Hanoi

Today is our second full day in Hanoi. It is amazing here! There are people everywhere and the city is very dirty. Here are a few interesting observations I have made:

Asian people are all short. I knew this before, but I wasn't expecting to suddenly be as tall or taller than so many people! This is a first for me.

Also, Asian people are skinny. But so far no one has called me "fatty" so that's good.

Crossing the street here is like playing Frogger level 10. There is LOTS of traffic, mostly all motorbikes who don't follow any traffic rules (but at least they wear helmets). The first time John and I crossed the street he grabbed my hand and just started walking. There was like 5,000 motorists zooming by, and I seriously thought he was trying to get us killed. I tried to run and he grabbed me and said "you have to go slow so they have time to swerve around you!" Oh my gosh!!!!!!! I can't believe I'm still alive.

The next day we actualy rode on our own motorbike. That is another story!

There are lots of poor people all over the city. Many women make their living selling fruit and vegetables out of baskets they hang from either side of a large board balanced on their shoulders. They all wear those pointy straw hats that I remember from the movies. There are also a lot of ladies who set up little tea stands on the road. They sit on a little stool and have a little table with cups and a pitcher or tea. The table is surrounded by other little stools (like stepping stools we use for little kids). People come and sit for a cup of tea. I also see men who have a "shave and haircut" stands on the street. There are lots of men just sitting around doing nothing all day.

The market is full of all kinds of food that I have never seen before. Lots of fruits and vegetables. We are in a more tropical climate here so I lots of fruits and veggies grow everywhere. Yesterday I saw whole roasted ducks for sale, with the eyeballs and the beaks and the feet all still there. YUK! I also saw whole fishes fried, pig feet, and lots of disgusting sea animals. I lost my appetite for a while!

The food is super cheap on the street. And delicious!! (As long as I just order a bowl of rice and vegetables.) We had a hearty lunch of rice and veggies the other day for 60 cents! Last night we went to a real fancy Indian restaraunt with three other people from church and ordered tons of food that ended up being less than $4 per person! In the US our meal would have been at least three times as much.

Ok, I gotta run. I hopefully find a way to post pictures soon.

A Frantic Update

John and I are leaving for Vietnam in about 10 minutes!

We'll be there for a little over two months. We're planning to spend most of the time in Hanoi, Vietnam but we will take a little (two-week) side trip to Thailand, Bangladesh, and Malasia. John is going to be doing avian flu and HIV/AIDS research for CARE and I am going to play with the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Orchestra (I hope my reeds work over there!). We'll probably do some other stuff too like eat delicious street food and hang out on the beach and go hiking in the rain forest aaaand... maybe catch malaria. Just kidding.

I will try to post some things here while we're over there, if I can find a computer and some internet. And who knows, maybe I'll even post some wedding pictures too.

Oh--and, did you hear that John got a job? He'll be working at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta when we get back in October. Yay for semi-good paying jobs and trips to Asia!

See ya later!

John

John

likes mint candies
addicted to the news
lactose intolerant
5'11"
extroverted
a bit messy
fearless
always helping people
believes in human rights
doesn't apologize for the way he is
grew up in Seattle
(family is now in Utah)
honest
genuine
easy going
relaxed
extremely handsome
and manly
lived in 6 countries
visited over 20
masters degree in reproductive/global health
at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University
talks to strangers
makes friends with strangers
rides a scooter
almost a vegetarian
sings pretty well
nice to animals and small critters (including cockroaches!)
reads non-fiction books
eagle scout
returned missionary
speaks Vietnamese
makes me dinner all the time
prefers to watch documentary films
open-minded
non-judgemental
knows what's important in life

And the best thing about all of this is
we're getting married!!!
June 13, 2009
in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple

25

Random things about me

Everyone has been doing this... it's SO weird. Anyway, I'm feeling a bit spontaneous this afternoon.

