MISH LOVIN' LIFE: You weren't ALL bad, but it's time to say goodbye.

Ho Chi Minh... Saigon... "Ho Chi Chi," if you're weird like me.
I have mixed feelings about this place. I really do.
It's a big city. It's a smoggy city. It's a crowded city. It's a poor city.

But there's just something about this place that I found myself sort of liking.
Like, for example, every evening, after the day had cooled down a bit, all of the locals would come out to play. They would rollerblade, play kick ball, hand ball, whatever it was.
It was refreshing to see this laid back side of them.
No selling to tourists, no working, just good ol' fashioned fun.

And then there was the food.

So okay, the food isn't the most amazing thing I've ever had (I know, Asian Fail, but I just can't jump on that Pho bandwagon), but at least they had amazing presentation with a great view of the city on that one night.
But I must admit that I visited the Pizza Hut that was down the street from us....twice.

And I personally felt like there wasn't a whole lot to do. So some days were spent hanging out with fellow Vietnamese friends, exercising in the park, or having staring contests in the middle of crosswalks....They always seemed to win.

There was that one day we took a TEN HOUR tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels. SEVEN of which were spent on the crowded tour bus. Thankfully it was only $10/person, because that wasn't my most favorite day. Although, seeing our tour guide hide in a little hole in the ground, like the war vets used to do back in the day, I suppose that was pretty entertaining.

Then there was that day we did a little shopping. V Dizzle needed some underwear because his are basically falling apart at the seams. We asked for their largest size, because let's be honest, those little Asian undies will not fit this man. Trust.
So he bought two XXXL boxer briefs. That's THREE X's in case you didn't catch that.

And would you believe they STILL weren't big enough? Nope. Came up halfway on his booty.

Good thing they were only $2/piece. I knew better than to buy some myself.
Though I'm Asian, something just told me that their largest size would not fit this McDonald's-loving ass of mine.

So anyway, that concludes my like/dislike relationship with this city.
By the time you're reading this, I'll probably still be on our 8 hour train ride up to Nha Trang.
Beach town, here I come!

Before you go, can I please take a moment to introduce Erica to you?
If you haven't met her yet, then get excited, because her story is pretty amazing.
First of all, she's gorgeous with a sexy body. There. I said it.
Second of all, she's living an expat life in TANZANIA.
I've never met anyone that lived in Tanzania and something tells me you haven't either.
So, win/win!

Enjoy her story below, plus a very cool giveaway too!

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My name is Erica. I don't know about you, but I'm loving following along with Mish's travels. I, too, am currently experiencing life overseas. A few months ago, I said aloha to my beloved Hawaii and mambo to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where I'll spend a little over a year of my life.

Before moving here, I was briefed on culture shock. I was warned I'd go through a cycle of irritation, sadness, and other negative feelings before I learned to love my new home. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said to myself as I listened to the words of the State Department employee, sitting in a comfortable office in Virginia. In my seven years since graduating high school, I had already moved to three different states and one foreign country. I knew what life away from home was like, and I loved it. The time I spent studying abroad in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador was amazing; and even though I lived in a place with no paved roads, fast food restaurants, or Target, I didn't miss the United States once. "I live for culture shock," I thought, as I left the foreign service office that day.

Then I arrived in East Africa.

Don't get me wrong, this place is wonderful. There are gorgeous beaches with crystal clear water that rivals Hawaii. There are beautiful people, who can balance anything you can think of on their heads. There are colorful markets with vibrant artwork and the juiciest mangoes.

But life here hasn't been easy for me. It isn't safe for me to walk around on my own, so I'm stuck inside most of the day. The power goes out several times a day. (We have a generator, but sometimes it takes a while to kick on… so annoying.) The air frequently smells like burning trash. The meat and eggs taste like fish.

When my friends and family post pictures from Hawaii or Cali or Texas (where I'm originally from), I get little knots in my stomach. I think about all the things I'm missing out on. I wish that (like Mish) I was actually seeing the world, and not the same four walls of my house day after day.

But on the days I do get to adventure, I realize it's all worth it. So far I've been able to sail the Indian Ocean, volunteer at an orphanage, enroll in a Kiswahili class, and meet some pretty awesome people. I also have surfing, safaris, Zanzibar, and Kilimanjaro to look forward to. If that State Department chick was right, soon I won't even want to leave this place.

If you're interested in learning more about my adventures, stop by my blog and say hello!

Also, I'm giving away a hand-carved ebony elephant from here in Tanzania! I'll throw in a medium-sized ad space if you happen to be a blogger or shop-owner as well. Good luck!