INCOMING!

Well, I’ve arrived in Ho Chi Minh City.

My flights went well… I flew Denver --> LAX --> Hong Kong --> Ho Chi Minh.

I pretty much felt like this the last few days in Denver:

And leaving on Tuesday was a mix of emotions. Saying goodbye to my family was definitely the hardest part… realizing just how long this commitment is for ...and how far away. I felt pretty unsure of myself and asked myself a few times on the plane to LAX, “What the heck did I get myself into?!”…

I left Denver on Tuesday but arrived in Ho Chi Minh on Thursday... because of the 13-hour time difference from Denver and the flight from LA to Hong Kong being over 14 hours, I wondered where Wednesday went!?...

And then landing in Ho Chi Minh I decided that a good attitude is going to be a huge part in making all of this a success. I told myself that I am strong enough for this adventure… and Ho Chi Minh needed to be ready for an incoming!...

(...Of big, frizzy, red hair!)

After checking into the hotel… wait… after a CRAZY taxi ride in unbelievable traffic, I checked into the hotel and then met up with a teacher from the elementary school and his Vietnamese wife. They took me to see a few apartments, we walked around a bit -- checked out the Ben Thanh Market, and then grabbed a bite to eat. For the record, my first meal in HCMC was a vegetarian curry bowl – and it was delish! I ate at this restaurant…

There is a poster-size picture inside of Bill Clinton (and Chelsea!) eating here in 2000… hence the name and sign.

I ventured out tonight (well, it was probably around 6:30pm but dark) trying to look at cell phones… it was an experience. The shopping portion was part of the experience but mostly… the traffic. Oh my. It really is as crazy as everyone said… and more. I really don’t think I’ll ever be able to drive a motorbike here. The entire time I crossed busy intersections, I’d say to myself, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…” while dodging motorbikes, cars, and bicycles coming straight at you... and the traffic just keeps coming.

My hotel room is very nice except there is no window. I guess that is pretty common in the city here and now I realize that a window is something that I always took for granted in a hotel within the US… I think I will add ‘window’ to my must-haves for an apartment. The hotel has Internet but it seems to be iffy on my laptop in the room… I’ll post more pictures when I have a chance… for now, I’m impressed that I am still awake! It is about 8:30am in Denver… and 9:30pm here.

And the one thing that I did expect to happen when I got here definitely has happened… my hair is HUGE from this humidity! It’s quite ridiculous actually.