Monday, September 1, 2008

We are in DALAT!!

We have finally made it to Dalat.  Wow.  What a journey it's been these past few weeks through California training, Hanoi training, and VN country training.  I'm not sure I can handle much more training for a while :)  We have finally unpacked our suitcases after six weeks on the road.  We do not have internet yet in our rooms, so I'm posting from an internet cafe.

Dalat is SOOOO different from Hanoi- I am in a bit of culture shock.  The streets are much calmer and a honking horn is much more rare in Dalat.  The silence is shocking.  The sky is SO blue, we are in the mountains, and there are actually pine trees here (in a weird way, it kind of feels like Colorado).  The accent is different, the food is different, and the weather is probably the most noticeable difference.  It is so cool here and not humid.  I kind of miss the "glow" I was getting used to in Hanoi :)  It has been fun to wear my JBU sweatshirt again though!

For some reason, I thought we would be living about 1 mile off campus.  However, our apartments are right on the Dalat University campus.  This will be a plus when those 7 am classes start.  We thought we'd start teaching this Wednesday, but after meeting with department heads at the University today, we found out they want us to start teaching on Sept. 15.  So we will use these days to keep settling into our apartments and to start learning some Vietnamese and maybe even lesson plan a bit.  One challenge is that every week the class schedule changes... so I am definitely going to be stretched in flexibility this year.

I am sharing an apartment with my team member Maren.  Our apartments are HUGE!!  There are basically two big rooms with high ceilings (the front room will have our two desks as well as a sitting area for relaxing/having guests in, and the back room/loft has our beds, kitchen area, and bathroom).  I'll post pictures at some point :)  

Here are some updated answers/requests for you:
-Thank the Father for bringing us to this place safely- with nothing stolen and no major roadblocks along the way.
-My allergies have been ok so far- I am trusting for continued good health for myself and others on my team.  This is definitely a concern as good medical care is 5-7 hours away in Saigon.
-Please ask that we would use our days wisely.  Once school starts, the craziness won't stop!  So we really want to use our time well to prepare for the days and year ahead.
-Please ask that we would be able to really make our massive living area feel like home... it's a bit overwhelming.
-Uplift our unity as a team.  Karen, Jenny, and Maren are three major blessings in my life!
-Ask the Father to reveal to us early on who He is already nudging- that we may invest our time and energy in those.

1 comment:

Allison said...

so glad to hear you've made it safely to Dalat and have some extra time to settle in! It sounds like a beautiful city!