Tam Ky

Here's the update (sans photos as I can't log into the 'net with my computer to upload them):
We are in Tam Ky and it has been raining. For the first two nights, it rained *hard*. Enough to wake me up with the deluge. Then it rained all day Saturday, so we got a bit wet going to the market. Okay, so we got really wet, but the kids have ponchos, so it wasn't too bad, really. Today (Sunday) it is nice enough. Overcast, but dry. I guess it kind of comes and goes, but hopefully the rain will taper off more. I don't particularly riding a bike in the rain, though I suppose I will get used to it. :)

We went to the city market yesterday, which is nothing like markets in America, to say the least. It's set up like a flea market with a bunch of different booths and arranged by items. The place is a bit overwhelming for the senses with all the sounds and smells and sights. Crazy different. The kids wandered off a bit, but when they found cone hats, Audrey had to come back and get me. She took me back over there and I bought it for 20,000VND. About $1.25. Not too bad. We also bought some fabric, some Pediasure (to keep Audrey's weight up), hangers and a nifty little rack for hanging things like socks and undies to dry. I got enough fabric for two dresses (one lined) and two blouses for about $15. It will cost another $20 or so to have it all made up. That's insane. :) Stuart wants a pair of plaid pants, but we couldn't find the right fabric yet, so we will keep looking. I think we will go back later this next week to find toe socks (the Japanese kind). Yen (pronounced Ian) said they sell them there for about $1/pr. Yea! Much better than the $14/pr. that I paid in Portland.

Anyway, the market was a bit crazy because the kids are like a sideshow all on their own. Westerners don't really come here, so my kids are among the few, if not the ONLY, white kids they've ever seen. So, you can imagine the staring. Now insert it into a culture that is way touchier than America and poor Audrey is poked, prodded, pulled, touched, etc. every few steps. Seriously, it's the strangest thing to watch. The next time we go to the market, I'm going to have Jo film it. It's really overwhelming for poor Audrey. We went with our cook, Mrs. Hahn (a wonderful lady!) and when she realized that Audrey wsa upset by it, she took her under her arm (which is adorable, because honestly...Mrs. Hahn is about 3 inches taller than Audrey) and shuttled her around the place, telling people that she didn't want to be touched anymore. Very nice. After that, the hassling (sp?) really slowed down and went back to just staring. Yea.

We also visited the orphanages on Friday. It was very different from what I'd expected, but the kids did wonderfully. It took about ten minutes for the orphans to stop just staring at the kids, then the playing began and everyone had a great time. Stuart, as usual, played with the little kids, chasing them around, flying them on airplane rides, etc. Audrey latched onto a couple of kids and had a really fun time. That was at the baby orphanage. One of the girls pointed out that Audrey had something stuck to her legs. It was the hair on her legs. :) Too funny. The other orphanage is a school and home. It was a little less fun for the kids because they were older kids and it was rainy. -sigh- One of the girls there is 16 years old and deaf. We tried conversing and she was teaching me signs in Viet Sign. Very fun. It will be good. We will be teaching there and two adult classes. The kids are looking forward to it starting up for real.

Our home is pretty nice, though I am getting pretty picky about the cleanliness and have started scrubbing things down. :) I scrubbed the tile bathroom yesterday and it feels so much better now. No foot fungus, thank you very much. ha Stuart has his own room (though it is supposed to be a study or something and doesn't have a door. Audrey and I share a room. It works out very nicely. Although we are getting bit a bunch. Thank goodness for the mosquito net at night. I think we will start wearing the repellant during the day, though, since Audrey has 9 bites and I have about 6. Stuart has 1, lucky dog.


Blogger is a bit off-and-on here, which is why I haven't posted in a few days. I will continue trying, but it's not working quite as nicely as I expected. Bummer.