Moving In

Thank you all for your solutions to our roach problem. I think Enoch will write more about that later. Just a quick note—a couple of you mentioned that lizards are good for roach control. Our house is crawling with geckos and anoles…I didn’t mind them before, and now I REALLY like them. ;-)

I’d like to share a little more about our new home.Enoch and I have a nice house in a great area. My favorite thing about this area is that we’re in the middle of a bustling street. There are several small restaurants and store-front homes beside us. Our neighbors are always outside running their little businesses, and they are quick to smile and call out to us when we’re outside. We’re something of an attraction to them, and we seem to draw a crowd.

Two of our neighbors speak a little English. Several more can say, “Hello! What is your name?” We have spent a lot of time with one of our neighbors and have visited several others. Across the street is an American businessman whose wife is Vietnamese--we hope to have them over this weekend.

Our first morning, we had breakfast at the little restaurant across the street. We each had a bowl of noodles, and both of us were full for only $1.25. We’ll remember that if our funds ever get low!Most Vietnamese restaurants are outdoors. At the one across the street, there is one long table surrounded by little plastic chairs (everything in Danang is plastic). Food is cooked at something that reminds me of a hot-dog stand. It is flavored with soy sauce, fish sauce, and/or hot sauce. Really it is very good.

One of the most interesting things (to me) about Vietnamese restaurants is the napkins. They are always little squares of paper that feel like notebook paper.It is also interesting that in these restaurants you usually do not get a drink with your meal. In some, you have a small cup of tea after you have finished eating. In the restaurant across the street, you do not get a drink at all. Our next door neighbor sells some drinks and coffee out of her home, so I guess if you are thirsty you go somewhere else!

Since we’ve arrived in Vietnam, Enoch and I have been shopping a couple of times to buy necessities. Shopping trips on our own are small victories. Hardly anyone speaks English, so communication is done through gestures.There are no Wal-Marts--there is no one place to buy everything. When you go grocery shopping, you go to at least two different places. If you are shopping for specific items (say stoppers for the sink, which happen to be on my shopping list), you will go to a third or a fourth place.

(Just a note on the stoppers—we notice mouse droppings beside the sink every morning, so that is my solution for the mouse problem for now. The rats seem to come from somewhere else, so I don’t know what to do about them. The Vietnamese solution is to get a dog.)

There is a traditional market close to our house, but most stores are on the other side of the river. Since it is very difficult to barter when you don’t speak the language, and since I’m cautious about buying meat that sits out in the sun all day, for now I will do most of my shopping across the river. This means we need taxis. Our house does not have a street address because our street does not have a name. Giving taxi drivers directions to our house is challenging. So far, it works best to tell them the name of a near-by street and point from there.

Already, Enoch and I feel much more immersed in the Vietnamese culture than we did last summer. All in all, we are happy, comfortable, and eager to start this next phase in our lives. Thank you all for everything that you have done to support and encourage us. We love you all.