Grocery Store and products I found in Ha Noi

My walk to the hidden grocery store. Up ahead to the right, down an alley.

Almost there! I see "tay" (foreigners) walking toward me!

Going down the alley to the market.

Front of the store. You can't enter with bags, purses, backpacks, etc.
It all must be left in lockers outside of the store

Grapes!
I don't remember seeing these much last time and in a Viet
fruit book at a bookstore it said grapes came from grape trees.
This is true if you see how they've managed to prop them up!
I saw some on the way into the city.

A snapshot of the meats section at the back of the store, yummers!

Frijoles, que, que?!?
Yep, that's right! Rosarita beans have made it to Viet Nam!
See! I'm not the only frijolito around these parts ;o)

This is also something new- prepared food at a grocery store.
It seems the Vietnamese are speeding up their lives as well and
now opt for quick to prepare meals.

Is Mexico or Los Angeles dipping their hands into the Vietnamese economy??

It must be Los Angeles!! Maria cookies? These are NOT the original!

I mentioned in 2009, fresh milk isn't something that is seen anywhere.
Meet the milk aisle. All kinds of boxed milk, mmmmm...mmoooooo!

A closer look. Sua- is the word for milk.

Gum! in a bottle! Looks like Extra has invaded as well.

I forgot how tiny the toilet paper rolls are-
these don't last me but 2-3 trips to the restroom, haha!

Seaweed flavored potato chips, yum!

Remember I said fresh milk is rare? Well cheese is even less seen.
Apparently it's that special they had to put alarms on it!! CRAZY!
Little do they know that shit is probably processed n mostly oil!

Another new sight- lots of processed meats :o( 

Some original foods from rural areas- critters.

A few photos to catch you up on my adventures

Some photos to go along with what I wrote when I was in Ha Noi.

The first sight I saw getting off the plane in Viet Nam...I shrieked , "I'm HOME!!!"

My HUGE bag coming down the belt. Notice how tiny all the other bags are.

My taxi driver into Ha Noi. The one who ran off!

Driving down the middle of 2 lanes....

...but that's ok because everyone does it!!

 

Trying to catch the driver on film singing away :o)

                                         

Oh navigating through traffic is so much fun!

I wrote about this earlier- he just ran off!

Sittin alone on the side of the freeway...

Lucky for me my camera was on and ready so I filmed a lil clip on the spot, too funny!

Was it thu nam or lam?

Meeting the students on our first day teaching at Tuong Lai

The teachers watching us and wondering what our plans were.

Students reacting to us- they liked us! Whew!

Catching up on posting!!! It's working so far!!!

Today is Thursday July 5th early evening and I know I have been absent for a few days so I have a lot of catching up to do. First I will tell you about the Deaf School in Da Nang then I will tell you all the craze that took place before I actually arrived to Da Nang.

Tuesday morning at 7:45am we got a call to our hotel room that there was a teacher waiting for us downstairs. Scott and I were planning to walk to work since on the map it showed we were only about a mile or less away. Oh Viet Nam!!! Never a dull moment and never a set schedule :o) We went downstairs to find this unknown person and find out what the plan was. We met a nice woman, whose name fails me at the moment, all dressed up in a dress, nylons, short heels, etc. Oh, are we underdressed, I asked Scott? It's hot n humid in Viet Nam and we aren't about to wear nylons! Besides I bet people have a better chance convincing Scott to wear a dress than convincing me!!! Scott brushed off the dressing up idea and so I followed- eh fuck it!

Side note- in Cao Bang back in 2009 two from our group were asked to wear a little more clothes so this is why I was checking in. It hasn't been a problem so far though so I think we're good :o)

We told the teacher we would walk and meet her there and her eyes bulged out! "too far!!!!!" she said. I told her were fine and we could manage since we had already looked at a map. She insisted it would be too far so Scott suggested we take a taxi for the first day and then walk later. Sounded like a plan! We hopped into a taxi n offered the teacher a ride. She pointed at her moto and told the taxi to follow us- okie dokie, let's go around the corner!

We took off, following the teacher as she went straight ahead. Whoa wait a minute, we missed our right turn!! She kept on and turned left at a major intersection. I told Scott we weren't going to where we thought we were! We looked out the windows and watched for landmarks and street names so we could know where to walk after work or in the morning...1 block...2 blocks...3 blocks...4 blocks...more blocks...more turns...I lost count and lost my sense of direction! Crap! This IS far! No wonder the teacher looked worried, ha!!

