Good Morning Vietnam!!

Wow, it sure has been a while since I last blogged! A lot has changed in the last few months, all of which have been very positive and exciting. We sold our house in College Station and moved back to the Austin area to be closer to family until we heard news on going overseas with Cory's job. It took a couple months before we heard anything but the call did come and it was to let us know that we were moving to Vietnam..woohoo! This was probably our first choice too due to the positive feedback we were getting from everyone. We were very thankful to my parents for taking us in while we waited for the news. It was so nice to be around family again and to be able to call my sister to hang out with the kids at any time. Bryson really enjoyed spending time with his cousins and greatly misses everyone already!

We have been in Vung Tau since Thursday and are trying to settle in. Vung Tau is a beach town where the military used to visit for R&R back when the war was going on. It is still today a place where the locals and foreigners come for vacation and relaxation. The beaches are beautiful and the town is very nice. What is so amazing is how lovely the people are! They are so friendly and will try to talk to us even though there is a language barrier. I would have to say that this is the hardest part about moving here. I have so many questions to ask about their culture, the town and the food! I would absolutely LOVE to find someone who can speak English but in the mean time, I am trying to learn Vietnamese *notice the word 'trying'*. This is going to be hard!

Things we have learned/seen in the first week being here:

• The Vietnamese are EXTREMELY nice and welcoming!
• Not many people speak English. :(
• Most of the locals ride mopeds...in fact, I saw a whole family on one...5 people!!
• There are no traffic signals or rules on the road, just a lot of honking.
• Pancakes are really crepes and served with honey.
• We are constantly starred at...I have maybe seen a few other 'round eyes' in Vung Tau. I feel like we are their entertainment. :)
• The women and even men love to see Bryson and touch him. They will even bring their children up to us so that they can see him!
• It is common in a restaurant for the waitress to come scoop Bryson up if he is fussy and whisk him away to entertain him. This freaked us out the first time but are getting used to it. The Vietnamese adore children!

Here are some pics of the beginning of our adventure:

 Bryson was excited about his new place!

This is the BIG Jesus on the island...very interesting!

Bryson's first time at a beach

He definitely enjoyed it!

This is our temporary housing.  Our apartment is the 3rd one up.

This is our view