Category: Uncategorized

The Ho Chi Minh City municipality is a sprawling, densely-packed 2,000 km². With every hẻm of a hẻm packed with tiny boutiques, eateries, novelty shops, pagodas, hair salons, and shops that only sell motorbike seats, it’s no wonder that there are endless surprises to be found by eager explorers, whether they’ve lived here for a short […]

I’m not going to sugarcoat things. What teaching has taught me most of all is that I don’t like teaching. Don’t get me wrong; teaching can be rewarding, fulfilling, even fun. There are moments of lightness and joy sprinkled into most lessons that, I think, are what make teaching worthwhile to many career educators. There […]

People often ask me how long I plan to stay in Vietnam. I know that when I first arrived, in my mind I thought maybe 10 months. Ten months came and went, and by then I had signed onto a year contract at my second job here. The contract ended, I’ve done some traveling, and […]

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, And he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, And do not resent his rebuke, Because the Lord disciplines those he loves, As a father the son […]

“We’ve got so much butterhead lettuce growing right now, feel free to take some!” My neighbor gestured magnanimously to the raised garden beds shared by the members of my apartment complex located in the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road. It was a generous offer, as I hadn’t contributed anything to this […]

Over the course of the last two years I developed a drug problem, specifically cocaine. About this time last year marks the beginning of the climax of a period of self-neglect that culminated in an emotional breakdown on a cloudy winter morning in Portland. The first person I called was my dad, followed by my mom, […]