Enoch and I have settled into our new home in Danang, Vietnam, and all is well. We (me, Enoch, and the Brewer family of seven) are living in half of a duplex. It is big by Vietnamese standards, but there are a lot of us. Plus, Duc (our contact in Vietnam), his wife Lynn, and their child Sally are over from breakfast to supper every day. The landlord (who lives in the other half of the duplex) invites himself over frequently...and there's a lady from Duc's church who is helping...so the place is full of activity.
We found out quickly that life here is very different than what we're accustomed to. Not bad, necessarily, just different…an adjustment.
There is no tub with our shower—just a nozzle on one wall of the bathroom—so the entire floor fills with water. This means that we soon have muddy footprints all over the bathroom...and, if we're not careful, the other rooms.
The front doors of our house are left open so that air will circulate (this is customary in Vietnam), but that is an invitation for critters to visit. We had our first encounter with Vietnamese roaches. We have only seen a handful, but that is enough—they are 2½ inches long and an inch wide. The house is full of ants (which bite); and our neighbor's dogs have chased rats from our house twice.
Speaking of the dogs, "Cafe" and "Basille" frequent our home…especially during mealtime. These dogs are hungry not only for table scraps, but also for flip flops. In Vietnam, you leave your shoes at the door. Unfortunately, this is perfect for our canine friends. I have lost four pairs of shoes to their insatiable appetite for foot odor.
Enoch says that Danang is "Danang hot". I've given up on makeup--I sweat it off as quickly as I put it on. We have to be careful to drink a lot of water, because you lose liquids very fast. Our bedroom does have an air conditioner, so it is a blessing to be able to retreat to it from time to time. When we go out into the hall, though, the heat takes our breath away. Probably we would be better off to go without it, but I haven't had the courage to turn it off.
We're eating lots of seafood—almost every meal. So far, I've had squid, eel, shrimp, crab, various types of unidentified fish (sometimes the whole fish—head, fins and all), and frog (if that counts as seafood; it is semi-aquatic, anyway). It is good, but we do crave American food. We found some Pringles at one of the stores, and we've been gobbling them up. Actually, they may be gone.
Enoch visited the market yesterday and I went today. People in this area go every day to buy food. Every refrigerator that I've seen here has been dorm room-sized…I guess there is no need for any more space. For those of you from Mt. Sterling, the markets have a Court Day feel to them—several booths with assorted items for sell, everything from trinkets to dried fish to clothes. They also seem to house rats and spiders. ;)
Vietnamese traffic is a little frightening. The roads are a mix of cars, motorbikes, bicycles, and occasionally livestock. There is a herd of cattle that meanders by our house each day...down the street right through the traffic. Our landlord took Enoch for a ride on his motorbike yesterday, so he had an up close and personal experience with the madness. I don't think Enoch is eager to head out on his own anytime soon.
We found out quickly that life here is very different than what we're accustomed to. Not bad, necessarily, just different…an adjustment.
There is no tub with our shower—just a nozzle on one wall of the bathroom—so the entire floor fills with water. This means that we soon have muddy footprints all over the bathroom...and, if we're not careful, the other rooms.
The front doors of our house are left open so that air will circulate (this is customary in Vietnam), but that is an invitation for critters to visit. We had our first encounter with Vietnamese roaches. We have only seen a handful, but that is enough—they are 2½ inches long and an inch wide. The house is full of ants (which bite); and our neighbor's dogs have chased rats from our house twice.
Speaking of the dogs, "Cafe" and "Basille" frequent our home…especially during mealtime. These dogs are hungry not only for table scraps, but also for flip flops. In Vietnam, you leave your shoes at the door. Unfortunately, this is perfect for our canine friends. I have lost four pairs of shoes to their insatiable appetite for foot odor.
Enoch says that Danang is "Danang hot". I've given up on makeup--I sweat it off as quickly as I put it on. We have to be careful to drink a lot of water, because you lose liquids very fast. Our bedroom does have an air conditioner, so it is a blessing to be able to retreat to it from time to time. When we go out into the hall, though, the heat takes our breath away. Probably we would be better off to go without it, but I haven't had the courage to turn it off.
We're eating lots of seafood—almost every meal. So far, I've had squid, eel, shrimp, crab, various types of unidentified fish (sometimes the whole fish—head, fins and all), and frog (if that counts as seafood; it is semi-aquatic, anyway). It is good, but we do crave American food. We found some Pringles at one of the stores, and we've been gobbling them up. Actually, they may be gone.
Enoch visited the market yesterday and I went today. People in this area go every day to buy food. Every refrigerator that I've seen here has been dorm room-sized…I guess there is no need for any more space. For those of you from Mt. Sterling, the markets have a Court Day feel to them—several booths with assorted items for sell, everything from trinkets to dried fish to clothes. They also seem to house rats and spiders. ;)
Vietnamese traffic is a little frightening. The roads are a mix of cars, motorbikes, bicycles, and occasionally livestock. There is a herd of cattle that meanders by our house each day...down the street right through the traffic. Our landlord took Enoch for a ride on his motorbike yesterday, so he had an up close and personal experience with the madness. I don't think Enoch is eager to head out on his own anytime soon.
We are enjoying the adventure of our new life, challenges and all. God is opening many doors to us here, and we are excited about the possibilities.
