Birthday. Refocus. Travel to tiny islands.

These will be all the things I have accomplished in Week 2: Stylin it in Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh. My whopping 24th birthday consisted of delicious lotus salad and curry for our staff lunch, more nihon ryori and a night of hitting the teeny bopper scene. I always seem to be in a far off land on my birthday. What is up with that? Missed all of you out there in America world...



The lunch consisted of a big welcome back to Gail, Mark and Toan (staffers and country director who were previously trapped in Bangkok on a area wide Habitat meeting) and cake. During this time I was given the gift of the cutest face mask by fellow partner in crime. [See how face mask is used below]



After more battles with the printer and hunting down contacts, the celebration moved to Hana, a Japanese restaurant in the center of the city. I don't think I will ever run across 5 dollar, legit sashimi ever again. The evening gets better with a WILD TIME at Diamond Plaza (the ritzy mall) and its 4th floor bowling alley. Imagine cosmic bowling in anime world. Actualy, don't imagine. Look below.




We also recently welcomed back our supervisor Wesley, his wife and adorable kids! This is the refocus section of my week. We sat down with him and poof! We're on the right research track again. When I am more coherent with what this is, I'll let you know...


Now onto the traveling: By 6 am tomorrow, fellow partner and I will grace the island of Phu Quoc. By the end of Saturday, I hope to truly master the pronounciation of Phu Quoc. By Sunday of next wekk, I will have successfully mastered traveling by high speed boats and sitting still on bus rides. Being tall in Viet Nam gives me more perspective on some of my tall friends back at home. Our team will be traveling to Kien Giang for work---to understand Habitat for Humanity's operations in Kien Giang province.


Hopefully the pictures will tell that tale.