Hello, Hanoi
(Part 10 of Many)

I’ve started Vietnamese language classes at University of Hanoi, and moved to Dong Da district, closer to the campus. I rented a room in a house, where the water is bottled and there is even a washing machine. So much for eeking it out local-style.

I love being a student again. It is hard work to stretch my brain and ears to forms and sounds unfamiliar and strange, but I am very excited about being able to learn even a slighty better understanding of this language.

There are 4 of us in the class: a German woman, a Japanese woman, a Korean woman raised in Japan, and myself. This intimate little group will study for 100 hours total, so the curriculum shows.

Yesterday I ate in the cafeteria with a gaggle of Vietnamese college students, and today I found a morning coffee spot in which to study. As my Vietnamese friends say about something they adore: I love so.