Like most everything in life, the flight was better with a buddy. Having Carley around to help wrangle bags and stave off boredom was one of the best thought out parts of my entire plan. I like to think of myself as a positive person, but a travel itinerary that departs its first stop at 6am on September 4th and doesn’t arrive at its destination until 9pm on September 5th is enough to challenge even the brightest ray of sunshine. Despite the extended travel time, we had done it. We had arrived.
We gathered the bags off the conveyor belt at baggage claim and loaded them as skillfully back onto carts as we had unloaded them the day before. We walked out of the departure gate to find Peter, just as he had promised. He helped us with negotiating cabs and making our way to the little shop where my bags would wait patiently to be unpacked while I found an apartment. Peter had urged me to take my time finding a place, but I had been looking online and already had some spots in mind.
We unloaded my bags and settled in for just a moment to breathe. Everything I had been working toward for the last year had just been accomplished. My luggage, myself and Carley had landed safely in Vietnam. I took a moment to silently celebrate and send my gratitude into the heavens. We didn’t wait long at the shop. We were anxious to head to our accommodations. The journey was easy, but it was long. I needed a shower and somewhere to stretch out. We had reservations at Peter’s apartment/hotel and after pulling a few extra things out of my larger bags we headed that way.
It was late and the apartment check-in time had passed, but Peter had secured our key and told the ladies at reception we would sort everything out the next morning. He had lived there on and off the last 10 months, so they knew him and were happy to oblige. Peter helped make everything from leaving the airport to the first month of my stay so much easier and more enjoyable. Could I have done it without him? Sure. Would it have been as much fun? Not a chance. Even though we were still on Texas time we slept through the night with dreams of conical hats, pho and adventure beyond our imaginings filling our heads.
The next day I woke up still in Vietnam and needing a pinch to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Peter took us to his favorite breakfast spot for egg banh-mi and then to pick up phone cards. In less than 24 hours real life had started. We spent most of the day at Peter’s shop entertaining a steady stream of his friends who had heard him speak of his friend who was coming for so long. They were pleased to find out I was, in fact, real and had actually made it. Executing a perfect plan takes time, and I was more concerned with taking care of my affairs properly before leaving rather than getting there quickly.
The third day we set out to find an apartment. I am a homebody, kind of an extroverted introvert. I like to go out into the world, to explore and expand, but after, I very much like to come home to a space that feels safe and comfortable. Peter took us around to some apartments he knew — some options were new and still being built, others were more established and comfortable, but none of them quite right for me. I had found a spot through Facebook that looked and felt like my kind of place, so we went to see that one, too. Once we arrived at what would soon be my new home, I felt just like Goldilocks when I proclaimed that this apartment was just right! I signed a three month lease later that day.
There was someone moving out of one of the apartments in just two days and no one was scheduled to move in. It was perfect. We arrived to look at the place on a Friday and I would move in the following Monday. I was excited that I would soon have a place to call my own and could get down to a business of settling in. The next weekend was filled with time at the beach, trips to the local market and getting to know the neighborhood. On top of all of that, we had a lot of fun! I had decided that even though I was going to be building a life here, I wanted to take some time to discover my new home and be a tourist for the time Carley was around.
When Monday arrived, we packed up our small bags and moved on to my new home. Later that day Peter helped us to move my larger bags from the shop. Finally, everything was in the same place for the first time in nearly a month and I was ready to begin unpacking. Before unpacking it was necessary to take a trip to the store. The local market can be overwhelming, and it takes some getting used to. It is hot, dusty, crowded and often smells of animal blood from where the market sellers butcher the meat and the blood runs through the aisles and down the various drains. It is a far cry from my neighborhood Target. With the excitement of moving in, I was not ready for the additional excitement of buying coat hangers and trash bags at the local market.
Peter suggested Lotte Mart. It is a Korean owned store and pretty close to the Asian equivalent of Wal-Mart. They have pretty much everything you might need to set up a house along with other important essentials for this side of the world — mosquito repellant, filtered water, toothpaste and toilet paper. It is a little more expensive, but you don’t have to worry about haggling or dealing with the chaos of the local market. It is an easier option for a quick, less stress in-and-out shopping experience.
Once the unpacking had begun, it was clear that I had packed more clothes than would fit in the small wardrobe of my apartment. Imagine that! Unable to find a hanging rack that suited my taste at Lotte Mart, it was time to branch out using Lazada — the Vietnamese equivalent of Amazon. There I found a coat rack with small bookshelf style shelves in the middle, it would serve as a spot for hanging jackets and bags and also a spot to store the few books I had brought. I also purchased a hanging rack for the clothes that would not fit in my wardrobe. I did not yet have a Vietnamese bank account and I could not use my foreign bank card or credit card to pay for my order, but I was able to use the cash on delivery option and complete my purchases.
Shopping on Lazada felt very familiar, however, the delivery of your items is not scheduled in advance and since you have to be home to pay for them before receiving it can be a little hectic. They typically call about 3-5 minutes before they arrive with your order. Unless you are someone who never leaves your home, it can be a little frustrating. None of the delivery drivers speak English, but if you aren’t home, they are pretty good at understanding when you ask them to come back that afternoon. However, sometimes coming back that afternoon means they attempt to deliver again at 12:05pm — technically afternoon or sometimes they don’t make it back by until 6:30pm. It is definitely hit or miss, but so far all of the items I have ordered have been a hit. Lazada recommends taking video of you opening your packages to help alleviate any confusion if something does not arrive complete or as described. So, with every order, I feel like a celebrity influencer shooting a dramatic sponsored unboxing video, and it adds a whole new element of fun to my online shopping!
After my Lazada purchases had arrived and were successfully assembled my apartment quickly went from a blank canvas to a home. I purchased Command Hooks at Lotte Mart to hang the small trinkets I brought from home, carefully displayed my magnet collection on the fridge and decorated my walls with photos of my friends and family that I had printed before my departure. There are days when I walk right on by the photos in a hurry to meet my goals for the day, and other days I stop and linger a bit while wishing the people I love the most in the world were here with me.
The comfort level of my apartment allows me the luxury of occasionally escaping the otherworldly feeling just outside my door and retreating into a space that puts me right back in my comfort zone. There is a stark contrast between the emptiness of the apartment before I moved in and the maximalist décor that now fills the space. However, there are still a few blank spaces on the walls and there is some local art in The Workshop gallery that I have my eye on. The more is more attitude I imported from the west is hard to shake, but it is a good reminder of the old cliché, wherever you go there you are. Although I am in a foreign land, why would I be anyone other than me?
