For the last six months, I traveled throughout Southeast Asia and lived in Vietnam. In six minutes, you’ll get to see how my life as an ex-pat was and hopefully feel inspired to do something similar. Everything from my students to new friends, to learning about a new culture and trying new food, Vietnam has had an impact on my life and I’m happy to finally share it with you. Enjoy!

In order to get to Luang Prabang from Vientiane, my friend and I had to take a 10-bus ride through the mountains, most of which consisted of bumpy roads and nail-biting bends. I tend to get bad cases of motion sickness easily and rides like this are not good for those with weak stomachs. Fortunately for everyone on board, I was able to hold everything down during the long ride.

After a crazy trip getting into Laos, we finally arrive to the first stop on our backpacking adventure – Vientiane, the capital city of Laos situated in the Mekong Valley. Since we spent the last two days on a bus, my friend and I decided to get straight into touring the city to stretch our legs a bit. Now when I tell you Vientiane doesn’t offer much for tourist, I’m serious. I was slightly disappointed that there was literally nothing more to do than to see a few pagodas. I’ll admit that my favorite touristy spot was Pha That Luang, the largest gold-covered Buddha temple in Vientiane. Besides that, there’s nothing more. My Tourist Tip to backpackers visiting Vientiane is that you won’t need more than a couple days there, a night at best. Here are some photos from my [...]

During my backpacking adventure through Southeast Asia, I kept a log of simple, short notes that I could look back on so I could write blog entries to show everyone. Looking back on how my friend and I got to Laos, I’m going to do a copy/paste job of my notes because I think it’s funny reading it. I hope you can appreciate.

I remember when I got my first job at the tender age of 16, I worked hard and put all the money away in my savings account. During my stay here in Southeast Asia, I’ve come across little children working as salespeople. At first glance, I thought it was somewhat cute to see little children trying to hustle and squeeze money out of me. Be wary though, I learned from several sources that these children are most likely pulled out of school to make their families money. It’s a sad situation to see because on one side, these families need money since they’re poor; on the other side, these children need to go to school in order to make a better life for themselves. As cute as these children are, and as tempting as it may be to give them money for lottery [...]