I'll admit it: I'm sick.

It's taken me a few days to come to terms with this reality. For the past few years I've prided myself on having such a superb immune system that I could hardly remember the last time I could justifiably be considered ill. In fact, the last time I got really sick was my second year of university. Vietnam just doesn't seem to care about my disease-free track record.

It's nothing major. Sore throat, head ache, stuffy nose and ears, achy body, and all around feeling like shit. Probably just the head cold that's going around our group. And a few days of denying it and carrying on at full speed hasn't benefited me any. I crashed today. I didn't even stay at work all day. I came home and slept for four hours. I felt bad for leaving (especially since several others were out sick this morning) but we're leaving for Dien Bien Phu tomorrow morning and I really dont want to be sick for this trip. Unfortunately I still feel terrible, despite my day off. I can't hear, I can't smell, and I'm starting to look like Rudolph. No Puffs with Lotion here, folks. And I'm sure the guys smoking at the table beside me aren't helping any, either.

It's been a pretty busy week (or course), even with several of us not feeling well. Monday was Meredith's birthday, and we out for dinner at a vegetarian restaurant (which also houses a travel agency) called Tamarind Cafe. During dinner Thuy broke out her fortune-telling instincts and foretold the following using a napkin, my ring, and strand of my hair: That Sam and I would have a "gap" during my year here, that we'd probably work it out, that we actually have an 80% chance of getting married, and that my first child will definitely be a boy. Not exactly the fortune I was hoping for--I don't want a gap, I'm not sure if I even want to get married, and I don't want a son--but luckily I dont have much faith in those sorts of things.

On Wednesday, our Vietnamese teacher Thuy took me, Meghan, Jahmila and Meredith to get our nails done. Not exactly a salon--in fact, I've seen bigger walk-in closets--but the experience was relaxing nonetheless. And very authentic, to be sitting in a Vietnamese nail place listening to all the women chat. Nail fashion here is much more elaborate than in the States, and I just decided to go with it... I walked out with pink toenails with little white flowers, and a blingin' "french" manicure with silver glitter. (I did not ask for the glitter--I don't do sparkle--but oh well.) All of this cost me about $3.63. And--yes, it gets better--Thuy gave me a ride home on her motorbike. My first moto ride in Vietnam! I was wearing a skirt, though, and since I didn't want to ride side-saddle my first time, I ended up showing a bit more leg than is appropriate around here. One guy riding by even winked at me. It seemed good-hearted, and since it was the first flirtation I've received since being here, I didn't get offended and just smiled. I mean, I did look pretty ridiculous.

Yesterday (Thursday) was David's birthday. Thuy arranged for us to go to a restaurant/kareoke bar called Luxor, a surprisingly elegant restaurant that would fit right in in NYC, if not for the equally surprising inexpensive menu. After Luxor kicked us out of their kareoke room, David insisted that we move on to another venue. Hiep (the son of the hotel owners) obliged and took us to another place he knew. I should have just gone home, but still insisting that I wasn't sick, I decided to stay out. It seems I'm still paying for that poor decision.

Being sick in Viet Nam isn't my preferred condition. Another low point. On top of that, no one informed me that the group was meeting for dinner at the one restaurant I really wanted to go to while I was in Hanoi, a little Italian place over the by the lake. Again, vomit. Luckily I have no qualms eating alone, so I'll just go next week by myself.

We're leaving the hotel at 7:25 tomorrow morning. I want to be excited about this trip but at the moment I'm feeling discouraged.

My one shining moment of the day was taking a xe om, or a motorbike taxi, home from the university. Confident from my last moto ride with Thuy, I was finally feeling willing to take a xe om. I walked up to one outside the university gates. He asked me in Vietnamese where I wanted to go (which I understood). I replied "khack san Quan Hao" (the name of the hotel). He understood me, and said "Hai muoi nghin". I accepted his price of twenty thousand dong ($1.20), not feeling up for haggling, and pleased with myself that I had just negotiated a xe om trip in Vietnamese, without either person having to repeat anything. We understood each other, and I didn't even have to put much thought into translating in my mind what I needed to say or what he was saying to me. This was an extra boost to my minor linguistic accomplishment last night: At at the second kareoke place, David needed to use the restroom. Someone tried to say "bathroom" but the guy working just didn't understand. Finally I just blurted out, "Lam on, cho toi hoi nha ve sinh o dau a?" (Exuse me, could you please tell me where the bathroom is?) A complete sentence, with enough tonal accuracy to be understood the first time around. I didn't even know i had it in me! But it felt so good to just say what I wanted, be understood, and get a response I could understand. Yes, this language might be possible, after all.

I also managed yesterday to book my flight to Nha Trang for next Sunday afternoon. The ticket itself was only $47, which seemed shockingly low. With another $16 dollars in excess baggage fees, plus taxes, the whole thing was only $80. So cheap! The embassy travel agent quoted me a price that was about 50 dollars more expensive, not even including extra baggage fees, so I'm glad I took it upon myself to find a flight. I just can't believe that I've been here for three weeks, and that I only have one week left in Hanoi.

In the process of booking my flight, I found out about a bus system that runs through the country and caters mainly to foreigners. For somewhere between 8 and 20 dollars, depending on distance and what kind of seat you (soft seat or sleeper) you can take the bus anywhere in the country. An overnight bus ride for 15 dollars sounds incredible. At least I know how I'll be traveling around Vietnam!

And for the daily Stalking Sam Update, check out this Folds interview with Rolling Stone, about the upcoming album and the leaked "fake" album, which includes two songs written by Sam. One of his two songs already has a cover-version on youtube:


(These songs were supposed to be ridiculous.)

And here's another youtube cover of "You Don't Know Me", one of the singles from the upcoming album:



I'm off to the market to stock up on bottled water and pocket tissues for our excursion...Wish me luck.