallway leading from the front room to the kitchen.
The kitchen.
Downstairs bathroom and laundry area.
Upstairs living room…in case you haven’t noticed, we can’t...
Being sick this past week and confined to my house has given me a lot of time to reflect. Since I am not spending anywhere near as much time volunteering as I thought I would be, it has started to feel like I am wasting time. I know that this is not true. I know that the kids at Promise House are having a blast with my dance class. I know that I can have an impact on my English students and that...
So the story of the stolen motorbike continues...
Well, the good news is that my stolen motorbike has been found! Pretty unbelievable. Apparently whoever stole it sold it to a motorbike shop, who then sold it to a girl, who was then seen driving it by a friend of the owner, who followed the girl and called the police. Here comes the bad news: the police have the bike and told us that they won’t give it back until they find the...
Update
Just in case anyone actually reads this blog and was worried about my sickness, I thought I should tell you that I am finally feeling better! More posts to come this week.
Still sick. Now I have a fever :(
Thoughts about 2 months
I’ve been sick with something cold-like for the last 4 days. I’ve really been missing home for the last week or so. I have reached the 2 month marker here, and I think this is a pretty typical time for things to get a little difficult when being so far away from people that you love and all that is familiar. The first few weeks in a new place are exciting and fun with a dash of home...
This just in...
I miss home.
July 2010
6 posts
Plans
I’m sure many of you have had experiences in your life where you felt lead to do something, then made a plan and set out to do it, only to find that God had a slightly different plan for you. I am convinced that this is where I am supposed to be, but I am still figuring out day by day why I am here and what I am here to do. I came to volunteer with orphans, and my organization wanted me to...
A divine meeting
Last Thursday night I was hanging out with a bunch of friends for a little birthday party. I was talking with a Vietnamese friend, just random conversation, when seemingly out of the blue she began pouring her heart out to me about her struggles as a believer and how she feels that she has fallen away from her faith. She and I have never talked about anything like this before and have not had that...
1 tag
One Month Down
Aside from the motorbike incident, life in Da Nang is great. I can’t believe I have been here for a month already! Dance classes are still being worked out, but I did get to teach two times this week and the kids had so much fun. I also started teaching English which is a lot of fun and will be a great opportunity for me to learn about teaching while helping these kids with a skill that will...
Welcome to Vietnam
I had written a draft last Friday about week three, but then Sunday happened and I had to start over because most of it seemed irrelevant. Sunday morning began normally…I woke up, got dressed, and drove to church. When it was time to leave church I went outside to find that my motorbike was gone. At first I thought maybe someone had just moved it, but after a good look around it was nowhere...
June 2010
4 posts
I thought of one bit of interesting information that I haven’t shared yet. The Vietnamese strategy for conserving energy is to shut off the electricity in different areas of the city on different days. This happens once or twice a week in each area. The power goes out around 7am and comes back on around 5pm. I have never really experienced having to live without electricity (especially in a...
Well, I wish I had some pictures or video to show you of my dance class by now…but my first week of teaching didn’t really go as planned. It seems that Orphan Voice scheduled me to teach my dance class at the same time they scheduled the kids to be at a sports camp, so I showed up for class and had no students. I did get to teach one class to 4 kids and they absolutely loved it, so...
2 tags
Week 1
My first week in Vietnam is almost over and it has gone by so fast. I am slowly starting to adjust to being here, but it is such a different place and I’m sure I will still be learning things up until the time I leave. From trying new foods to learning to drive a motor bike it has been a week of new experiences. I am beginning to learn my way around the city and hopefully I will be able to...
I'm here!
I just wanted to let everybody know (if anyone is actually checking this) that I made it safely to Vietnam! And it only took 26 hours of traveling to get here :) I will write a better post within the next few days once things settle down a bit and I start to recover from the jet lag and culture shock. Overall Da Nang seems like a great city and I am excited to start my new life here!
May 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Thoughts on the Title
I owe the title of the blog to bell hooks, one of my favorite authors of late. ”Love is as love does. Love is an act of will - namely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love.”
We live in a culture that does not teach us how to love. We are taught that love is an emotion. It is a good feeling, a high. Something we...
I BOUGHT MY PLANE TICKET TODAY!!! I will officially be leaving for Vietnam on June 12. Also, I recently found out that I am going to be teaching dance classes at the orphanages. Soooooooooooo excited :)
April 2010
2 posts
2 tags
“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And...
Why, you ask?
So why I am going to Vietnam? Because the kids are so darn adorable for one thing. I’m not sure I even know why I am going entirely, but here’s how it happened and at least a few reasons why…
Three years ago I went on my first overseas trip to Ukraine where I, along with 9 other students from Azusa Pacific University, lived and worked in an orphanage for two weeks. I...
March 2010
1 post
This blog will document my 6-months in Da Nang, Vietnam. I’m still trying to figure out how this whole blog thing works…so more posts to come soon!