20 minutes later we arrived to a construction site, huh? Oh, it was the school!!! Beyond the construction was a group of moving blue uniforms- the kiddies!!!!

We paid the taxi driver and followed the teacher into a room on the first floor. There we met a man who asked if we brought an interpreter or if we knew Vietnamese. Uh oh! You know Scott had juuuuust mentioned that, saying what if we get there and there's no one who knows English and we don't know enough Vietnamese? I had an idea! We could call Ms. Minh and Tony- the ones who booked everything for us! I gave the teacher their business card and she dialed the number. Ms. Minh was out of the office but Tony was back from Europe, whew! I spoke to Tony and he was more interested in talking about the drama in Ha Noi and whether we wanted to hang out in Hai Phong with him before we left to Hoa Ky at the end of the month. I laughed and told him we could talk about that later but for now we had a situation- we couldn't communicate with the hearing people on campus! I needed him to explain to this man (who said he was in charge of the school but not a principal and not a signer or knowledgeable about the deaf) who we were and why we were there.

The principal of the school, Ms. Thuy, is currently in San Jose visiting family and planning on visiting the Deaf Education program where Scott works. So while she's at his school, we're at hers. We have never met each other and have only been connected via email through Tony and Ms. Minh.

We managed to explain to the teacher and this man that we were there to do an exchange of English/ASL with Vietnamese/VSL. By 8:20 am we were off to meet the students and a group of teachers. There were 22 of students and about five teachers. This was only half of what we had been told. The range of ages were from 8-18yrs old. Cool! This mysterious man did a quick introduction while one of the teachers interpreted in VSL. Then we were up- we introduced ourselves and asked for all of the students to do the same. What a quick bunch! The teachers looked cautiously at us while the students fully embraced us immediately. I'd do the same! The teachers really don't know what we're up to until we arrive and start teaching so of course I think they'd feel protective! By the end of the hour the teachers were talking amongst themselves, copying the English/Vietnamese from the board, and smiling at us- yay! I'd call that a success!

The students were all very eager to communicate with us and find out what we were all about as well. I'd say our first day went as perfect as it could've gone....except that we were so far away from where we thought we would be and that would be an extra 10$/day in expenses...remember I told you I was already stressing on my budget.

When we returned to our hotel, I emailed Ms. Minh to ask if she could find us anything closer. Scott n I decided we should move closer to walk to work everyday or at least lower the taxi cost. I was up for renting a moto to work everyday but Scott wouldn't do it.

Wednesday went well and we had some choices of hotels too. We toldMs. Minh we would do some investigating and research then let her know which hotel we preferred. After work that day we walked over to the nearest hotel and checked it out. It was about half the price of where we are now and the wifi was great. We negotiated back and forth and were able to include breakfast as well. We checked out the room and then told the hotel staff we would move in on Thursday morning. When we arrived to our hotel Scott thought we should reevaluate... I agreed. We looked at the costs again and the amenities and location. That hotel was way out in the middle of nowhere and the room was dark, there was no window view, no one else seemed to be there, and there were not many restaurants around.

So for now I think we are good to stay where we are and enjoy the area in the evenings.

Hacking into my own blog!

For the past 2 weeks Da Nang has blocked me from accessing several websites, including my blog, facebook, and google search. I have been trying all sorts of ways to hack into my blog. I've tried hidden ISP websites, logging in from my email, etc. For some reason, it just let me log on and type. There is still the possibility it won't allow me to post. This is a test!! Wish me luck!!!

Not Gonna Lie!

Stopping by the visitor's center by the lake to post, check email, facebook, etc. since internet continues to be a problem at the hotel.

A gecko came into my room super early this morning and crawled into my restroom. It's super tiny n cute but when I went into the restroom this morning I couldn't find it. I KNOW it's there! I could hear it! Soooo, I'm not gonna lie, I haven't showered today :o( It's not that this lil critter could do anything to me but the fact that I will be totally vulnerable should it decide to join me in the shower!! Geckos like wet areas! I haven't decided what to do yet...I have about 2-3hrs left before I need to leave Ha Noi and I really need a shower, really, like really, really :o/

Getting to Ha Noi and Settling In

Xin chao, tat ca nguoi!

Tonight's my last night in Ha Noi. In a few hours I need to pack up and meet Scott at Noi Bai Airport to fly to Da Nang this evening. Scott arrives late morning so I agreed to meet him around noon to keep him company. Besides, I think I have to check out of the hotel by 11am anyway. 

