We came, we saw, we conquered!!

So you would think that an everyday act like crossing the street takes no real thought or special focus. Most streets have traffic lights which tell you exactly when you can walk and when you must wait. Some even count down the number of seconds until the light will change! As a young child I learned, "look both ways, and if you see no car coming, you can cross." That may have been great advice for my life in America, however if I continued to follow that here in Vietnam, I would never get across the street. Why? Because traffic never stops. The traffic lights that do actually exist now at some intersections often remain merely suggestions. Therefore, imagine walking across a street as throngs of people on motorbikes, along with those in cars and big buses literally just weave their way around you, horns constantly blaring. Can you picture it? The trick is to practically ignore the blaring horns and motorbikes coming straight toward you and continue to walk slowly and steadily forward. Do not panic. If you stop, you will confuse drivers and will then cause problems. However, as long as you continue forward, they will go around you... this may not entail going far around you, but they'll miss you by at least an inch or two. ;) We have crossed the streets many times since arriving in Hanoi, but often in larger groups. Recently, however, I successfully crossed the street during rush hour with only a small case of heart pounding!      STREET CROSSING ~ CONQUERED

Another part of daily life that requires a bit more work is the public transportation system. Sure, it would be easy to just hop in a taxi, but what's the fun in that?! Plus, by riding the buses, you get to learn more about Vietnam and save money... it's great! However, there are at least 50 different bus routes and once you finally figure out the correct bus, you have to figure out how to get off at the correct stop in a place where you've never been before! So, last weekend, after intensely studying the bus map and learning that street names are written on the outside of every shop along the bus path, we were able to successfully ride the bus to various new locations around town- arriving at the place we wanted to go!   

                         PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ~ CONQUERED 

This past weekend, 14 of us new South East Asia teachers decided to take a trip to Halong Bay... a beautiful natural site in Vietnam. We spent two days on a boat in the bay, even sleeping there-- which was a fun adventure in itself! Sunday morning we were given the chance to go kayaking in the bay in two person kayaks... in the rain. So fun! However, after kayaking around for a while, maneuvering around various little islands scattered throughout the bay, my kayaking partner and I managed to get a little lost. All the rocks look the same! We tried to find our boat, but ended up by the wrong boats (since again, they all look similar!)... however, we kept paddling, never to be discouraged! (though our arms were ready to fall off. haha). Then, finally, we found it!!!    KAYAKING IN HALONG BAY ~ CONQUERED