Hup Holland Hup !! - going home (3-1 loss)

Russia today defeated Holland 3 - 1 AET. They deserved the win.

Doing our small part for the environment

Washing the car on the lawn. Overcast day, nice temperature.

Notes from Vietnam #3

June 20

Halloooooo!

We have to be down in the lobby in like, ten minutes to go to the Embassy, so this is just a really quick email.

The rooms are good, and comfy with the A/C. It's two to a room. It was raining off and on yesterday and people kept on trying to sell us really cheap ponchos on the street, and Ben and Helen bought one each, and Ben's was shredded within minutes, but luckily it was pretty much 35 cents Canadian to buy, so that was okay. It's the rainy season here. Not sure if it'll rain today - it looks quite sunny outside. We've actually been really lucky with the weather. It may be humid and rainy, but it's only 25 degrees. A nice way to ease into the weather!

Bye for now! It's a big day today and tomorrow, who knows when I can next email you, but I'll keep you updated when I can!

Love you lots!

-Trista

Notes from Vietnam #2

June 19 #1

Hi again!

Thank goodness for Zeb's laptop and how kind he is to let people use it...

Originally most of our group was going to use this afternoon off to go to a war memorial museum, but I'm fairly certain that everyone decided against it and we're all just going to chill and maybe have a few beers (I'm all for just good ol' tea, myself).

We have the discovered the wonders of the room air-conditioning which makes everything much better, and I took a shower about half an hour ago and washed my hair and it feels BRILLIANT!

Also, squat toilets are terrifying.

I've gotten bitten by two mosquitoes already, but since we're not in a malaria zone, I should be okay. We're going to a water puppet show in about an hour and a half that should be very fun. Tomorrow we're going to the Canadian Embassy and doing a few other things, though I can't entirely remember what, but I do know that we're going to meet a few middle-class Vietnamese people that we get to interview, which should be interesting!

The traffic here is INSANE! People are always honking their horns, to let people know that they're coming, and they do it CONSTANTLY, and drive everywhere, including throughout the tiny little markets! We went to the Temple of Literature, which is a school that was built in 1076 by Confucius to educate students into mandarins.

Zeb, Leslie, Ben and I went out and got water, and Leslie and I stopped on the street because there was a tiny, itsy bitsy little kitten there... it was no more than four weeks old, definitely too young to leave it's mother, but it was owned by a woman in one of the shops and was tied to a post with about half a foot of string. It was orange and yellow striped, and positively adorable and hungry, and we just sat there and cooed and cried over it and how adorable it was and how it wasn't getting enough food, the poor thing! I wanted to take it with me. Poor little kitten!

You know, it's funny... I can clearly tell that I'm in a different country, and it's all remarkably fascinating, but yet... I'm not going, "wow!" I mean, I'm going, "this is all very cool!" and take pictures, but I just keep thinking, "Hmm, when do I get home?" It's not a honeymoon stage for me right now, I have to say.

The most money that I've spent so far has been on water. (Man, they have weird money here... it's called 'dong'. In the words of Jason, "I just can't take any currency that's called 'dong' seriously.")

I realise that all my paragraphs have been kind of all over the place, but... meh. Heh. I should go now, I suppose. I can't begin to tell you just how awesome this air conditioning is... *cue Hallelujah chorus*

Lots of love! I'll phone you when I can!

-Trista


June 19 # 2

Oh! Something else really interesting!

This just started, so I thought I'd say it - our tour guide and teachers pointed out to us a few speakers as we were walking throughout the Old Quarter. It turns out that there is how people listen to news from the government, I believe it is! It just started right now. Since lots of people don't have time when they come home to watch television or listen to the radio, that's how they get their news.

Anyways, bye!

Love you!

-Trista

Notes from Vietnam #1

June 18

I'm just typing a quick email to you from the lobby of the Sunny Hotel.

We've arrived safely! I don't have time to write you more, as it's 11:30 pm here and I'm exhausted and feel slightly ill, and most DEFINITELY sweaty. You would not BELIEVE the humidity here! Ugh! I'm going to be glad for the clothes that I brought, if I don't feel too immodest. Ugh.

Anyways, I'm off!

LOVE YOU ALL!

-Trista

"Leaving on a jet plane".....for Vietnam

A somewhat nervous Trista (can't tell by the photo) just prior to leaving home.

Checking in for the short flight to Vancouver, then 10 hours to Narita Airport in Japan, then another 5 1/2 hour flight to Hanoi.

Trista and Jenn. After the three weeks in Vietnam (Asian studies trip) they will spend a few days in Cambodia and then 3 weeks in Thailand.

The point of no return. Trista emailed us at 11:30 pm Hanoi time to say she arrived safely, that it was very Humid and she was very tired.

Plasterman

He wanted a hug from Debra, but she ran away! So he blew her a kiss instead.

Getting ready for next weeks Half Iron swim

Team Flying Dutchmen has entered again after a year hiatus. I boldly (crazily) predicted I could take 10 minutes off of my previous time. It won't happen, but I will see how close I can get. My training has been pretty consistent and I have swam 4 times in Thetis Lake (picture) doing a 1.5 km route for practice.

A few garden pictures

Kitchen - New and Improved

What was formerly a simple blank wall with a picture of various herbs on it... now becomes a playground. I mean, blackboard. The (name removed to protect the innocent) family is young at heart.