Internet has been lousy at this hotel and I noticed it works best at ungodly hours of the night- although it isn't working right now and it's 3:30ish in the morning. Don't you worry though, because as soon as I'm done writing I'm going downstairs to hack into another neighboring hotel's internet. The guy up front, Tuan, gave me the code yesterday only I can't get a signal up here on the "3rd" floor (it's more like 10th floor with all the stair climbing I need to do) so I need to run down to the lobby.

Well I said I would tell you about my arrival to and out of the airport and into Ha Noi. As we came in for a landing I noticed I couldn't see much of anything from the windows. The air appeared hazy and thick- it was! As soon as I entered the customs area I couldn't help but giggle to myself and be pleased that I really made it back! I was so excited that the first thing I did was take a shit! Wow!! If you've read about my 2009 experiences or have heard my stories, you know this is big and good news. Yay, I'm home, I thought to myself. For me,  if I can't shit then I'm stressed or my body senses the unfamiliar so really, truly this is important! Customs didn't do anything but stamp my passport and gesture me through to baggage claim. It's a small airport and not very complicated to navigate. My baggage claim area was literally right next to customs. They have a really cool conveyor belt by the way- it's like a giant "U" with belts on the inside and out so nobody's pushing or huddling around in one place. 

Got my giant bag and exited the area into the lobby where I knew I would be approached immediately by drivers asking to take me into the city. When I came in 2009, the group we were coordinating with, sent 2 women by taxi to pick me up. Huong (a director from the HaNoi area for a legal advocacy organization supporting gender and disability rights) and  Anh (a former teacher of the Deaf and current director from the Ho Chi Minh City area for an organization advocating for Deaf and disabled adults rights and employment) showed up at almost 11pm, took me to dinner then dropped me off at my hotel. In 2009, I arrived and left the country at night so it was very interesting and confusing to figure everything out. This time I arrived in the morning and my departure will be during daylight as well. 

Sure enough though, I was approached by 2 different men offering me a ride into Ha Noi before I even made it through the crowd of people waiting for their loved ones with flowers and gifts. Everyone exiting into the lobby has their passport in hand so people know who to target first- the blue passports are from Hoa Ky! I've seen green and burgundy ones, but it seems different countries have different colors. I declined the offers and walked over to the information kiosk to ask for a map and stuff my passport into my bag away from view.

While some taxi drivers charge by the distance or time, some charge a flat rate so I asked for help at the information desk. Some drivers also drive regular unmarked cars. I took one of those alone when I returned from Hoi An to Ha Noi  on the last trip and I felt some fear (the situation was a definite trigger for me). At the last minute, 2 other men hopped into the car to join me and it seemed like a scam. My Vietnamese was good enough to tell them I knew where I was going and that I was from Mexico, haha! They know the economy in Mexico is similar to that of Viet Nam so they seemed to back off on the questioning to size me up. I did arrive safely but I wouldn't want to do that again. I thought I could even take a city bus this time just for the experience and safety. Don't let me influence you negatively, I've had nothing but awesome experiences in Viet Nam but I can't be stupid either. In the northern area, people are pretty much friendly and kind. I've heard different stories about the south. A friend of mine was mugged for his electronics and he is a tall dude...and a guy! So you just never know and that's in any country with anyone. Hell, I got mugged for 50cents in San Jose one evening in a well lit and busy area! Who remembers that shit?!?!? So I just need to do what works for me.

City bus would be 3$ and an hour ride to who knows what bus stop. A taxi would be 30$ and less than an hour directly to my hotel door...hmmmm... I thanked the helpful women and stepped outside into the humidity, ooooo, hellllo thick air!! It's wasn't too hot for me yet but give me a minute. Several men came up to ask if I wanted a taxi and I asked how much. One guy named Tom (uh-huh, right) jumped in and said 18$ one price- SOLD!! Well that is if it's really a marked taxi car. He asked if I was married, if I had any children, if I wanted to marry a Vietnamese, and if I had been to Viet Nam before. I answered his questions while we waited for a car. He said he wasn't married either and women "lots of problems!" I said "men same!" and we laughed! Then he said he would leave his number to call him for the return trip. The "Jolie" car showed up and had a taxi label- yay cool! The driver loaded my bag and off we went. He put on his music and hit the freeway singing away, too cute! I looked out the windows to see what I recognized and took some pictures. The driving was crazy just I like I remembered it and the view was beautiful. What a great way to arrive- took my first shit already, got a good deal on a taxi ride, the driver was singing. Big sigh! All was well!!

