Every day, I feel a little more accustomed to life here in Ho Chi Minh City. The first day was a rush of new experiences— a hectic airport, a million scooters, living with an insurmountable language barrier. But little by little, we’re growing to know our district, the people in it, and hopefully we’ll be branching out a little bit more in the coming weeks.

The Vietnamese people have all been very nice, and we already have a handful of local friends. Khet and a rotating cast of friends  practice thier English with us over beers. Ly, Vy, and Tina have taught us about what it’s like to be young in Saigon, including the appropriate way to handle the police when you’re caught drinking beer and eating beef jerky in the park. We hope to continue making friends here as we settle in.

The language is very difficult to speak and understand, owing to its heavy dependence on pronuncation. After seeing a tonal guide similar to this, I may finally be equiped to parse the sounds coming in, and regurgitate them without making somebody laugh.

So far, our mission to secure jobs and housing have precluded any extensive exploration of the city or culture. We will continue to scour the opportunities available to us in the next few days, and hope that we can begin to settle into our lives.