We've come to our fifth day in Hanoi, our 12th day of the trip. Julia is doing much better during the day, but is not sleeping well at night. That is leaving Doug and I exhausted. This morning was a difficult one, at least for me. I am finding it a little stressful and discouraging that we don't know exactly when we will be going home. On Monday, we pick up Julia's passport and go for her medical exam. We have also been given permission to email a person at the US Consulate on Monday and see if we can gain any info on when we can expect approval for Julia's visa. We are hoping to hear that we can expect it soon!
The day got better when we went to visit the Temple of Literature. This was a temple built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, in addition to being Vietnam's first university. In addition to the temple, it has five large courtyards with beautiful gates separating them. It was fascinating to see something so old with such beautiful architecture.
We take taxis most everywhere we go and Julia loves them. She is a wild woman in the car moving all around trying to see everything at once. (They don't have carseats in Vietnam, so she just sits on our lap.) I can tell already that she will not be a fan of her carseat when we get home!
It has been fun watching Thomas on this trip. The people here love our children and when they come up to Thomas, he just starts talking with them whether they understand him or not. He starts telling them everything about why we are here, how we got Julia and what she has most recently learned. He has gotten his picture taken with many Vietnamese families. Therefore, we also have many pictures of him with a lot of Vietnamese people that we don't know.
Tomorrow we are off to the museum of Ethnology. We've heard positive things about this museum from families who have traveled here in the past, so we are looking forward to it.
Well, I am off to bed and hoping for a better night's sleep. Hope you are all doing well.
Good night,
Barbie
P.S. On our taxi rides we try to see who can spot the scooter with the most people and things on it. (It is amazing what all they can fit on one.) The confirmed record is 3 adults on one scooter and we might have even seen one with four people on it. It is definitely a sight to see.
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6 comments:
Doug & Barbie:
If I were you, I'd probably be disappointed when there weren't very many comments.
If we don't comment much, don't mistake that for disinterest. I think most of us are running out of ways to say "Oh, how cool! We hope you can come back soon! Tell us more!"
Life back here isn't as exciting. When we see a scooter--which is rare in November--there's almost always just one person on it.
(sigh)
So keep the blog comin'...even if we don't say much, we're reading and enjoying it.
(had to post this twice, because the first time my "sigh" was in "<"s instead of parentheses...and it told me it didn't recognize that html tag.)
In honor of your family the Mazzon family pulled down a bike and thought about trying to get as many of us on it at one time as possible and ride down the street. But it is only about 8 degrees this morning so we skipped it. Maybe we will try it in the spring!
We love reading of your adventures and want to hear some of Thomas's stories! And yes, Julia is going to love her carseat... We miss you but try to enjoy the warm weather cause it is COLD back home!
Enjoy the warm weather while you're there because right now it is 7 degrees with a wind chill of 12 below and we are expecting 6-10"
of snow beginning tomorrow thru Sunday.
It has been so much fun to follow along on your sightseeing adventures, it gives me a whole new outlook on Vietnam.
I'm sure Thomas is having the time of his life and will be anxious to share it with his classmates when he gets home.
I really enjoyed all the pictures. Julia is a sweetheart and her smile shows she is starting to adjust.
As always, you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Love, Deb & Arlyn
Doug & Barbie,
I, too, enjoy reading all of your blogs. Mathew asks me every day what adventure you guys have had for the day. We love hearing your adventures and we can't wait for you to be able to come home and enjoy the winter weather. Summer is nice...when it's summer. I know you miss home. It won't be long until you get there...and then you'll wish for summer days. :) (maybe...I don't know how much you'll miss the heat and humidity seeing as you are Minnesotans!)
Oh...and Doug...remember when we fit 9 people in that Toyota Carolla? Do the scooters look anything like that? ;)
This probably belongs on the Thomas blog, but do they sell coconut ice cream at the Grand Ol' Creamery? I find myself craving coconut ice cream, for some reason.
(Go Sooners!)
Doug, Barbie, Thomas, Helen and Julia...
It seems to be the resounding comment today about how much the "blog reading" is enjoyed. I tried to post a comment the day of the cyclo riding and my computer wouldn't let me...so this is what I would have said...
I have really enjoyed hearing about your trip. Reading the blog has become a hightlight of my day. It has come to my attention that it is often the first thing I think about doing most days, although life is busy and at times I don't make it to the computer till the kids' naptime.
Thanks for sharing about your day, everyday. I still contend it will be a special memento to have when Julia is older and starts to ask about her life in Vietnam. So blog on, blog on....!
Love,
Cindy
P.S. As crazy as the scooter riding and traffic and hub-bub of the roads over there, I think I'd be intensely afraid to ride on a scooter at all, let alone with 2 to 3 other people!! Yowzers!!
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