Made it over the Hump

10/13/10

Happy Wednesday in Vietnam!  Today we did not have a morning session to teach so we each had time to rest and relax.  Some of the team went out and walked around and saw the city, or got a haircut, or caught up on some much needed sleep.  I did a combo and slept in until 8am which was a huge break from my usual 5am starts.  I headed out in the sunshine  with loads of traffic for a nice run.  It was not like the rush hour run last night, but it was a lot more than what is usually out there at 5am.  As I was running along the funniest thing happened and some of the locals pulled out their cameras and started taking pictures of me.  So of course what did I do?  Smile big and wave for the camera!  Love the paparazzi, totally could get used to that! :)  I wondered what they were thinking and one of my teammates suggested that they never see runners out, either that or they thought I was Brittney Spears.  LOL Too much fun on a simple morning run.  This morning it was hot and sunny which I was LOVING and it was great training weather for JJ100 coming up in a very short 10 days! 

We met up with the team at 11:30am for lunch of Pho but there were no veggie options so I just had a fruit shake for lunch, which was delish.  I did want to try some good Pho, but I will have to work harder to seek out a place that does not make everything with beef or chicken broth.  The team really enjoyed their dishes which are pictured below.   

The traffic here is so totally incredible really at all times of the day be especially for rush hour traffic in the morning, lunch time, and evening.  You see that people carry all different kinds of things on their motorbikes.  Like say a bed for example- pictured below. 

After lunch it was off to the Binh Trieu Center for our third and final session with the two groups of students.  Today we covered Google searches and Skype.  The kids were so very excited to see the video for the first time pop up on Skype as they began their video calls with each other in the next room.  The kids really seem to be picking up the computer skills very fast and I hope they will continue to progress after we leave. 

After our two sessions at the Binh Trieu Center we headed back to our hotel to split up into a group that will visit local families and the ones that will go next week.  I was in the group that did not go tonight so I got back to the hotel and started to pack up because tomorrow we leave for the Vung Tau Providence.  I also was feeling like another run was in order so I headed out just past rush hour to get another great run in and see the city from a different perspective.  Overall it was much calmer past 7pm on th streets and I had a very nice time out there reflecting on the day and the trip so far.  I am so impressed with the team that I have the privilege of working with.  They are great people and have helped make the time here even more meaningful.  I am lucky to be here doing what I am doing.  I do not take that for granted for a second.