NOT KEEPING SCORE

[Shannon dials A Friend’s number, who answers after 5 rings.]
Shannon [enthusiastically:] Happy Halloween!
A Friend: Um, yeah.
Shannon: I’ve made it through Israeli security, recovered from Dengue Fever, and am trudging through Jet Lag Supreme, but I’m BACK!
A Friend: …You were gone?
Shannon: Funny.
A Friend: No seriously, you took off somewhere? Were you on a trip?
Shannon: I went […]

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I have Dengue Fever.
Meanwhile, look at pictures.

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Bắc woke me up at 6am to go to Metro, a Costco-like Vietnamese supermarket.
We “stocked-up” on a few items for her house, but buying in bulk takes on a new dimension of difficulty when you have to transport everything on a motorscooter. (Travel Tip: don’t buy pomelos — large oversized grapefruit — when riding […]

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Let there be white!
My powercord, which was so inconventiently ‘misplaced’ during my Israeli security stint has finally been replaced! All it took was five broken English phone calls, two cyclo rides, a taxi ride, and $110USD to get my beautiful white MacBook’s battery charged. We’re back in business!
This also means I can now upload all […]

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Having dinner at Ha’s house again. Watching the TV, images flickering, shots from Iraq.
I had temporarily forgotten about the war. Being in Israel and thoughts of the Middle East seem so far away. California even farther, with boiled pork intestines and banana flower salad on the table.
Listening to President Bush speak on the newest withdrawl […]

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A typhoon hit the middle of the country and a bridge has collapsed in Southern Vietnam — however, luckily your humble NKS author remains unscathed, writing and thriving in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In fact, there is good news to report: today I got an email from a friend who noticed that a quote from my coverletter to […]

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Mysterious red bumps have formed along the length of each thigh, like red stiches. This part of my body, a softest skin, has never been exposed to open air, outside of a mosquito net. I consulted a resident Hanoian.
They are classic bed bug bites. Sleep tight!
* * […]

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Dinner at Hà’s
If, by chance, you find yourself invited to dinner at a traditional Vietnamese home where a “Western” dinner has been prepared in your honor, it is highly advisable that you do not correct the cook that spagetti is typically served in America without fish sauce.
If, by chance, you also happen to be vegetarian, […]

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