My first day in Danang was awesome. We were woken up at 7 a.m to a cook screaming "BREAKFAST!" from a few floors down. Who knew such a small women could have such a loud and aggressive voice! For breakfast we had bread, dragon fruit, and bananas. After breakfast went upstairs for orientation with the My Hoa Director) and Nah (Assistant Director). They explained everything about the house, the surrounding area, the culture and the many opportunities that we should pursue during our time here. This was extremely exciting and made me forgot about being jet lagged. After the orientation we went on a city tour. We took a van to the pagoda and all around Danang so they could show us the many places we can go. This was a really cool experience. While walking around Danang it is normal to be glared at by the locals. They like the curiosity of Americans. Oftentimes they will cat call or simply say "hello." Othertimes, they will say "where are you from?" or "how much do you make?" It is really interesting to see the reactions people have. Here in Danang, nearly everyone drives a motor bicycle. The traffic is not regulated and people just merge, stop and go as they please. This causes a lot of anxiety among program members. Personally, I find it funny and amazing that there is such organization in the chaos of people traveling so close to one another without any accidents. For dinner we went to a restaurant called Aspara where we met the members of DAFO. Aspara is a higher end restaurant. In the beginning the leader of DAFO made a quick speech that was translated by Mya Hoa. During dinner I talked a lot with a DAFO member who was 27yrs old who was very fluent in English. This was really cool. During our conversation he asked me if I wanted to get coffee with him after dinner. He also explained his educational background and things he enjoys to do in Vietnam. Overall, dinner was amazing. We had spring rolls, fried rice, beef and vegetables, spicy vegetables, rice cakes (kinda), chicken and more. The dinner traditions in Vietnam are different than the United States. Every dish is served in stages and family style. I like this tradition. I feel as though it creates a larger sense of community when eating and sharing all of the same dishes. After dinner Sheena, Matt, Dakota and I went for a walk around the city. It was really nice. Sheena and I went into a massage place that we look forward to going to tomorrow. The 4 of us looked for a place to sit down and have tea but we surprisingly struggling. 1 because we can't understand the language and 2 because when we saw one, it was across the street. Unfortunately, since the traffic isn't regulated crossing the street is a challenge. The four of us settled for a bubble tea place called Feeling. However, none of us could understand the menu. This was really challenging but funny at the same time. Dakota went up and ordered something random, Matt did the same. After I tried both of theirs I ordered green tea with blueberry bubbles. It cost me 23,000 dong which is like $1.20 in USD!
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