Chào Cờ

The past few days I have been in a bit of a funk. I think there are a few contributing factors: I'm starting to get a little  restless in Hue. It has been a very different experience to live without the other SIT students. It is weird not to see Alex, Mikala, and everyone else each morning. Erika is still in Hue but we have different schedules so sometimes we go a day or two not seeing each other (shocking since she lives across the hallway). The start of the holiday season had me thinking of how much I love this time of the year at Bowdoin– classes are wrapping up, holiday parties are being planned,  the snow is beginning to fall, and people are just so excited to return home for the long break. Also this past week everything was finalized for the Philippines and seeing my ticket reservation made me realize how far away April really is. Add on top of all this the really bad weather (it rained the entire week) and I have been stuck in a funk.

But today, I woke up before my alarm went off feeling very well rested. My morning continued to be awesome when I figured out why the shower is never hot– because I don't flip the hot water switch on (duh). So today I finally had a hot shower. On my way to school Co Dung (my collaborating teacher) saw me walking, pulled over, and told me to hop on the back of her motorbike. School this morning was really interesting because I got to watch chào cờ, the flag ceremony that is held every Monday morning. The whole school participates in singing the national anthem, listening to speeches, and recognizing students for their achievements. After the ceremony ended I took my translator of the day to a coffee shop and we just had some really wonderful conversations. I told him about my plans for the Philippines and he was so excited for me– he told me that Filipinos are some of the nicest people and the country is absolutely beautiful. When we said goodbye I stepped outside to an absolutely gorgeous day. No need for a rain jacket or poncho. I just feel very happy. Goodbye funk!

Co Dung watching over her class during chào cờ.

So. Many. Students.