Should have chosen plan A

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Always go with Plan A. After an attempt to get up and ready to go see “Uncle Ho,” I realized that I had none of the energy required. Susan was going to pick me up and we were going to meet the Lomonoxop team and some of their students to go to the Ho Chi Mihn Mausoleum, the downed B52 bomber that’s sitting in a lake somewhere, and the Hanoi Hilton Prison Museum. When she got here, she and I agreed that a trip to the doctor would be a much better option.

Turns out I have “amoebas” and, even though I wanted souvenirs and I like pets, this was not what I was hoping for. The good news is that they know how to treat them and have started me on a European drug regiment that will kill them all. As a pacifist, I’d like to be appalled by that, but considering I didn’t invite them, I’ll let it slide! Today I have one thing that I have to do, but everything else is still up for negotiation. My extroverted self is really missing social interaction. With a few exceptions, this is day 6 of hanging out at home with only an occasional social distraction.

Sunday p.m.

I started feeling really good this morning and decided to go with Sandy to Hanoi International Fellowship. It was good to see a lot of the teams that I’d interacted with throughout the week and to worship in a international congregation. After church, I rode home and had pho, a Vietnamese soup for lunch. It was all broth an noodles, but it tasted WONDERFUL after several days of nothing.

This afternoon I packed and this evening, I went with Trang to go pick up my clothes. They turned out amazingly well!! I’m really happy with all of them. They are comfortable and beautiful. We walked around “Sword Lake”, I can’t remember the name in Vietnamese and looked at the pagoda and the “turtle tower.” It was a lovely full moon over the lake. We walked over to a bookstore and found a copy of Harry Potter book 1 for my collection. It was a hoot standing in front of the bookstore and hearing all these little kids say, "Harry Potter" in the middle of their sentences!!

It was GREAT to be out of the house and to have social interaction. I have really enjoyed getting to know Trang and spending so much time with her. Tomorrow there are 2 items on the agenda—some shopping and a massage!!!! Then it will be on the plan and home again. I probably won’t post again until I’m home.