HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY JEREMY!!!!!
Yahhhhhooooooo, after sweating it out (literally), waiting and praying, all 4 fathers came back with VISAS in hand at 5:30pm today and WE ARE HEADING HOME!!!!!! I just talked with the boys & my mom & had to fight with the phone with Maile as she was shouting in Vietnamese for me to give her the phone to talk!!!! It was halarious and precious...she is ALREADY a girlie girl with glitter, pink and a phone in her hand!!!! I love it!!!!
Well, it's nearing the end of THIS CHAPTER of our journey as we embark the NEXT ONE, a NEW LIFE in "America" (what all the Vietnamese know to say about the USA & then they RAISE the price in Dongs 500+ times!!!) It's such a bittersweet moment to leave my Homeland of VIETNAM again to return to my hometown of N. Dallas, TX....FAMILY is REALLY what matters in life, they are the HEART strings that keep a person's spirit together...I CANNOT wait to hug all those sweet necks waiting for our arrival at DFW!!!!!!!!!
Here are some final antidotes of our VN trip that encompass the many culture difference observations, "You KNOW you are in VIETNAM when..." To those who have forged before us, can relate...those who may travel to VN soon will have something to look forward to :).
You KNOW you are in VIETNAM when:
- You instantly become a MILLONAIRE in Dongs when exchanging VN $$.
- Ask for Ketchup & get a PLATE of tomatoes!!!
- When you ask for a larger size, they say "Small/ Medium...Same Same!"
- When you have to convert from cm, kg, km & cel. degrees
- You/ your spouse may collect on your LIFE INSURANCE policy, just by trying to cross the streets in VN.
- There is an OPEN Flea Market of purses, clothes, hats, souvenirs, etc. on EVERY corner
- Kim-Lan is considered TALL & FAT
- A family with CHILDREN ride on ONE scooter with OUT helmets or seat belts.
- Heather goes shopping and the lady says, "I have big girl size for you..."
- ordering a Chef Salad and ALL you get are tomatoes, cucumber, corn & dressing (NO lettuce).
- when you are NOT wearing a RICE HAT like the locals do
- when the mode of transportation is by scooter, row boat, bike or by foot
- the internet is as slow as watching water boil...
- Kim-Lan looks Vietnamese but cannot understand a word they are saying (behind & in front of my back).
- When there are businesses & buildings called KIM LAN!!!!! :)
- You have to take ANOTHER shower from sweating in 5 mins. from the HUMIDITY & HEAT
- You can order Pho (VN Soup) for breakfast
- You need a calculator to get change back in 1000+ dongs.
- The mattresses come up to your shins & BRICK hard
- The MOST BEAUTIFUL, wide-eyed dark brown Asian child becomes YOURS FOREVER!!!!! We LOVE YOU Maile (Thuy Trang) FOREVER!!!!
This is my last entry in VIETNAM, I am sooooo excited to see my boys, mom & family that it is hard to be sad about leaving... It will be an emotional HOMECOMING but one we have all longed & prayed for in the past months/ years!!!!!!
To my incredible FAMILY & FRIENDS who have shared in our journey, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts...We are FOREVER changed & touched by this event and reminded on HUMAN we are...while we don't share the same language, faith, dress code, lifestyle as these amazing people 1/2 way around the world, we have the COMMON thread of the SPIRIT to survive, thrive & be with family... The work ethic of the VN people is untouchable, the raw beauty of their spirit is undescribeable & the experiences I have taken from this journey...unforgettable.
THE BEST SOUVENIR we are bringing home is Maile Noel Thuy Carlson and we cannot wait for you to meet her. Signing off until we land on U.S. soil in Dallas, TX...
Take care & God bless...thank you for your prayers of safety & good health...we are ALMOST home!!!!
BIG HUGS & KISSES to my mom & boys until we can deliver them in person!!! XOXOXOXOXO
Love & see you in about 26.5 HOURS!!!!!!! (ETA to DFW airport from Seoul on Korean Air 10am Thurs. 29 March 2007) Don, Kim-Lan & HAPPY GIRL singing in Vietnamese right now :), Maile (Thuy Trang) !!!!!
3 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing your trip -- I can't wait until its my turn! Looking forward to hearing about Maile's adjustment at home.
Kathy F.
Congratulations -- May the Lord always embrace your forever family.
Kim-Lan~ THANK YOU for sharing so many details of your incredible journey with us, despite the molasses-slow internet connections! It has been such a joy, and I look forward to hearing of your reunion with your family and adjustments to a household of 5! I'll be praying for safe, quiet and speedy flights for all of you.
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