hue out there...

i was going to head to hue this weekend with a friend but, as usual, plans changed. it was decided the night before we were suppose to leave that this weekend would not be a suitable weekend to go. i'll be honest, i feel a bit relieved. i usually spend my saturdays reading and correcting my students work. if i had gone to hue, i would have had to do all my reading and corrections on a train. i wasn't exactly excited about that idea.

it's now saturday night and i must say, postponing the trip was a brilliant idea. i was able to float through my day. i can't remember the last time that i was able to floate through a day. i woke up...walked around my room...ran into thanh...ate some lunch...corrected some papers...took a sweet motorbike ride with huy and thanh...played some ping pong...played some volleyball...drank some sting dau...corrected some more papers...talked with nu...sat on a bench...attempted to speak some vietnamese...and smiled!

my camera is broken...i need to dig out the one that my brother so generously donated to me before i left. i am not sure what i want to take pictures of. my mother keeps hounding me (in a loving way, of course) for pictures. the only pictures i feel like taking are of people (my dear friends) whose names she will never be able to remember OR even pronounce. however, i feel awkward asking them to stop and strike a pose. maybe i will kick myself when this summer is over and i am lacking evidence of my time spent in vietnam. maybe i will buy a sweet bike helmet here to replace my non-existent photos. or better yet, maybe i will take a picture of my sweet new bike helmet and post it here. honestly, ha noi has some of the most amazing helmets i've ever seen. my favorite is probably the one that resembles a baseball cap. i want to go ahead and thank the vietnamese government for that one. who knew that passing a helmet law would result in the creation of a helmet fashion industry? there are even accessories that can be purchased. so maybe your helmet isn't exactly beautiful. that's ok. we can fix that. all we have to do is head down to the local helmet shop and pick up a helmet hat. we've got your florals, your prints, your solids...you name it...we've got it!

life is good.

p.s. how the heck do these people play sports in sandals? it's like they float on air.
p.p.s the word of the day is "float," in case you were wondering!