Busy Weekend

After nearly four months of almost no social contact with Vietnamese people, I've suddenly made a few Vietnamese friends. I'm not sure why things are changing. Perhaps I have started to get used to my surroundings, & thus have become more approachable. Or maybe it's because I've been going out with Katie, the newest teacher at my school. It might be easier for a Vietnamese person to approach two foreigners instead of just one. At any rate, I had a great weekend hanging out with my new Vietnamese friends.

On Saturday, I ate lunch with my coffee shop friend, Miss Hang. In the afternoon, my new Vietnamese tutor, Phuong, took me to her house for a couple of hours of studying & socializing. Saturday night Duy & Trinh, two of my students, took me & Katie out for coffee & then dinner at a late-night sidewalk stand.

Me with my student Trinh

On Sunday, I went to the pagoda for an English lesson with my regular group of people. One of the nuns joined us as well. Sunday night, my student Duy took Katie & me out for coffee again. We didn't stay long, though, because we had to get up early on Monday morning to go to Saigon.

Katie & I spent Monday morning exploring in Saigon, & came back to Bien Hoa around 3:00pm. I taught one class at the bank in the afternoon, & then a new friend, Tram, took me out on the town. We went with some of her friends to take a drive around Buu Long Park. Then we stopped at a cute coffee shop to chat. Afterwards, Tram took me to a vegetarian restaurant near the big market in town. & finally we took a walk in the park by the river.

Whew! That's the most that I've done in one weekend since I arrived in Vietnam. & what a great weekend it was :)

Tram at the vegetarian restaurant