Hurry up and wait

I'm off to a bit of a bumpy start. Ironically, my dad and stepmom are closer to actually going to Vietnam than I am. In spite of jinxing myself AGAIN (back in Sept. I said something to the effect of "There's NO way I'll have the same visa issues* and delay as last year." Well, actually, I wasn't wrong--this year is a bit worse!), I do believe I'll be able to leave by this weekend. Then again, I could be here for Halloween...

You may be wondering about the title of this new blog. I figured it would come up eventually. It all started when I first met Lesley, another Fellow in Vietnam who already had a year under her belt.

The wise Lesley Newman

She took my in under her wing and shared with me her secret to survival--to repeat day and night, "This has nothing to do with me." Meaning whatever happens is not a reflection of me, but of an enigmatic system and country we will never understand.  Consequently, nothing is within my control. In the big picture, there's so little in life we have control over. There's nothing like living in Vietnam to gently remind** us of that truth. I copy this mantra on post-it notes and stick them all over my apartment and laptop.

Truth be told, I am irritated by the repeat of last year's visa issues, and am losing some excitement for my return, but at the same time am grateful for receiving exactly what I've been longing for--rest. Home. Family. And in spite of everything, I'm thankful for last year's challenges and for those I get to take on this year as well.



*Last year's visa issues--a three week delay and having to procure 4 different visas to cover my 10 month stay, including leaving the country twice.

**By "gently remind," I mean "whack us over the head with a cast-iron wok."