Then all of a sudden the driver pulled to the side of the freeway,  murmured something to me in Vietnamese, jumped out of the car, and ran off!!! WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?! hello???? It all happened so fast!! He left the keys in the ignition with the car running and even left his cell phone!  ...huh???? Hello, what's going on?!?!? I filmed a clippet of this since I was in the middle of taking pictures when this all took place. I hope to add some photos/video soon when I get the cord I need or find a computer that can read my SD card. I waited for a bit and watched the traffic go by...well let's be rational...Viet Nam style...people often stop for a snack on the side of the road, this is true. I looked around for vendors, none in sight! Ok ok well there's also needing to use the restroom. Maybe he ran to pee somewhere? Our driver from Cao Bang did that. It's normal...yeah maybe that's it...should I get down or at least move the car off the freeway? Ahp! His cell phone started ringing, should I answer? Maybe he had to meet a friend or pick someone up so he went to get them? People do that here so that's ok too. I took off my seatbelt and decided I would go look for him. Just as I was about to get out of the car, here he comes running back! Oh, ok, whew! I asked in my choppy Vietnamese "ban di ve Sinh?" and he busts out laughing saying yes and sorry then drove off again singing as if nothing had ever happened....hhhmmmmaaaaalritey then!!! Viet Nam!!!!

We arrived into the city and then further into Hoan Kiem District looking for the Old Quarter. Up and down the streets through the street markets. I saw a lot of foreigners, wow! In 2009, I was one of about 3-4 I saw roaming the streets when I was in Ha Noi for the first few days. Now we were everywhere! Must be peak season. Immediately I noticed the streets weren't as cluttered. Yes there is still crazy traffic by car, moto, bike, and peds but there seemed to be less shops n booths. I would have to do some investigating later! 

We pulled up to the address on my card from 2009 with the same hotel I requested, classic II. I looked up and saw a different name- OH OH!!! 

I told the driver it was the wrong place and he asked to see my paperwork. Uh, what paperwork? :o/ we went in to find out if they had my name. NOPE! No record here, shit! Ok well how about we call Tony's travel agency in Hai Phong and talk to Ms Minh who made all of our arrangements? It was a good thing I brought all of the business cards I had collected during my time here last time- found Tony's card, score! Now I was afraid the numbers might be different there too, fingers crossed! One of the workers of the hotel took a liking to me instantly and pulled me aside. She told me not to worry and asked another worker to bring me some water. How sweet! She told me in choppy English how a new company had bought out the old company and I explained what I knew in choppy Vietnamese. We seemed to understand each other just fine. She convinced me to unload my bag from the taxi, pay the driver (who's name was Cuon I came to learn), and let him go- okie dokie! The water came, ice cold and was much needed, mmmmm!!! 

So if taking a shit was the first thing I did when I arrived, I have to say drinking the water was the 2nd thing I did- to be continued...

Back to my wrong hotel situation: after 20 minutes of phone tag and misunderstandings with Ms. Minh, the gal and I discovered that my hotel was just right around the corner from there. Yay!! Doesn't this sound like a fortunately/unfortunately situation my Valemadristas?!?!? Well it was indeed!!

A guy helped drag my enormous bag around the corner and I started the check in process. No name on record! Here we go again!!!! Since I now had 20 minutes of experience with hotel confusion I was able to repeat the process: call Tony, wait for Ms. Minh to call back, let Ms. Minh explain to the hotel folks in Vietnamese then explain things to me in English, back n forth, back n forth...annnnnd DONE! The young adorable guy, named Tuan, took my passport, gave me a key, then pointed up the stairs...WHAT, no elevator!?!?!? Now I sound like a spoiled lil rich kid but seriously didn't I mention that my bag was 80+lbs?!?!? Ugh!! The other hotel has an elevator :o( bad choice on my part...and wait til Scott finds out it isn't the same place. I know he isn't going to like this place :o( shhhhh, don't tell him! We already paid!

