someone needs an english phrase book

Every day when I go to work, the same (or I assume it's the same) middle-aged motorbike taxi driver always says to me:

"Hi! I love you!"

I'm fairly certain that this is the only English he knows.

It's weird being here for about two weeks and still feeling like I'm a fish in a bowl. I'm starting to recognize faces and places on the street, but everything from my mannerisms to my hair to my height screams that I don't belong. The attention ranges from overly tiring when it comes from rows of pestering vendors and motorbike and cyclo drivers endlessly hassling you to buy, buy, buy, to hilarious when it comes from locals wanting pictures or Vietnamese men hitting on your guy friends.

At any rate, I'm excited to meet up tonight with a group of kids here from Princeton. It'll be us plus possibly a Yale girl who attended one of our lectures yesterday evening, and we're all going to a bar together. Though I've learned so much from the Vietnamese roommates, I miss meeting new people that I can instantly communicate with without having to explain every cultural reference I make. I don't think I fully realized how unique the Greek system is until I came here.

and then there was light

I HAVE INTERNET IN MY ROOM! I don't know how long this is going to last, so here are just a few photos of what I've been up to.

Last week, we went to the zoo, which was actually semi-depressing because the cages for the animals were so small and all the creatures seemed underfed. But among all that, we also found these fantastic contraptions:

Essentially, human-sized hamster wheels. On water.

Yushen, Rosie, and I got in the big one.
Most fun 25,000 dong I've ever spent.

Later that same day, the whole group of us (all the Duke kids plus our Vietnamese roommates and minus Christopher) went to West Lake, where we rented swan-shaped boats.

It was a gorgeous day, but at night it started absolutely pouring.
I got completely drenched and was not dressed appropriately.

As for this past weekend, we (meaning all the Duke kids and our Vietnamese roommates) went on a 3-hour-long bus ride to Ha Long Bay, as I mentioned in my previous post.

Phil and me on the bus, ready to vacay.

Bibi and me on the roof of our boat, aka absolute bliss.

I'm scared my Internet is going to cut out if I try to upload more pictures, so I'm going to play it safe for now and call it an evening.

too much green, too much fun

[Photo credit: National Geographic]

I'M GOING TO BANGKOK, THAILAND!

The weekend after next, we have three days reserved for independent travel, and so Phil and I booked tickets to Bangkok because... we can. Yushen, Johnny, and Alex are buying their tickets tonight, so that makes the final Bangkok 2008 group: me and four guys. ...I really hope I don't get ditched for a strip club.

Tickets were about $60 minus the taxes and fees, but about $160 with taxes and fees, which, although ridiculous, is about how much it costs to go to, what, Boston? Hostel or budget hotel costs are about $10 to $15 on average for a decent to good one, so it's really affordable living.

And it's fucking Thailand.

Anyway, moving on to what happened this last weekend: the entire group (us plus our Vietnamese roommates) spent the night on a boat in Ha Long Bay, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We sunbathed and stargazed on the roof of the boat (glorious!), went swimming in the salty water (amazing!), visited the grottos and caves (eerily beautiful!), and had an overall fantastic time.

Additionally, last night Thu came back to the room with about 40 long-stemmed red roses for me that she had bought from the Night Market (which is only open Friday to Sunday). She is the sweetest girl ever. No, seriously. She's been getting me little gifts everyday and leaving me notes every morning.

Basically, this entire weekend has left me speechless.

limited or no connectivity

A quick apology:

Though I originally intended for this to be a photoblog of my time overseas, unfortunately the Internet in my room no longer works, thanks to the rain we've been having. The only time I have steady access to the Internet now is while I'm at work, but, since I don't carry my laptop to work, no photos are on this computer. So, that's that for now.

Keep your fingers crossed.

slow motion for me

I officially have a crush on a local.

Let me backtrack for a minute.

About four nights ago, we were wandering around the city, as per our usual favorite nighttime activity, when we stumbled upon a large square packed with kids doing karate, riding bikes, etc. Each activity had its own little corner of the square, and right at the top of the stairs was a group of high school students breakdancing and popping and locking. The best guy was dressed head to toe in black (black baggy jeans, black T-shirt, silver chain, black bandana) and looked like the 14-year-old, Vietnamese version of the guy from Dirty Dancing Havana Nights (and the age description here is not the usual oh-Asians-always-look-younger-than-they-are comment; this kid was actually only 14). You know the cool kids in school that already had a bunch of groupies and that all the other kids wanted to dress like and talk like and be like? We were pretty sure these were Those Kids.

So we made friends.

Fast forward to the next day, and Johnny is back from hanging out with said Cool High School Kids to tell us about the Even Cooler High School Kids that he had met. Apparently, he had befriended the pop and lock champion of the city -- and said champion had agreed to give us lessons.

Which is why last night, Rosie, Johnny, Sam, and I found ourselves surrounded by some the sweetest pop and lock moves I've ever seen and some of the sickest outfits (one guy had on a doo-rag and another had on an outfit that I've definitely worn before -- tight black T-shirt, skinny grey jeans, black ankle boots, red and black checkered bandana), the music blasting from a bike that Rosie and I had chased a guy down to borrow and that was pimped out with speakers and lights. The second-in-command dancer was surprisingly cute.

And what can I say, I'm attracted to talent.