Goodddd Morninggggg Vietnam!

Hello everyone! 

A few hours ago I awoke for the first time in my new home in Danang! Woohoo what a trip! 

My travels with Robin and Kaitlyn (fellow English teachers from APU) went very smoothly! I slept during most of our 12 hour flight from LAX to Taipei. Our layovers in Taipei, Saigon, and Buon Ma Thuot were not long or boring. Our last two flights and our final layover were pretty fun. We flew in a small propeller plane over rural areas of Vietnam that were absolutely beautiful! Once we landed in Danang we immediately got all of our luggage and then our host Hai arrived and took us to our new home.

Our home is amazing! It is a skinny tall building in downtown Danang with a long spiral staircase leading to all of its seven bedrooms. The whole house has tiled floors and nearly every bedroom has a balcony. My bedroom on the top floor has double doors that open up to the home's biggest balcony which offers an incredible view of the sun setting over downtown Danang. I'm planning to hang a hammock up on the balcony and put some plants around as well.

I have already fallen in love with Vietnam. Everyone I have met is unbelievably friendly. When I walk around the city people smile, say hello, and some even stop to start a conversation and practice their English. Also, the Vietnamese I learned before I left has paid off big time. I have already connected with a few people who are happy to see an American speaking in broken Vietnamese and find it funny watching me struggle with the high and low tones. 

The food is delicious. There are fresh fruits and juices that I have never tasted before on nearly every street corner. Pho, sugar cane, and sandwich stands are everywhere. This morning I drank the most delicious and strongest coffee I have ever tasted. I'm probably going to be addicted within the month haha. 

The weather is hot, hot, hot and humid. I am always sweating but it's not unbearable. It's a good hot and I can already feel my body adjusting. 

Today I plan to do some more exploring of the city's sights, sounds, smells, and flavors. Hai provided us all with beach cruiser style bicycles and I plan to bike through the city to the beach which is about 15-20 minutes away. It's going to be an exciting ride. Traffic here operates on a system of organized chaos with motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles going every which way. I'm hoping I'll be able to navigate through traffic with a surfboard under my arm haha. I'm also going to run some errands today. I have to change my money and buy some groceries and home supplies and what not. All in all it should be a great day. Tomorrow I have orientation at the school and then Monday I begin shadowing an English teacher whose class I will take over in a few weeks. 

Well that's it for now I guess. Thank you for reading about my first couple days in Danang. I will post again soon. I love you and miss you! Thank you for everything!

Peace from the Southeast!