mid-week post...

we have finished our first graduate certificate class, asian culture and communication, and are halfway through our second, teaching methodology. each class is exciting, but the days can be long. by five o'clock our brains are typically fried.
interestingly, each afternoon in our classroom the rain is so loud that we can barely hear our teacher. a typhoon was forecasted today in the greater hanoi area; the sky was hazy and pink from our sixth story classroom window. a hanoi resident mentioned to us that the buildings here look much older than they actually are due to the amount of rain vietnam receives each year. this makes sense as the hotel ballroom, which we take our classes in, neighbors a messy storage-room where the roof leaks large amounts of water.
periodically the electricity shuts off during the day. during one of these power outages, andrea stepped onto the balcony to see large rats running on the ground below in a pile of rubble. she was a little freaked to say the least.
andrea is just past her first trimester, and is feeling better. however, her nights are much longer as she cannot seem to sleep now. so, if any of you might have good advice for her, please pass it along.
we miss you all, and look forward to skyping or exchanging emails soon.