Shout Outs Vol. 1

Two things before the shout outs:

1. Power outage downtown this morning (all day, really), which means that the traffic lights were out! Woah! Outages happen more frequently in the dry season because Viet Nam relies a lot on hydropower.
2. A little clarification to the "Ego Boost" post. I'm kidding around a bit. People are looking because we are obviously foreign, probably a bit too loud and have definitely not yet become an organic part of the action on the street. We've been to parts of the city that don't cater to week-long tourists, or even some expats, so we're even more of a curiosity. I'm just continually impressed how open people are to sharing their city with us. It's been very humbling.


Shout outs:
HI DAD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! At least I think it is your birthday, or was when you went to bed :) In any case, I'll be on my computer around 8 am your time if you want to Skype, but I think you're still in Florida. Comment below if you'll be around.

Ian, same goes for you.

Tom Potter, if you're following this (if not, Dad, could you get it to him?), there are a lot of French expats here. Learning Vietnamese is hard, but no conjugation of verbs!

Reggie, stuff is awesome, glad you're following. Email me if you want to chat some.

Bob, the opportunities to study policy over here are incredible. It seems like it is becoming acceptable to critique the disconnect between government policy and the public outcome, as long as the feedback is constructive and acknowledges the good intentions behind the policy. However, I will stick to observing for the time being. The USGS has set up a sister river program between the Mekong and Mississippi, which could provide a great opportunity for such 'learn from our mistake' advice.

Josh, we've been building a cultural platform before we really delve into the ecology of Viet Nam, but your post is coming.

Some pictures again to enjoy (I felt dumb taking some of these but even the ordinary here is different from back home, so I thought you should see what I'm seeing).

language classroom

view from the language center

a student run recycling center, and right next door is the CTU 'Burgess Cafe' equivalent. the current favorite treat is the pineapple frozen yogurt bar, or the coconut banana peanut frozen yogurt bar. students riding along, chillin.

banh mi for lunch

dragon institute on campus, where we have class

student garden?

Adam rode on the back of my bike today, big accomplishment for the both of us!