Updates!

It has been awhile since I've updated my blog. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to write about. A lot has happened since my last blog entry but I've been too busy (and too lazy) to share the stories online. A while ago, I visited Tam Dao, which is located a couple hours from Hanoi. I went with an MCC colleague and a outdoor group he is apart of. These pictures are courtesy of him:

We climbed one of the three mountains. It was extremely steep in certain parts. These three good looking guys were the first ones up.

I also celebrated my 23rd birthday on December 9th. The night before my parents made hot pot and the next night I went out with my host brother, his friends, and Bryn. We ended the night singing karaoke.

Bryn and I also went out quite a bit with Shane, an Australian colleague from The Gioi, and his friends that he made here in Vietnam. Although quite a bit older than Bryn and I, Shane was a great Westerner to hang with. He really showed a deep appreciation for the Vietnamese culture and had some great insights. Through him, I met some pretty cool Vietnamese people. Unfortunately, he left for Australia this week.

A couple days ago, I went with colleagues from The Gioi to check out pagodas in Bac Ninh province. It was a fun excursion although our bus driver had to pull over and ask for directions at least ten times. I kind of wish I had took pictures of each person we pulled over to ask because they all seemed to be doing a different tasks. Some were washing motorbikes, some were running stalls, some were smoking out of huge pipes. Fun times. 

Well there you go. It's the Christmas season but it doesn't really feel like it over here. Most Christmas decorations are in stores and coffee shops. On Tuesday we will have a Christmas party at MCC. Bryn is going to Cambodia on Christmas but I will be here in Vietnam. I've been invited to spend Christmas with some people I've met here in Vietnam, but we will see if anything materializes. To everyone reading this: Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ!