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In the Ordinary Moment

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Salut, Chi Diu has been racing across the country for the month of October to visit all of us. During the Peace Corps, we had a few site visits by our Regional Managers (RM). Chi Diu’s site visit was a little more direct, and it involved a visit to our rooms to check the conditions, a visit to the school, and a meeting with the faculty/administration. Chi Diu also brought a Foreign Service Officer or member of the Public Diplomacy team with her to each visit. Alexandra Grieg-Duerte, a PD foreign service officer, came to visit me with her. My school was so kind that they invited us to lunch, but when Chi Diu declined, as she wanted to eat with Alexandra and Alexandra in a small setting, Lang Son College paid and made a reservation for lunch for us at a nice restaurant. Alexandra and many of the other FSOs have been asked to present the America 250 presentation to our students. For me, I knew absolutely everything in the presentation, because it is all about American history, and I felt ...
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All Good Things Take Time

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 Salut, I think the title has been my thesis for the last month or so. I think I was surprised by the whirlwind that orientation felt like, only to experience huge whiplash upon my arrival in the province. The first few days I was here, Chi Anh told me that all good things take time. She meant it in many ways: learning Vietnamese, connecting with teachers and students, becoming familiar with the community and the city. The hardest part, and often the most strenuous step, is the first one and the beginning. ​ I finally got a new e-bike. One much smaller than the one they gave me at first, which is all in all good because the first was a bit of a safety hazard. Mr. Hoan says it is small, and I am small, so therefore it all works out. Ms. Trang said there are women out there in Vietnam who are shorter than me and manage to ride those big e-bikes. Touché, I guess. It is slower than the other one they lent me, but I am okay with that; I would rather be safe with a smaller, more manageab...
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