A woman showed up and ordered Tuan to carry my bag- oh no! He's so thin! He lifted my bag, threw it over his shoulder n started running upstairs panting and moaning and shouting by the time he got to the next floor. Omg, poor guy!! I laughed n laughed til we got to the second floor then I was gasping for air. Damn, these stairs are crazy!! I'm on the 3rd floor but there are at least 8-9 zigzagging flights of stairs to get up here. The floors are tall in height. Poor Tuan! I gave him 5$ and he was shocked. He wouldn't take it. It is a lot to tip but 80+lbs?? Come Tuan! Besides I need him to carry it down for me today when I leave to the airport and then again when I return at the end of the month, haha! He shrugged and bowed n ran off. Wowie, made it to destination #1 and it only took about 2hours. 

I turned on the ac- working? Check! Logged onto the internet to let my family know I arrived? Fail! Ugh! It took me a couple of more hours to get situated in my room then I forced myself to get out to the visitor's center to use their complimentary internet to contact my family. I was soooo tired! I tried to stay awake with the day to adjust but by 5pm i was back at the hotel and calling it a day.

I've been crashing every evening between the hours of 5-8pm then awake at night from 2-6am and dozing off in the mornings. Yesterday I stayed out from 8am to 10am then napped and went out again from 3:30pm until 7pm. 

By the way, I had a fun and interesting evening yesterday. I made a new friend who plans to come back at the end of the month to visit me when I return to Ha Noi but I have to tell you about that later :o) I haven't made it out to the lake yet like I've wanted, to see if everyone still exercises in the morning so I'm going to get ready and do that now. 

Then I have to pack and head out to meet Scott at Noi Bai so I may write while there if there's Internet. I can't wait to meet Da Nang and its people!

Happy Monday!!!

PS- having trouble posting again :o(

Pre-Viet Nam

Wrote this when I arrived but Internet was down. I will be posting soon about Ha Noi. Unfortunately, I forgot the cord to my camera that connects to a computer to upload pictures so those won't be up for a while. I need to find a camera shop to buy a cord. Today is my last full day in Ha Noi until late July and it's been storming since 2am but I'm still going out to play. Be back soon!

I made it!!! I'm currently in Hanoi, Viet Nam in the Old Quarter which I always want to call the French Quarter for some reason. 

!!!!Viet Nam!!!! I really never thought I would actually return when I left it in the summer of 2009. Of course part of me said I would, but you know that feeling in your heart of hearts that says "yeah right, who are you trying to fool?!? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity."- this was just that. There have been several of those moments in my life and I really did never return- literally and figuratively, really...So I'm blowing my own mind to be back here!!

Anyway, before I start to bore you with details about arriving to Ha Noi, I have to tell you what my Wednesday was like getting ready back in Hoa Ky (USA). I had to work the first part of the day then Carly (good friend, colleague, n roomie) n I took our our staff out to lunch. It was a fabulous distraction from the craziness of packing up and getting to the airport. 

After that I decided I still wasn't ready to head home and face packing (I know I should've been packing weeks before: definitely some self-sabotage triggers happening for me on this trip. To be explored n assessed at a later time) so I went shopping for a few things I felt I still needed like...luggage, haaa! If you know me well, you know I've had THE worst luck with luggage! It doesn't matter where and how much I've paid- that shit always falls apart on me for one reason or another. I think I've had luggage from every place who sells it except walmart n target- something always happens to it! The best one was when my friend Diego tried to help me by dragging my luggage across the train tracks, got the wheel stuck on the track, yanked it n kept on walking, only to discover he left a damn wheel on the track! That was the start of our trip too so it sucked hauling that shit around. Seriously though, no joke, luggage hates me!! I can't lie though, I do have a pretty good piece right now that I don't use often because it's so big. My friend Alex calls it the "blue coffin" and hates when I use it to visit in L.A. He has a point though- it's huge! I got it as a trade in at jcpenney once when I returned some other pieces that fell apart. Anyway, I stopped at Ross this time and got a nice giant tote that fit evvvvvvverything!! Nice n light (not after i filled it) and hopefully sturdy enough to survive the month's abuse ;o) ...there's always tape if it doesn't and oh indeed I brought some this time, haha!

