Hàng Ngày

I have arrived in Long Xuyen, after long flights, delays in Hanoi, and two days of procrastinating my arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. I arrived this evening around ten to a dark, musty-smelling, cockroach infested room. One of the cockroaches was on my bed. Tyler is here until tomorrow morning and helped me shoo them out and/or kill them with a broom and a dustpan. I then borrowed some shawls from Jenna and Phil to put over my bed temporarily until I get a clean sheet tomorrow. There is dust everywhere and spiders abound along with their webs. As I entered the university gates with my massive backpack, I heard someone call my name: “Miss Lillian!” I turned around to see a man and a woman wearing pajamas, riding a motorbike. I did not recognize them. “Miss Lillian!” the man said again, “It is good to see you. You have just come back America?” I responded politely (who the hell is this guy??) and then realized he is probably one of my to-be students for the semester who I haven’t met yet. A warm welcome from a stranger is always one of the lovely things about being in Long Xuyen. I’m practically a celebrity I then sat with Jenna and Phil for about an hour in their room listening to updates about what has changed at the university. A lot has changed: faculty shifting around, programs changing, scheduling, etc. Some people I thought would be here will not be here this year. It is now midnight, and I have put a mosquito net over my bed, shawls over the sheet, and turned on the air to try to rid my room of the dank smell. Tomorrow I will spend all day cleaning. Send happy messages friends and family! It’s feeling a little bit sh*%$y here.