Goals for the next 4 months

Here are some goals, in no particular order:

1. Sort shit out. Figure out what the hell I'm really doing here, what motivated me to come here, and what I can achieve by staying here.

2. Improve my Vietnamese. This is going to be a bit tricky, because I feel like I can't find an in between here. Trying to talk to the locals is too advanced for me. What we learn in class seems to introductory and not applicable to real life. There has to be some kind of middle ground.

3. Learn about all of the different kinds of food in Vietnam. As food is one of my favorite things in life, this goal is a no brainer.

4. Try and make observations about Vietnamese society that I can document and later use for my thesis that I have to write after I go back to the states.

5. Leave a permanent mark of my presence somewhere in Vietnam. That can mean helping to build something, making friends here and being remembered, or even helping or teaching someone.

6. Learn to appreciate what I already have. Though I would argue that I already do for the most part, it's hard not to reevaluate what I have when seeing some of the conditions here. I have a family who loves and supports me, the girl of my dreams, and the opportunity for higher level education. I have to realize that my life is likely a dream often dreamed of yet quite difficult to achieve for many.

These are just a few things that I would like to say I accomplished, and this is by no means a finished list. As goal one can make evident, I'm still not entirely sure what I want out of this program, this city, and this country. That's left for me to figure out on my own. It may take me a while, but I'm sure when all is said and done, I'll have no regrets, and I will have grown from my experiences.