Of course buying luggage wasn't enough of a distraction so I stopped by Party City to see what kinds of things I could get for the kiddies. The last time I came to Viet Nam, I brought licorice and dum-dum lollipops, pounds of it. People tripped out on this stuff. I was very amused but also concerned that I was introducing processed crap to them, especially in the rural areas. I also felt horrible that kids just yanked off the wrapper n tossed it on the ground! It's a tough concept, I came to think at the time and not to be stereotypical either, for the Vietnamese to think it's bad to just toss stuff on the ground. Why? Well because they don't have tons of processed crap like we do, especially in the rural areas. If they eat fruit or veggies and toss the pit or peel to the ground, it's actually a good thing! Then here we come giving them un-biodegradable crap they can't return to the earth. Yeah thanks Hoa Ky for trashing such a beautiful country :o(

Stay with me now! I know I can run several stories at a time, but don't get lost ;o) I found several things at Party City, I thought would be fitting for the kiddies in Da Nang and I went ahead and got some candy for the kids in both countries- with wrappers :o( Fear not- an update on my observations of Ha Noi is that they have been cleaning up the city like crazy! There are trashcans everywhere and the streets don't have much trash like I remember. Yay!!!! I'm hoping I can ask everyone to toss their wrappers in the trash without being invasive or controlling in Da Nang which I expect will be a lot cleaner than the busy city of Ha Noi. If my attempts fail, I will just go around cleaning up like I did last time...they laughed at me in Thanh Hoa when I got into the garden area and picked up trash they flung into it...cute. 

Back to packing- I finally went home and started around 6:30pm. My flight was leaving at 1:30am and I was an hour away from the airport, by car. So if I wanted to be there within the 2-3hr timeframe set for international travel and I was still planning to leave my car at my friend Jenny's place in Pinole, take a bus to a nearby BART station and take BART out....calculating, calculating...I should leave no later than...9:30pm! Fabulous! There was still plenty of time...to do laundry n chat with Carly...then pack! Yes I already told you there were some triggers going on here! A big issue was money. I made a huge mistake thinking my job, like my previous job, paid out deferred pay in a lump sum for summer- they don't! It continues to be month to month, ugh! Soooooo, I spent money (actually overspent) earlier in May that I thought would be compensated in June- errrrrrrrrrrrr, WRONG! Then- the folks we made all our arrangements with drop a surprise request the last few days before departure- please pay cash upfront for ALL accommodations! Ack!! Last time I was able to use my credit card for some of the costs so I could keep cash on hand for any unexpected situations. Now they wanted cash and I'm broke? Good one! I know I have limited access to ATM here too and all the money comes out in Vietnamese Dong (VND- and pronounced "daom" btw! It's a flapping "d" and puff out those cheeks when you get to the "m"). Yes that's a major trigger for me being that I'm a super crazy OCD freak about paying things on time and never bouncing a check. Not a good way to start a trip.

Packing, yes the packing! Don't get me wrong- I'm still very much a freak about packing and preparing for any trip (I had 3 pages of very detailed lists waiting to be checked off) but I was definitely procrastinating. Somewhere in my head there was a script running itself over n over that I shouldn't be going on this trip for a lot of different reasons- money, one of them and tied to several other reasons because of that, family another. I'm kind of worried that my grandpa might die while I'm away and I won't get to be there for the process and closure. I did get to visit him one last time this month on father's day and told him where I was going and why. It triggered his memory and he said he remembered I'm a teacher and I have a big heart because I work with the Deaf. He remembered I talk with my hands- cute! He told me I was the most distinguished grandchild he had and that I came out like him, hardworking with a good head. I almost cried because my mom is right- no matter how much he forgets who's who and what's what, he definitely remembers my mother and her children! It has to be because we practically lived at grandma n grandpa's house and my aunt Ruth (my mom's baby sis) and I are more like sisters than anything else. I'm glad he still knows me. I will take whatever I can get from him. He's 90yrs old, living with dementia, and within the past 6 months I've watched him whither away dramatically. It's pretty amazing actually- to see this strong, funny, witty, active man in September be shriveled, shaky, unable to walk, forgetful, and  fearful in June. He's lived a long hard but good life. He's probably the only consistently kind, stable, gentle, loving man I've ever had in my life. Yep, I'd say so. He's definitely been a daddy to me and my older sister, so much so that we've always called him "apa" like his own kids instead of grandpa. I do hope I get to see him again in September for his birthday...but I know what's coming either way- just don't let it be while I'm overseas, is all...so yes lot's running through my head but that's just two major concerns. I packed up and checked off my list as Carly laughed at how meticulous I was...whatever! Let's not talk meticulous "Mikawlee" hehe _\m/ ....7pm, 8pm, 8:30pm and I'm still going through my lists and talking on the phone with my mom and my friend Jenny about how I was getting to the airport. Turns out it was going to be a challenge because transportation was limited in Pinole, ack! I really couldn't worry about that anyway because I needed to finish packing and getting things done at home before I left...9pm, 9:30pm and I was starting to panic. I checked the BART schedule and if I didn't get to it by 10:30pm I was looking at arriving at SFO after 12am, not good! 10pm and I'm finally dragging my bag downstairs and on the phone with a frantic Jenny telling me I'm going to miss my flight- she's right, aaaahhhh!!! Carly was fast asleep by then. That girl goes to bed with the sun! I double checked everything and woke up Carly to say goodbye. She insisted she should drive me as she fell back into bed, haha! 10:24pm and I'm finally out the door with my mother calling me too- don't fly away without telling me! Finally on the road!!! Ok next area of focus- transportation. Really though, was I trying to miss my flight or what?!? 

