I definitely feel like I’m settling into my life here. It’s really amazing how quickly things can become routine even when you’re in an exotic location. I am working 24 hours a week and have classes every day at two different campuses. At the close campus, I have my favourite route that I walk – about 20-25 minutes one way – and at the northern campus I have my usual motor-taxi guy who I find on the main drag. I pass the same people on the street every day and instead of trying to sell their wares to me (sunglasses, a cyclo ride, marijuana, etc.), they now smile as they recognize me as someone who is not simply breezing through town as a tourist. I have my list of the yummiest local food stalls that I frequent depending on the day’s cravings. I actually run into people I know when we go out. It’s a strange feeling for me to feel at home in a foreign place.

So what does an average day look like for me? We do get out and do exciting stuff, but not every day. The majority of the group sleeps in, so I gladly join in and usually awake at around 9 or 10am. I read or spend time on the computer, shower, and munch on fruit until it’s lunch time. Then Jen, Serene and I ponder what to eat (Laurene is still at work at this point) and then pick a restaurant. The afternoon is spent hanging out and chatting, or going to the market, and I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the naps that sometimes find their way into the day. I have a 5:30pm class every day, so then it’s off to school I go. I’m home by 8pm and then we go to a restaurant for dinner. If anything’s happening that night, we’ll be there but that’s not every night. The evening is often finished off by checking out what awesomeness is on HBO or Star Movies before falling asleep around 1-2am (last night’s movie was Army of Darkness).

Of course, the routine varies. Sometimes I have morning classes and on the weekends I have afternoon classes, so that changes things up but the activities essentially stay the same. I’d love to be able to say that we work a little bit and then spend the rest of our time doing glamourous, crazy stuff, but the truth is that most people, when travelling, end up doing a lot of what they would normally do at home in their down time. We’re pretty mellow most of the time, but we’re hanging out in Saigon which makes the whole thing so much better. You never know what lies outside your door!