Second things second

It occurred to me that some of you may want to know details like, what do I actually do all day, who do I live with, how do I get around, and other practical things like that. It also occurred to me that practical things like that should probably have gone in the first entry. But the title "first things first" has already been used. So...second things second:

- Work: English editor at Nhà Xuất Bản Thế Giới (The World Publishing House). Mostly, I edit a magazine called "Vietnam Cultural Window," which is given to guests of the ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Here is the link on the publishers' website: http://thegioipublishers.com.vn/en/magazines/index.php?cat=1

- Home: I live with the Nguyen family. If you know anything about Vietnam you should be laughing right now because upwards of 50% of Vietnam has the surname Nguyen. My host family consists of Grandma, Dad (Tâm), Mom (Loan), brother (Tiến, age 21, currently studying in Japan), and sister (Thanh, age 19).

- School: Rosie and I used to go to language school 3 half-days a week, when MCC was paying. Nowadays we go once a week. Our teacher is Miss Giang ("Zang") and our fellow classmates fluctuate from week to week. But the majority are Korean and don't talk terribly much, in case you wanted to know.

- Transportation: Bike. Despite the heat in summer I loooooooove biking because in a tiny, traffic-clogged city like Hanoi it gets you there fast and in style (see above and decide for yourself).

Want a better picture? Just can't get enough of me? Well, here is a link to a facebook album entitled "My daily life in Vietnam."

Or if that doesn't work, try http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2062427&id=15302590&l=e27cfc4470.