Well this month started off on the wrong foot, quite literally. On a typical Wednesday morning, we hopped onto our motorbike and set out for the three minute drive to work. About 30 seconds away from the office, another motorbike driver did a U-turn without looking, which resulted in a very loud bang and Kevin and I under our motorbike. Madelyn doesn't really remember the crash, and Kevin is working to not replay it in his head. Thankfully, the woman who hit us was a very sweet lady who felt very bad. She was so concerned about us, she was literally wiping Madelyn tears. Two ER visits, multiple wound cleanings, X-rays, consultation with an orthopedic surgeon and a hard cast later...we were finally sent home. Kevin took the brunt of the pavement with scrapes and bruising all over the right side of his body, and Madelyn chipped her talus bone, resulting in a hard cast for ten days and crutches for three weeks. We feel very thankful for our helmets that protected us, for amazing medical care and for a community in Saigon that has been so sweet to us. We are grateful that the accident wasn't any worse than it was, and are feeling lucky to have each other. It is said that everyone will have one motorbike accident while living in Saigon, so we are hopeful that this is our one and only!
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| The pharmacist (left) and lady who hit us (center) helping Kevin wrap one of his wounds. The majority of the scrapes were on his right arm -- be glad you can't see it. |
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| All booted up! |
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| Not the best quality picture, but a big memory from this month. The security guards at our apartment (Mr. Hai and Mr. Minh) take their jobs very seriously and were persistent in helping in any way they could. |
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| Our company dropped off a huge fruit basket, flowers and a card signed by staff and clients. |
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| One of the pieces of fruit was from Chelan, Washington! A great taste of home on a hard week. |
Thankfully this month was more than just our motorbike crash. We also celebrated six months living in Saigon. Part of us can't believe its already been six months and part of us feels like we've been here forever. Regardless, we took it as an opportunity to raise a glass to making it this far!
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| Madelyn picking up one of our favorite treats, chuối chiên (fried bananas) from a local cart. 5,000VND each (.22 cents) |
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| Cheers to the best six months in Saigon! |
We also attended a co-workers wedding this month. Craig, a colleague at Learning Strategies, and his new wife, Dieu tied the knot at a beautiful riverside venue. It was a memorable night with the Learning Strategies team.
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| Learning Strategies Staff |
Madelyn didn't let her crutches stop her and we danced the night away.
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Madelyn and one of Kevin's best friends, Drew pulled off a big surprise for Kevin. After weeks of behind the scenes scheming, Drew made it to Saigon and much to Kevin's surprise, knocked on our front door. Kevin's reaction was priceless and we enjoyed a week exploring Saigon together. We spent most of our time enjoying the city, but also ventured out to the Mekong Delta one day to show Drew the countryside of Vietnam. Despite the brutally hot day, we enjoyed the change of pace in the Mekong.
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| High school buddies reunited |
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| On a boat ride on a small waterway in the Mekong Delta |
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| Touring around District 1 |
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| We visited a local honey farm and got a taste the delicious honey. |
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| We got a taste of traditional Vietnamese folk music in the Mekong |
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| In celebration of Vietnamese Liberation Day, Saigon put on a fantastic firework show complete with fireworks shooting off from the top of Landmark 81 (the tallest building in SE Asia) |
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As always, ending with some of our favorite sunset caught from our balcony this month. Sending everyone big hugs from Vietnam! We are excited to see everyone this summer during our visit home.
