NY bound

Hello everyone,

New York here I come! Thank you mom and dad for allowing me to visit home for 10 days :)

I'm currently traveling on a plane that is taking me from Dubois to JFK--- a 13 and a half plane ride that succeed the 7 hour flight from Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh. :x I  slept the first 7 and a half hours in but now I can't force myself asleep any longer. Traveling so far has been pretty in uneventful which I guess is a good thing :p

I'm becoming excited to sleep in a comfortable bed again for a little bit because the beds at our placement consist of an inch-thick mattress on a wooden board lol and I'm excited to eat a dinner that doesn't consist of rice, vegetables and tofu. Most importantly though, I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family.

It was surprisingly harder than I thought to wave goodbye to Vietnam for 2 weeks. Despite the rough beginning, I have begun to think of HCM as a second home-- a place that will always stay in my heart. I remember the first time traveling from the HCM airport to my university, frightened by the chaotic streets that were full of zigzagging motorbikes, street vendors, and foreigners. I was so uneasy that I had Chris keep me on Skype while I slept :) and he comforted almost everyday for a week when I woke up with tears in my eyes.

Now, I love the busy streets and riding on the motorbikes :) I've walked the streets every morning and wave to the locals who greet us daily with "hello!hello!" (Sometimes I'll even bring them some pastries or muffins from the bakery). The foreignness of streets and the local people that once frightened me-- are now some of my dearest friends.

So, even though I am excited to make a trip home-- I am also looking forward to returning back to Vietnam ( My coordinator was afraid that I wouldn't return and said that she would attack my Facebook if I didn't come back to Vietnam in 2 weeks hahah but I assured her that there are a lot of things I still have planned in Vietnam and there are people I love too much to not go back :p)

5 hours left before I step back into the States :)