I got off the train in the new city. The sun was very strong. The air smelled like a coastal city. The first meal I ate was banh canh. It was pretty good. It was different than the banh canh in Da nang. I have since found that this city has a lot of different foods. I went and bought a box and some sand at the pet supply store. My cat used them. What a relief. I was afraid…
I took the train from Hanoi to Phan Rang. I had been considering going by plane, but I ended up taking the train option. I’m glad I did. I was hesitant because I thought it would be exhausting. It wasn’t too exhausting. I was in a bed. I slept or watched Youtube the whole time. The whole ride lasted 27 hours and went most of the length of Vietnam. It feels like a long distance in a way that it…
I’m out of town now. I moved out. On the days leading up to it, I felt anxious. I couldn’t stop thinking, and I didn’t get much sleep. On the morning I moved out, I finished packing and cleaning. I took a photo of my full suitcase and my empty room. I said farewell to the people I met. Finally, I got on the bus to Hanoi. Q. What is your first thought when you wake up? Q. Have you…
I’m like that bug that hugs that tree. I hold on. The world moves along, but not me. The things I cling to now, these leaves fluttering in the wind. I am drawing flowers with a pen… and I’m stopped so still that I don’t think I’ll start again. Q. Do you feel ready for the future? Q. What are you holding onto?
At my work they’re doing a secret Santa. I drew a name from a hat and I know that the person whose name I drew really likes earrings. Today I’m going to go to a shop and try to buy some simple earrings. I’ll make banh chung ornaments and glue them onto the earrings. This morning was nice. I sat in front of a fire with my coffee and my cat. Someone was boiling papaya in a coconut, which is a…
One thing I would like to be able to do is to use a sewing machine. The auntie at the market whipped up this nice little dangly for my backpack. She made the strap from an old t-shirt. I rode my bicycle in the evening, looking for pictures to take. I found a nice little park with exercise equipment. I mostly just took pictures of the exercise equipment. Maybe I should have exercised. Q. What’s something that you’re proud of?…
On a dark, cloudy day, my wandering feet brought me Westward, over the bridge, to the outskirts of the city. There on the quiet highway is a historical stone structure. It is a beautiful structure, but in such an odd place. There isn’t anything else around. Up a dark stair to the top, I climbed and stood above the highway. It felt dangerous. People in the past lived with danger more than we do now. I would have liked to…
The highway out of the city feels exciting. There are great big trucks on the highway North. They blare their horns and the ground shakes. On the roadside are big pots of steaming rice and chung cakes being wrapped and sold. I got one, and it was still warm. The highway out of the city is vibrant and chaotic. It feels fun. Q. Tell me about a big event in your life.Q. Have you ever wrapped a chung cake? What…
I want to stay in the shade and lay in the cool soil like a worm. I looked under the weeds, and it looks comfortable under there. The worms are relaxing in the shade while I’m roasting out here like a peanut. If there were bun cha under the banana trees, then I’d stay there all day. I’d like to have what the worm has. Q. agree or disagree: I usually feel relaxed.Q. I’d like to have _.
After getting rained on a couple times, I finally decided to buy an umbrella. Today I used it for the first time. When you walk outside with an umbrella in the rain, it feels nice. The rain is nice to look at. The world looks different in the rain, and with an umbrella you can go out and see it. At the coffee shop I like to go to, there are big umbrellas to sit under. The storefront faces a…