Dear All,

Another too fast weekend came and went. Sunday evening, we returned from a dinner which the Canadian teachers put on to thank the Vietnamese staff. We had about 45 of us total, joining together to share food and kind words. Jeremy gave a lovely speech. It was a wonderful event, and a great chance for the teachers to show the staff how much we have and continue to appreciate their hard work. There was a strong sense of solidarity.

Saturday was spent boating on the Mekong Delta (see the Facebook photos for some visual aids). It was an excellent day. We began at 7:30 on bus, then took a series of boats about the Mekong. We went to several islands--seeing a coconut candy factory, orchards, etc. We took a boat all the way back to Saigon (3 hours). En route, we were turned away by Police officers, who informed us that a hydro line had fallen into the river. Thus, we had to turn back and take up port in a small village. This was one of my favourite stops of the day. We wandered the markets, and quickly accumulated a whole gaggle of followers, chanting "helllllloooo" in a high pitched, sing-song voices. White folk get little attention in Phu My Hung, so it was an adjustment to have observers (reminded me of Kenyan days). I fished out my coconut candy to share. We got back on the boat, making our way home under a beautifully cloud patched evening sky.

After arriving in Saigon, we quickly barrelled through the night market to get our costumes for the evening's "Superhero" party. Kim had invited us to her friends' birthday party, and so we opted to take the cliche Charlie's Angels fallback. The party was fun, and we had the opportunity to meet many Saigon residents. Clearly, we danced the night away.

This Wednesday past, as I mentioned, was National Day. We went with Thao to the temple, then to the Southwest countryside outside of Saigon to share the pig with her family. We had pho and ate some pork (head, skin, fat, hair, and all). Thao got friends to take us out on the river--our boats were rustic. We spent about half and hour drifting, as the motor broke and we had to wait for reinforcements to come. We stopped in at a little tiny treefort-esque cafe, which was suspended over the river. We enjoyed some Saigon beer and peanuts. We stopped in to visit the daughter of Thao's husband. She and her husband treated us all to a fantastic Vietnamese dinner... hot pot.. seafood.. etc. We ate as drunk men repeatedly chorused behind us, "Mot, Hai, Ba, YO" (the Vietnamese "Cheers'). The day was perfect.

I am now the proud renter of a motorscooter. I have yet to venture very far, but have managed to get to school and back a few times, injury free. I am rocking a teal helmet... which I, frankly, look ridiculous in.

Alright.... I am off....

Much love,
K