Sunday Happenings

Today was a great day at church. Drey is officially adjusted to the new nursery here....the one without a room full of toys and kids. Our first Sunday here Drey was having none of nursery and stayed with me during Sunday school and RS. Last week he went with some serious coaxing and some good mentos candy (I think he ate a whole package). This week he was asking during Sacrament meeting to go to "church" (or nursery). When the closing prayer ended he said "bye dad" and walked straight up the stairs and to his class without looking back....a miracle!

We had a baptism today for two girls. There have been baptisms on two of the three Sundays that we have been here. The church is growing like crazy here. This is a picture of the portable baptismal font (or tank).

Nice refreshing water from the outside hose coming in through the window.....keep your mouth closed!

Full and ready to go

The two girls in the middle are being baptized...the one with bangs hit her head on the back of the tank when going down. I'm sure it was a memorable experience for her :)

Cute Enzo

Our church building...it's actually a house that we meet in...or a meetinghouse...haha

Drey loves running in this foyer, mostly because it is outside and he can get some good laps in.

I tried to get the best picture possible to show the monsoon rains but really you have to see it, feel it, and hear it....it's wild!

Drey inching his way into the rain.

There is a little walk from the church building to the main road where we can find a taxi.  Just this short walk alone was interesting. This is a picture of an animal trap. There is rice under the screen and a string attached to the pole.

The string runs across the street to this home where someone is inside and ready to pull.  Now that's hunting Viet style!

On this road you will see homes like this.....

And no kidding, directly across the narrow street see this nice gated mansion. 

And to top it off we run into a recycling refinery....kind of.

This truck dumped a huge pile of aluminum cans in the middle of the street. Then drove back and forth multiple time to crush them down with his tires....who needs a trash compactor?

Not a bad day......

Today was the day I had my first real Vietnamese pedicure and manicure. There is a place around the corner (and every corner in the city) from our apartment. The total cost for the pedicure and manicure was $2.00. The technique is a little sketchy, no cushy chairs that massage your back while your feet soak in nice bubbly water. And no nice calf massage with nice smelling lotions. Just a tupperware bowl that only your toes fit in and a barbershop type chair.  Overall I am happy with the finished paint job. My toes do still feel a slight burning/tingling sensation....this actually could turn into one expensive manicure and pedicure if I loose a body part :) I was so concerned that I talked to some other local ladies tonight and they informed me that it's best to take your own grooming tools and not to use the salon's tools, they can't be trusted.....Oh great!

Kim Oanh's Salon....next we'll try a hair color here....yikes!

finished job

Who can complain when your day ends with one of these?

Not this guy.....

Grocery Shopping....Viet Style

So I've been trying to cook our meals at home now since our entire budget was spent on restaurants the past two weeks and Troy told me our vacation is over! This required me to go to the grocery store today.  Since the boys were asleep Troy had to stay home. We usually travel by taxi but Troy discovered a lady outside our apartment complex that could take us around on her motorbike....in Vietnam this is called "xe om" (xe means vehicle and om means hug). Troy walked outside with me and spoke Viet to the lady to make sure she understood exactly what we needed;  drive me to a market, wait for me, and drive me back to our apartment. Then I was off on my first independent outing. I do have to say that riding on the motorbike was TONS of fun and a little crazy also. Next time I'll record it. Everything went smoothly until the end when it came time to pay her. Troy forgot to tell me how much they agreed upon. In the end I paid her $5.00 for the hour long excursion. When I told Troy, he said that the agreement was for $2.00......oops.  At least Troy told her to bring me back to our apartment :)

Still getting last minute instructions from Troy

This lady was so fast she left before I was ready and Troy had to chase her down to give me my camera!

Inside the grocery store....this was actually a pretty nice store with a lot of options. Still not able to find baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar.....some staples from back home.

trying to find flour......it's on this shelf somewhere.
 

 

Um....how do I cook this? Can I get some USDA approval here please?

I was trying to take a picture of my grocery bags while we were moving. Two very large bags, one in front of my "xe om" and one on my lap. I'm now just hoping I don't get head lice from that helmet!

Sunday...a day to rest...finally!

Troy was sustained as the YM Pres. today. He doesn't have a presidency like back in the states. There are a total of 3 YM in the branch. A Deacon, a Teacher, and a Priest, so I'm sure he will be real busy.... :)  It will be a great calling for him.  I gave the closing prayer in Sacrament meeting today, which as Troy reminded me is more Church service/work than I've done in a long time.  It made me a little nervous since I speak English and the meeting is usually done in Vietnamese.  It's not what I'm used to, but I still feel very comfortable in this new church environment. The people of the Ho Chi Minh branch are so kind.

Later Sunday night we took a walk to get familiar with our new area. There is a great park right around the corner....much like home.

This double stroller is super handy (thanks Nicole) but creates a lot of attention. We got the stare down from everyone we passed, but I'm not sure if it was from the stroller or people thinking we kidnapped a white baby!

Cute brothers!

Umm...Yum...dinner, Frogs & Snakes in the aquarium and ready to eat at a restaurant we passed.
You should have seen what else was on the menu!!

Then the monsoon rains came and we made a run for it! We all got drenched.

Saturday was a big day....

We started early Saturday morning and moved into our new place. I will now admit that I overpacked. Less is more in Vietnam. But the M&M's I will never regret bringing, they are TRIPLE the price here and I have yet to see almond M&M's....ha Troy!

Frist trip to Metro. This is the equivalent to our Costco. We had to get a luggage trolley to get all the loot up to the 17th floor. It's amazing all the little things it takes to put together a house.

Enzo totally out. He was so mad that no one would hold him all day long that he finally gave in and fell asleep. Bless his heart.

Then we moved him to his new bed...lucky kid!

Later that night we went to the White Palace to celebrate our friend Melissa's birthday. This is the only convention center in Vietnam, and it's 5 Star and really nice, so it's a pretty big deal here. It was a fun party.

Drey was so tired from our big move that he crashed in the taxi on the way to the party.  As soon as we got there the owners, who Troy knows, called a couple of their employees over to hold Drey while he slept and take care of Enzo.  I tell 'ya the Viets are so nice with children. I don't know if I would trust the same situation back home but I feel totally comfortable with it here.

Inside the party...very Viet style.

Troy...that guy, charming the ladies.

We found it!

Our new home (for 12 months!) We are living just outside the heart of the city in  Binh Thanh district. We feel very lucky to find a place that offers so much. By so much I mean: a clothes dryer (unheard of in most apartments), a dishwasher (can't find dishwasher detergent yet because they are so rare here), an oven, don't find those either (yeeha!), and most important air conditioning (a must!). We really do feel quite blessed to have found a place that feels right for us. It was a long, hard search but luckily it all came together. It has three bedrooms so we are welcoming all friends and family to come stay with us (please, please, please).

I really like this kitchen, especially the diamond hand pulls!

Apparently the stone floor is more comfortable than the couches....it about sixes to be honest.

Nothing like a little EEL.

Our friend Thao makes all of her son's baby food. She was kind enough to bring some extra for Enzo for dinner. When I asked what it was she told me eel...like it was as common as chicken. So Enzo experienced his first taste of eel at the ripe 'ol age of 8 months.