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…
After the rain, there were puddles and leaves all over the ground. The air was cool and still. There was nobody at the park. Some insects were examining fruit that fell from a tree. There were flags waving in a puddle’s reflection. The soccer nets hung damp with water. Yesterday evening was a different scene. There were football games going on, and there were many people waving. It must have been dreary during the rain. Now the flags are waving…
Rice paddies are so beautiful. I had never stood in one before. I stood and watched the wind in the grass. My eyes explored the water. It was so green all around. The sun was so hot. After that, I ate mangoes like a monkey. I drank bottled water. The rice paddy gave me an appetite. I wanted to see a rice paddy. I am hungry for Vietnam. Q. How was the weather today? What do you want to see?Q….
The place where I live The ants are there. You don’t always see them, but they’re there. They know it the moment there is food. They form a long line to my door. Welcome, please come inside. The place where I live is a beautiful place. The building is old and weathered-looking. Centipedes sleep on the wall. The tree drops its pink flowers on the ground. Q. Are you comfortable where you live? What is it like living there?Q. Tell…
There are many movies about time-travel. I’ll talk a little bit about that. You’re probably familiar with the idea of it. Usually someone invents a machine that can take them back in time. Maybe they want to go back and change something. I like thinking about the ancient world. I like thinking about what I would do with a time machine. I’d probably go back 1000 years ago to Vietnam. I haven’t seen any time-travel movies about someone just going…
Community notice board I found something interesting. It is a chalkboard on the wall in the neighborhood. It has information for the community. It says “Summer activity schedule”, and has information for weekly events held in that community. Residents can stay informed about the events and activities in their community. I think a community notice board is a simple but great idea. Not only as a way to inform residents, but to engage them with the community. When we do…
This is how you really enjoy a rainy morning. First, go to eat xôi outside on the street. Get wet sitting on the stool in the rain and talking to the uncles sitting there. Second, take the long way home. Đi xe đạp through neighborhood alleyways and through rain puddles. If you see the sister selling trà chanh, stop for some trà chanh. When you get home, turn off the light and take a long nap. Q. How is the…
Uh oh. You’ve been doing too much, and now it’s time to take a break. Take a break from coffee. Having coffee everyday will leave you exhausted and nervous. So drink tea, or better yet water for a few days, and catch up on sleep. You’ll feel better. Take a break from social media. It is a lot of information for our brains to process when we are scrolling through social media. It can become noisy in our heads. So…