May 1 - First Day of Training Today

Hoian was fabulous. My friends treat me like a Queen - so do their parents. I've been invited for lunch, dinner, stay at their place instead of the hotel.....They love that I'm here doing charity work in their country and they've rolled out the red carpet for me!

I came to Danang yesterday and met the girls I'll be working with. (All except for my roommate so far). They range in age from 20 - 50 plus. Seems like a good group. I'm waiting to get picked up to go for my first day of training. The house I'll be at has 5 bedrooms for 10 of us. Two big beds in each room and not much else.
Two women are on staff to cook 3 x a day and there is a security guard who sleeps on a mattress in the hallway by the front door. Hopefully I won't wake him up too often. Ha ha ha.

Here's a few insights from my last couple of days. Maybe you'll get an idea of life in Vietnam:

1. Can deoderant really melt??
2. Why wash a glass when you can dump what's in it and leave it in the dish rack for the next person?
3. 'Yes' from someone in Vietnam means: Yes, No, Maybe AND I don't know. It's a fun guessing game. I'm not very good at it yet
4. I can swallow vitamins with orange soda
5. I know how to drive a motorbike and I have my own helmet and face mask
6. Could I live on $100 a month?? I read that woman is living on $0 - getting everything, including room and board on trade. Most people here live on less than $100. Hmmmm
7. I can 'P' while barefoot, squatting over a toilet, standing on a wet floor. (I hope that's water I'm standing in...)
8. BYO. T.P. - Everywhere you go.
9. I ate squid rings but passed on the 'full squid'. looked too much like a huge snail out of the shell.
10. Babies will smile at you - regardless of the language you speak
11. I've become very patient teaching friends English phrases - It took me 3 Damn Days to master - "See you later" so I could be understood.
12. Nobody is in a rush. 10minutes means 20 plus.....
13. Beeping horn on motorbike is for: Passing on the right, Passing on the Left, Hurry Up, Move Over, Hi I'm here, I'm bored what are you doing?
14. I can get a coke for 45 cents. I paid $3 at Riva Grill in Tahoe - those bastards
15. I can teach locals to dance (Cracks up the moms)
16. My new favorite fruit is a Pomello (I have no idea what that is ). It's a 'buoi' in Vietnamese.
17. I can get my nails painted for less than a dollar. (I have to ignore the dog hair on the floor though. Apparently it was his turn for a hair cut)
18. I'm loving every minute of it

2 Days Later.....

Well - I made it w/o incident to Danang around 10 pm on the 25th. It was a nice 24 hour journey. About 18 on 3 planes, the rest in airport and car. I had my first beer at hour 20 and damn did it taste good. It was at the airport in HoChiMinh - they don't have a/c in the airports so I had to have a cold drink!

My buddy Tuan made sure I was picked up in Danang and driven to the $10 per night hotel he booked for me. My friend Mai was waiting for me there! The hotel is great - just a room with queen size bed, small tv, wall unit, and bathroom with a large tub! Free internet is included. I think I can handle it for $10. It's on a noisy street but the traffic didn't start till late morning.

I'm meeting Mai (the masseuse) at 10:30 for coffee. Then she'll take me to get a phone. Not sure if it will be for local calls only or if I can also call home on it. Stay tuned.

---Got the phone. It cost about $45, then I paid $11 for a bunch of minutes (182,000 Vietnamese Dong worth!!). i think I'll get 1 min for 10 cents in country. Works great!

I went to a Vietnamese Wedding today!! Bride was in a beautiful traditional dress. (My friend Oahn's cousin was getting married and as I was sitting at the coffee shop by the beach in shorts flip flops and a T shirt, she said: 'Come with me!' Off I went. We drove to her house on the motorbike and took a free boat ride across the bay (Oahn's dad runs a boat once a week). The wedding was a lot like ours, lots of food, kids running amok, old ladies dressed in their finest clothes.

Earlier in the day I met two guys from Amsterdam. Since I have been here before, I was able to give them some sight-seeing advice! I don't really feel like a tourist - more like a local. People still look at me kind of funny when I'm the only American in a large group but they pour beer for me, peel my shrimp and even crack watermelon seeds for me! (I seem to always crush them!) Anyway - everyone is very friendly and helpful. I spent an hour with Oahn, reviewing her English homework and she helped me with my Vietnamese pronunciation. That's gonna be tough! Stay tuned....

April 17th - one week to go.....

Well, the clock is ticking away. There are a few more details to manage then I'm off to Vietnam for 6 months. I fly out of JFK in New York on April 24th and will arrive in HoChiMinh city about 15 hours later. I spent the last few weeks with friends in San Diego, Palm Springs and South Lake Tahoe - everyone has been terrific! Very supportive of my trip and my goal to raise money for the kids at the orphanages. Thanks to all of you, I surpassed my $1000 fund raising goal!! As of today, I have raised $1290! I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart! As I said before, this money will go a long way in Danang to help the kids and their families. I'll keep you posted as to what the money is used for and send lots of photos.

I've experimented with Yahoo Voice and it seems to work well. If you have a Yahoo Messenger or MSN account, I can call your computer from a computer in Vietnam for free! Keep in touch via e-mail at: jflynnis@yahoo.com.