My b'friend John told me the other day that he used to be deathly afraid of sharks, and one day forced himself to overcome his fear by swimming in shark-infested waters. I've decided to add my "25 things" to the common assemblage in an effort to overcome my annoyance with it. (hope it works...)

So--here you have the first twenty-five random things that came to my mind when I started thinking about me, me, me. Will you know me better after reading them?

1. Grapefruit Seed Extract
2. Fleet Foxes
3. Shenkerian Theory
4. Anasazi Beans
5. Yoga
6. Non-fiction
7. Thailand and Vietnam
8. Innocence vs. Experience
9. Rice cakes
10. Different
11. Bon Iver
12. Henry David Thoreau
13. Ear Plugs
14. Baby Smell
15. Hair
16. Public Transportation
17. NPR
18. Martin Luther King, Jr.
19. (No words to describe this one)
20. Positive Energy
21. Malleability
22. Conservation
23. Rules vs. Guidelines
24. The Future
25. Someday we'll all be in for a big surprise.

I tag no one.

My New Year's Resolutions

In the past I haven't make a big deal of New Year's resolutions. I usually make a few goals for the year and keep them to myself. But this year I am inspired by my friend Sara to make my goals public. This way you all can check up on me to make sure I'm really doing what I say I'll do. Or maybe just so I can get this in writing.

1. Get healthy. That includes eating more good stuff, less bad stuff (less stuff altogether actually), and getting way more exercise.
2. Finish my dissertation. I know this seems like an easy task to you (especially if you are my parent, grrr) but I feel like an 8-year-old who has been assigned to clean out a large, junk-filled garage with no help from anyone else. It's going to be tough. I might need a little more nagging.
3. Use public transportation more often. I'm going to drive my car less and ride trains, busses, my bike, and my shoes more.
4. Only purchase things that I REALLY need. For example: the next time I am at the grocery store and tempted to purchase a carton of chocolate soy milk, I'm going to say to myself, "Michele, it's true that you really really want this chocolate soy milk. But do you need it?" to which I will reply, "Nah. I don't really need it. It will do me good to save the money and the calories." By the way, this includes clothes, shoes, bassoon accessories, books, etc.
5. Don't purchase anything new unless I've searched everywhere and can't find it used (and I absolutely have to have it). I tried this last year and I saved a lot of money. And got to know the Goodwill employees pretty well too. This year I am going to be even more serious. Of course this rule does not apply to things like toothpaste, bread, and toilet paper.
6. Develop better posture. If you see me slouching, punch me in the face!
7. Get married. Ok... Ok. I only have so much control over that, but it's worth a try, right?

I'm going to stop there. I don't want to make my life too complicated.

Three unexpected gifts

The month of December is a month of giving gifts. I'm usually really bad at giving gifts--mostly because I forget about it, and then Christmas comes and its too late!

But that is beside the point. This December I received three delightful gifts that I wasn't expecting and probably didn't deserve.

The first one was this bed. Yes, someone gave me a bed. It was purchased in Utah by John's mother (more about him later, hopefully) and sent with her friends who were driving a moving truck out here. To say the least, I was in desperate need of a new bed and was delightfully surprised when it came!

The second surprising gift was this little pair mitten clips that I received as a prize at a Halloween party with John's school friends. (yeah, that was back in October but I didn't get them out until it got cold in December!) I know they look ridiculous, but I haven't lost my gloves yet! And to me, that is priceless.

At the end of last semester one of my students left this note for me outside my office door. I appreciated it so much! Being a first time teacher was a bit intimidating for me and it was good to know that at least one person thought I was ok.
And lastly I thought I would add these photos as a bonus. I don't know if I would consider this a gift, but my little brother Ethan let my braid his hair a few weeks ago. Doesn't he look cute?

Hey... I've been busy, OK?

Hello everyone, I haven't forgotten about my blog. Don't worry! I will write something soon..... (ha ha I know you've all been waiting desperately) :)