This is my homestay sister, My (pronounced Mee). My grew up in Ben Tre, a village in the Mekong Delta. She moved to Ho Chi Minh City about three years ago to go to school. She attends the same university as me and is studying Chinese.
I really lucked out getting such a great sister. She is showing me all around the city and making sure I have the best experiences here. She's also super sweet. For example, the first time she met our entire group, she said she had to leave for an hour to do some things. When she came back she had a birthday present for Scott and some cream for Lauren who had just burned herself.
My homestay situation is a bit different than everyone elses, but I feel I really lucked out. As most of the others are on the outskirts of HCMC, living with a wealthy family, I am experiencing the typical student lifestyle. My, her roomate Ngoc and I all live, eat, sleep, study, and do everything else in one room that they rent in a house. We also have a bathroom, where I bathe with a spigot and a bucket. There isn't any room for a bed, or a table, so we sleep on a mat on the floor and eat off of newspapers spread out on the floor. Honestly, sleeping on the floor isn't so bad- sometimes my neck is stiff, but I think that's more from the pillow than anything else.
I'll be living with My for at least another three weeks. After that, I may contribute to her rent and stay another four weeks while I do my Independent Study Project. Her roomate is moving to France on Thursday, so she does need help with the rent, and I'd be happy to keep living with her rather than have the comforts (and unexcitement) of a hotel room.
No comments:
Post a Comment