Christmas

We were able to come home for the Holidays. Yeah! Steve and I went to New York (just the two of us), it was amazing. We then went to my parents home in Maryland for Christmas. For New Years we headed down to Texas to see Steve's family and some friends. We had the best time!!

This is looking down 5th Avenue. This is the Public Library. These are the Rocketts.



This is Rockfellar Plaza. The ice skating rink at Rockfellar. This is from the Met.


This is Central Park.

French Quarter and Hoan Khim Lake

My friend, Nerida, and I went down into the French Quarter for a little shopping. We also walked around Hoan Khim Lake, a very popluar lake.

My Chau, Vietnam

A group of people from the church we attend took a weekend break at My Chau. It was an amazing place. It is about 3 hours south of Hanoi, at least by car, in American it would only be 2 hours. Hee Hee It is a very cute village, most of the homes are built on stilts. That is where they sleep and underneath is where they cook and wash.

When I agreed to go, I foolishly thought we would be sleeping in some sort of Hotel room. So imagine my surprise when we got there and they told us where we would be sleeping....on top, with about 13 other people. The "mattresses" were about 1 or 1 1/2 thick and the pillows were very lumpy. The house that we stayed in slept 10 to 12 and all the beds had their own mosquito nets. But I do have to say that I slept just fine and did not get any bites.



The scenery was amazing. We were able to go on mini hikes throughout the land. We saw the rice fields, water buffalo, and a bunch of live stock.








Funny story about the cows you see up above. In My Chau you can buy lots of souvenirs and Josh bought a water buffalo horn, BIG MISTAKE, lol. He was blowing in it and all of a sudden a long line of cows came walking up him. LOL He thought he called the cows home, but at the end of the cows was a man driving them back home.

That night people from the village came and danced for us. The kids really enjoyed that. We have some video from it, I will try and add that later. The last dance they invited us to join them, and NO surprise Joshua joined right in. I am really amazed at how often Josh just gets right in there and "mixes" it up with the locals.

Halloween

Halloween Night.....what fun we had. The kids school had a Fall festival and they had so much fun. Josh's class worked the Haunted House and let me just say, Josh had a BALL scaring all the kids. HaHa He scared the heck out of me when I saw his face painting. Lizzie enjoyed all the games and of course painting the drum.
Finding costumes over here was a bit of a challenge, but the kids didn't complain. I think this was the first year that Lizzie did not go as a princess, hee hee.
Trick-or-Treating was a little different this year. The candy they gave out at the Fall Festival was not your usual candy. So when we got home from school we walked over to L's Place ( a grocery store located in our compound) and picked out M&M's, Skittles, Reese's Cups, and gum. The girls that worked the store were fascinated with Josh's face and took pictures of him on their cell phones. Josh just ate up all that attention. Once we got back home I had the kids ring the doorbell and I came out and gave them candy. HeeHee. Different, but they still got candy!!

Lizzie Birthday

Lizzie turns 8!!! We had a quiet celebration here at home for Liz's 8th birthday. It was a challenge to find gifts. I found a mall that was as close to any American mall I could find and they had a whole floor for kids. There I found her a new outfit, crayons ( always a hit with her) and Lego's. She was very happy and surprised, not once did she complain about the number of gifts or the fact that they weren't BIG enough. She is such a happy-go-lucky girl!!

Kids Assembly

Josh and Lizzie both "perfomed" at their school assembly. Lizzie's class talked about "The Weather" and she was also one of the student of the month. :) I uploaded some video from her performance.


Josh was in a skit about Jason and the Argonauts. He was a zombie. I uploaded some video from his scene, but it is hard to see him, he is in the back. :(



Ok,well I tried to upload video, but it was taking over 2 hours and was STILL not done. I will try again later. So enjoy the pictures.

Old Quarter Tour

As a new member of the Hanoi Women International Club, I was taken on a tour of the Old French Quarter in downtown Hanoi. It was amazing. Here below are some of the many sites we saw.

This, I thought, was too funny. While on a bicycle taxi I saw this guy walking down the street lean over and ask one the drivers for a lift. So this poor taxi guy not only had to peddle for the lady in the seat but also for the guy on the back of his bike.



Here is one of the many store fronts that you see along all the streets of Hanoi. The famous Budda Belly..hee hee. Apparently you want one of these in your stores and homes, it is said to bring good luck and wealth.



There used to be 4 gates leading into the City of Hanoi, but now only one stands.



Here is a typical Pagoda in Vietnam. You bring food, drinks, and money to the altar then say your prayer.


This was ( and sometimes still is) the way the old homes were used by the people. In the front of your house was where you sold your goods, the back of the house is where you made the goods. On the second floor is where you lived and invited your close friends to dine with you. The picture with the altar is on the second floor and custom dictates that you NEVER show your bottom to the altar, it is very disrespectful.


And last but not least a couple of pictures showing the "old toilets". Enjoy!! Hee Hee