Hello from Tra Vinh. Sorry I have not been updating, but life is getting pretty normal here, so there is not too much to write about. I will probably try to update the blog about once per month from now on, but I will try to add pictures and videos more often. All is still well out here. I am in the routine of teaching, and I really like it. Tra Vinh is a very relaxing town, and I enjoy teaching, so I do not have too many complaints. About 2 weeks ago, we had a World AIDS Day fair that attracted 800-1000 people. A Canadian volunteer organized it. It was a lot of work, but it turned out to be a success. We are also still consistently going to the orphanage, so we are staying busy with things other than teaching.

I was asked about holidays here. They do not seem to celebrate anything too enthusiastically besides Tet New Year (Lunar New Year which is in February). For Thanksgiving, Anh-Thu and I ate some deep fried food, figuring this was as close to an American meal as we could get in Tra Vinh. Christmas seems to be celebrated here, but nowhere near like it is celebrated at home. Despite what you may think, Vietnam seems to be pretty tolerant of many different religions, so Christmas is celebrated (there is a Church and Mosque in my town and the province has about 160 Khmer Pagoda's). Last night we had a foreigner Christmas party at the Canadian family's house. We ate some pasta and had a small gift exchange. I may also attend some more parties, but we'll see what happens.

Next week I am heading to the beach at Mui Ne for a conference for my volunteer program. It will be great to have some time with the other volunteers, and we will be able to enjoy the beautiful beach in Mui Ne. After Mui Ne, I will be back in Tra Vinh for a few days and then I head to China. I will visit Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It is a province full of mountains and dozens of different ethnic groups. I am really excited to spend a few weeks there…assuming I get my visa. China has decided to make it extra difficult for Americans to get visas. Not only do we pay twice what any other country in the world pays (we pay $130), but the Consulate in Saigon made us apply in person. That means we have to show up during their strenuous working hours of M-F 9-12am. So for the second week in a row, I will take a Friday morning van to Saigon at 4am.

On another note, I love the complete disregard for copyright laws and trademarks here. I can buy DVDs for 10,000 VND (about $0.60). You can even find movies that have been in the theaters for only a week or so. Want a book? No problem, costs about 60,000 VND (about $3.50). Almost all books are copied here. Even the books I teach with are copies, as well as all the students' books. Want some good Northface? Again, no problem, they make most of it outside Saigon, so you can get great Northface clothing for really cheap. A jacket that would cost about $150-$200 in America costs $30 (with solid bargaining that is). Anyway, I may get tired of it, but not yet.

All is well here. I am excited to get into some colder weather in China soon. I am not used to heat all year round. Right now it is not too hot, but everyday is still in the mid 80's. Anyway, I am doing well. Hope everyone has a nice holiday season.