4 AM, Wakin' up in the morning.

By Nanhi Tran


4 AM in the morning.

Gotta wake up gotta get downstairs.

Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal
Seein' everything, the time is goin'
Tickin' on and on, everybody's rushin'
Gotta get down to the airport
Gotta catch my plane, I see my friends!

I woke up at 4:35 AM yesterday. My mom took me to the airport after our usual and mandatory starbucks stop. Once we got there, Dr. Joe was the 1st person to spot me. He screamed out my name and smiled such a huge smile. He looked happy and excited to be going on the workcamp again. Hoang-Vy, Justin, Gabby, & Nikky were the next bunch to arrive. After that, the Dao Le family strode in. Each guy had his own luggae in hand. Bac Duy-Loan walked behind them looking all mighty and powerful with coffee in hand! HAHA.

After pictures were taken (serious and semi-silly), it was time for our goodbyes. My mom and i hugged for the last time before i left and i got teary-eyed. The brief sadness was conquered with the feeling of excitement as soon as i took the first step into the security line with Dan. To know that i would be reaching my destination sooner with every step and second gave me chills and smiles. The 1st flight was to Dallas,TX. It was a 45 min trip and we all just slept. Khiem Vu finally joined us in Dallas, and we all ate Mexican food for lunch! Finally, at 12:30pm, we all boarded the American Airlines 777 plane. Everyone was dreading the 13 hour flight to Tokyo. I sat next to Justin. We did not talk much. Instead, we slept. Him more successfully than me. There was little kid behind me who kept kicking my seat over and over again. I turned my creativity on and decided to put Lily (my lion) onto the food tray, and leaned forward and slept like that. It was a short nap because, the lady in front of me could not stop moving position in her seat. She was practically dancing and that caused her seat to hit me on my head constantly. I watched a total of 5 movies. (Cedar Springs, Hall Pass, Adjustment Bureau, No Strings Attached, and Just Go With It). After that flight, the group had to endure one last 6 hour flight from Tokyo to Vietnam. i slept most of the way.

Now, i am in the Oscar Saigon Hotel blogging, talking to Hoang-Vy and Dan. I do miss my family and friends already, but i am looking foward to seeing and spending time with the Vietnamese people in Phu Yen, Hoi An, and Da Nang.