Tet

Much has taken place since my last entry in this blog. I returned to the States for the holidays and spent time with my family. It was sure great to see them though there didn't seem to be enough time to go around. But it was good to see that all are doing well. I have been back in Da Nang for a little over a week now and am starting to get back in the swing of things over here again.

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year (Tet). It's the year of the water buffalo which is the year I was born in and is the same for Anh. Not sure if that means anything but it sounds good. So Chuc mong nam mui (Happy New Year). Tet is a real big holiday for the Vietnamese. It's like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, etc. all rolled into one big celebration. The streets and shops are packed with people buying flowers and other items for their homes. They are definitely in a holiday mood. I was invited to join some friends for a "special lunch" and, of course the main dish was one of the delecacies of the Viets, dog. This wasn't my first experience with it but it's always a bit of a challenge to sit up to the table. Actually it's not bad but it's the idea of it. I guess it's all a matter of what you're use to.



My house is still not finished but is definitely livable now. All that needs done is some painting and cleaning. However, it's the holiday now and will be for at least another week. No one wants to work over the holiday. Anh and I have been working at getting things cleaned up but some of it is going to have to be done by a professional crew with a floor polisher and other equipment.