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This is it. Our last 24 hours in Asia (for now). I can't help but be melancholy, though I am struggling to hide the sadness from the kids. Audrey, especially, feels sad and angry knowing that I don't want to leave, but she does. She is eagerly awaiting our arrival and I'm happy for her. Stuart is glad to be going back as well, though he, too, looks forward to our return to Viet Nam. It's a odd mixture of emotions as I prepare to go back. It's hard to not feel a bit of a failure. There's so much more I could have, should have done. Maybe it would have been better to take the tiny house and stay in Ha Noi back in March. Maybe Audrey would have liked it better. Maybe either way would have been difficult. Maybe this was what it was supposed to be. Either way, it's coming to an end. Or a pause? I don't know. I know what I want, but I'm not sure what the next step will be.

I will be doing more writing; I'm currently working on a piece I'll post next week about toilets. Funny how we've become so opinionated on the various aspects. Silly, but important here.

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Audrey has done some writing (and loads of drawings) and is getting one of her pieces published at the end of the year. Yea for her! I'll post more info when we get the specifics, but it's about our volunteer work there and should include some photos. Looking forward to getting some more stuff published, including a couple of comic-style booklets that she's made as well as an awful lot of writing that needs to be edited.


Thanks to everyone for your support. You'll hear from us again in a couple of days. From the other side of the Pacific.