From the Back of a Motorbike

Vietnam is such a beautiful country - the people, the land, and the way of life here is truly beautiful. I don't always appreciate it the way i should, but every time i ride on the back of a motorbike to and from the classes i teach in the factories here, i really fall in love with this country.
Here in Bien Hoa every inch of the streets are used. Traffic buzzes constantly and horns honk as motorbikes and cars whiz through the streets, and bicycles and people weave in and out of this pattern. Shops line the streets and small roadside stands dot the sidewalks - and there are always people. People in the shops, which are open to the road, people squatting on the sidewalks talking and smoking, people walking, little children laughing, people eating. In Vietnam the people here are always with each other, and genuinely care about each other. I will miss the hub-bub of people and noise when i come back to America in just a few days.
Today as i was riding back from the company class it started to drizzle, and small streams formed on either side of the street. As i was watching the people on the streets i saw two little boys run out from a shop, laughing and talking, to place two small paper boats in the stream and then stand back to watch them sail down the little river. It was the cutest little thing. I love seeing all the different sorts of food they sell here: the long bread (about 2 feet!) sticking up out of baskets on a cart, whole ducks hanging from their necks inside glass stands, ducks being roasted on spits over open coals, fresh corn roasted in garlic and butter, rice, noodles, cafes, and so much more that i haven't gotten to taste yet! Small markets sell fruit stacked in pyramids: pink dragon fruit, green Vietnamese apples, Jum Jum, and other colorful greens vegetables. These food stands dot the sidewalks, and behind them are shops selling clothes, furniture, hardware, and wedding gowns. I love taking all this in from the back of a motorbike - it's a wonderful ride...i wish you all could experience it as well. I will really miss this.

I only have two more days of teaching here, and then i'm off to Ho Chi Min City for a few days with my team before we fly back to California. This summer has been incredible, and i can't believe it's almost over. There's definitely been some low points, and i miss America, friends, and family alot, but i'm also sad to be leaving this place and these people.

Well, i'm off to teach another class! Leave me some loving!!!
Love from Vietnam!