On the day I moved to Lang Son, I spent the entire morning pacing around my hotel's lobby in Hanoi. In Hanoi, which is the capital of Vietnam and one of the largest and most diverse cities in Vietnam, you can always find someone that speaks English. If I feel homesick and miss pizza, I can certainly find it in Hanoi. I'm also a vegetarian, and vegetarian diets are not common in Vietnam. Despite that, I can always find vegetarian meals or restaurants in Hanoi. My nervousness on the day of my move arose from how different the smaller city of Lang Son would be from Hanoi. What if I got lost without an internet connection in a foreign place where I could not read the signs or speak the language to ask for help? Or worse, what if I could not find any vegetarian meals to eat?
As I worried and paced the lobby, I received a text message from my host in Lang Son: "The driver and I will be at your hotel in 10 minutes." Over text message, I could make it seem like I was completely calm. I sent a text back filled with exclamation points and positive words and did not display any nervousness.
I had been outside of the United States twice before. I had studied in Tokyo, Japan and London, England.