10:45pm and I'm in Pinole wondering if I should risk calling a taxi, taking BART, or what! My mother called again and this time I was indeed freaking out! Ok, ok, let's look at this carefully. First of all I'm broke! Second of all if I call a taxi it's going to be about 100$ at least but if I park at SFO that's a billion bucks...but it can wait til I get back- see how this works? This is how we get ourselves into debt so pay close attention! 

Ok, fuck it! Driving to SFO in my car and I will worry about paying hundreds of dollars later...and anyway it's 11:04pm so there really isn't much time left...and off I went. While driving- and please don't get mad or tell on me- I checked for the cheapest parking lots around. Ok cool, found one, let's do this! Of course I had to get nervous and make a wrong turn in San Francisco so all of a sudden I'm on a freeway to somewhere west, like Burlingame or San Bruno or something, ack!! 11:40pm, tick-tock! Ok now I was really fucking up! No exits for a while and it went from one freeway to another! Good one noralita, gooooood one!!! I figured out my way back and went looking for this cheap parking lot...found it!! It's now minutes til midnight. Will I even be able to check in my luggage at this point?!? 

Pulled up to the place and fear struck! Oh no hell no!!! I can't do this!!! Talk about shady!!! Who cares if they jacked my car, ain't worth much but I sure the fuck wasn't about to get down alone and in the dark in that place!!! It was dark, isolated, and there were a lot of big trucks like something else was happening. Nope! Nope! Can't do it!!! Now wtf am I going to do?!?!? Ok well seeing as how there was less than an hour and a half left to be on the plane and wherever I went I would still have to shuttle over for at least 15-30minutes I was about to have an anxiety attack! Respira profundo noralita! Let's just park it at long-term at SFO! I called my mom and told her and she suggested they come pick up my car and take it home. Yay!! Now to figure out how to leave my key! I wanted to leave her my car to begin with so she could have it checked out while I'm away but my brother didn't make it up to take it like I was hoping. Ok problem solved...but I'm still not ready to board! 12:15am and I'm racing to the airport...what a loooooong drive to the parking lot! 12:25am, found a ground level spot, score!!! It was freeeeezing outside...as always...as I pulled out my giant bag and backpack. 12:27am, hurrry up!!! I took my key off the ring and remember that tape I told you I packed??? Yeah good thing! Rrrrrrrip, tape, tape! Taped my key to the car, texted Carly and called my mom to let them both know where the car and key were and off I went to chase a shuttle! Omg, am I going to make it or what?!?!? Obviously I did but wow!!! The shuttle guy told me not to worry- he works the late shift and sees people checking in for that scheduled flight up to 15min before departure- daaaaaaaamn!!!! I thought I was bad! Ok ok though, I decided to trust him. 

12:52am people!!! That's when I checked in my luggage! Ha! I made it! So this woman has me unpacking all of my things and rearranging because my bag was too damn heavy! Really though? Because Carly said I could just pay! 20lbs over, move more into another bag. Ugh!! I was sweaty and tired and anxious! After I moved 14lbs to another bag and said I can't do anymore- it was totally messing up my neatly packed items and I was freaking out-she says "or you can just pay 30$" and she giggled "put everything back, put it back again" !!What the fuck!! That's just cruel! Argh!! I put everything back, 1:07am, and got my ticket...really, though?!?!? Ok well all checked in and good to go! Yay!!! Security was a breeze! Nobody there except me! I hurried down to my gate- it had to be the one at the very end of fucking course! 1:22am and whoooooooo, I made it, I made it!! Now all that was left was to make sure I didn't drown or implode on the way over- no big deal!!!

Ok I need to eat! More on my fun ride into Ha Noi later today.