Finally found some time after a very intense weekend to sit down and write...
I went to a Vietnamese wedding on Saturday morning, and naturally I was the only white person there. It was so beautiful, and I had an amazing, traditional 8 course meal. Ranging from grilled squid, to pork ribs, to catfish hotpots, I felt like I've never eaten so much in my life. Apparently the meal at the wedding is the most important part, so there was a lot of attention on what was served and how. After the meal, Oanh and I were invited to karaoke with a couple guys, which was completely hysterical. I sung a few Beatles songs, had some beers, then hurried home to change for Big Day Out, as Auscham charity concert. I went with some Australian friends of mine and had an awesome time. There were about 6 bands who played a wide variety of cover songs (Bon Jovi was definitely a crowd favorite), and there were so many people running and around and dancing in this huge field. I felt like I was at some sort of festival, but everyone was either Australian or Vietnamese. When I was walking back from my friend's apartment late last night, most of the streets were flooded. I hadn't seen something like that happen in this part of the city, and I had to take my sandals off and trudge through sewer overflow. Absolutely enjoyable... not. Let's just say that it's 6:30 pm the next day and I'm still feeling lousy from my Saturday activities.
I have my one-way ticket to Hanoi, and I'm really starting to feel like I am going to miss HCMC. I have some really great friends here, and finally have gotten to know my way around pretty well. It's going to be hard to move to a new city and start over, especially when I have a good amount of people trying to convince me to stay. I'm going to Hanoi and will see how it goes, apparently there are fewer schools in the north so it might prove slightly more difficult to find a job. I'm not too worried because I can easily come back to Saigon, I guess I shall just wing it. I think either way I'm going to have a blast, I'm really excited to get my own apartment with a kitchen so I can start cooking. Living in a guesthouse has been a lovely experience, but I'm really looking forward to not having to bother a family with my comings and goings.
Well, I'm going to hop on my bicycle and get some dinner.