Martin's Travels

Here is part of an e-mail Martin sent me the other night from Vietnam (he is there on a faculty trip with the Michigan Global Awareness Consortium):

"One very cool thing happened today so far...I found out that a Christian church is located in front of our hotel. I think I'm going to try to go to an English service at 5pm today if we are back from our trip outside the city. I was talking with some of the people at the church at it has been around for 4 years. It looks like a somewhat charasmatic church. I'm curious as to how they "do" church here.
Well some of my fellow travelers are starting to get sick. Eric has been sick since yesterday afternoon, and Kathy was feeling sick this morning. Today we're going to a neighboring province, tomorrow we're going to the Chu Chi tunnels and then to a formal dinner. Tuesday and Wednesday we are going to the Mekong Delta. I think we're going to see some floating cities there! Thursday we leave for Cambodia. We'll be in Angor on Friday, and then in Penohm Penh on Saturday, and drive back to Saigon on Sunday.

One slight problem is that Open U had us leaving on the 21st, but we do not leave until the 23rd. I think I can find something to do.

Before I came here I heard people mention how nice, polite, and sincere the Vietnamese people are. I think that's an understatement. I feel very welcomed here even though the only thing I can say confidently in Vietnamese is "Sorry". :-)

Anyway, the day is about to begin. I love you very much, and I miss you alot!
sorry, gotta go. My ride just arrived.

I MISS YOU.
Martin"

I never would have predicted how MUCH I miss him! We have busy schedules, but our paths cross even at work more than I realize. When one of us is driving to or from somewhere, we call the other to chat. When I was driving home from Bay City on Sunday, I hated that I could not just call him and tell him about what I thought of the PRIDE training session I had just attended. It was so weird to think that he was probably sound asleep on the other side of the world!

So far - no bats in the house!