Vietnam...

So I haven't been able to blog since the 25th. A lot has happened. The past week and a half have been a whirwind of activity. I've gone out with my students, gone to the beach four days in a row (Sat - Tues), and sung way too much. I feel like there is still a series of flash bulbs dancing before my eyes from all the pictures we've taken and there's an ache in my heart knowing that I'll have to leave soon.
Don't get me wrong, I miss my family, miss my friends. I want to tell stories and use my phone and eat rice and beans and pizza (not all at once) but, my goodness, Vietnam has captured my heart. I hope I'll be back. Really do. Back in Vinh to spend more time with the people that I've come to know. Tuesday, we said goodbye to Marsha; tonight we say goodbye to Thanh, and tomorrow, Steven goes off to Sai Gon. The rest of us leave Vinh City on Monday. We'll go to Ha Noi, Ha Long Bay, and then back to Ha Noi before heading back to the States on Thursday.

I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I am constantly overwhelmed by the grace and beauty and sheer generosity of the Vietnamese people in general and my Vietnamese friends in particular. I can't tell you how this beauty - this dusty, poverty-stricken, unusual beauty - has gotten under my skin. I want to wrap my arms around this place and package it up for when I'm home. I want to take the nuoc mia, the bun cha, the amazing sandwiches we just discovered... I want to take it all home for when I have reverse homesickness.

Bell rang, I'm off.