Slowing

Things are winding down. I've started to gather all my things and pack them in the box and luggages that I've come with. I weighed them on the scale the landlady lent us and literally prayed I'd make the weight limit, shifting around the goods among my three bags to balance the weight.

We spent some time at Maximart, doing last-minute souvenir shopping now that we knew approximately how much weight we were packing. I got a pair of pink heels and a pair of designer flip-flops that made me very happy, since U.S. shoe stores usually run out of my size.

Some guests and family members on Tung's side came to bid us farewell. At night, we ate at a "bun bo hue" (spicy beef noodle) diner that Tung's mom used to frequent with his dad when they lived in Viet Nam. After a relaxing shower and a snack on "banh tieu" that our landlady freshly fried up, I passed out to the droning sound of the TV that Tung had on.