Transitional Limbo

The next 36 hours were an exhausted blur. We left Hoa An in the morning and headed for a hotel in Can Tho City. We stayed in the hotel for one night and then moved in with our host families the next day. The Asia Hotel was beautiful.Unfortunately, my roommate, Laura, was sick so I spent my free time walking around Can Tho. Suddenly being in a loud city full of motorbikes and noise was a jarring change from the quiet forest life I had become accustomed for the previous four days. The classy hotel was the polar opposite of our shared dorm/mosquito infested bathroom situation. We also had our first class sessions in Vietnam at Can Tho University.

We went to the floating market at 5:30 am and saw boat life at it's finest. The market services those who want to stay on their boats while replenishing their stock. It is also for tourists who want condensed milk with super concentrated coffee or fresh fruit. Our boat guide gave us some very interesting info about Vietnamese culture and she even sang "You Don't Know You're Beautiful" by One Direction. We learned that women get married at 18 or 23 depending on whether they go to college. Every one in university must take an army class in their first year and wear a green jumpsuit uniform for the course. If you fail a certain entrance exam for college, you are forced to enter the army. The homes on the river are halfway on solid ground, halfway above the water. Fish boats have water in the bottom so that they can deliver and sell the fish live. A bamboo stick on each boat has one of each item the boat has to sell. If the boat is for sell, coconut leaves are tied to the stick. The market is from 5 am to 2 pm everyday.

That afternoon, we waited around for our host families. I was feeling extremely nervous/anxious/tired/displaced. All of my worries turned out to be unnecessary as my host family turned out to be incredible.