When you're looking up things to do on your vacation to a foreign country, getting a new pair of glasses probably isn't high on your list of to-dos. In my case, getting a new pair of glasses is something I always do when I'm back in Saigon. In between Ky Dồng and Truong Dinh streets of the 3rd district is a small shop that offers eye exams, frames, and new lenses-all in about half an hour!
Read MoreI've visited Vietnam four times in my life, and the last two times I've been, my aunt has taken me to a restaurant in the third district of Saigon*/Ho Chi Minh City called Quán Đạt: Đặc Sản Phan Rang. Phan Rang is a city in Southern Vietnam with a high population of an ethnic group called the Cham people. This restaurant specializes in foods from this area of Vietnam.
Read MoreMy family regularly goes to Vietnam, but never for this this long, and never with my entire family. This trip is going to be the biggest I'm going to take and possibly the last for a long time. The last time I travelled to Vietnam I was a senior in high school, and now I am a senior in college. Without long summer vacations between school years, who knows when I'll be able to make a trip of this magnitude again?
My entire maternal side of the family is here this year to celebrate the life of my grandmother, who passed away three years ago. In Vietnam, the period of mourning lasts three years, and this trip is our way of commemorating the end of mourning. One of our first stops was to the Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang, to request a mass for my grandmother.
Read MoreDay two of my family's attempt to see all of Paris in less than a week (my mom and I were going to London and Cardiff for three days, but more on that in a later post) was surprisingly successful. We had only planned on seeing two sites, and ended up making it to four!
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Having my relatives over gave me the opportunity to re-do all the touristy things I did at the beginning of the semester. This time however, I was the tour guide, no longer a tourist. It felt great to know where all of the landmarks are, and I couldn't help but giggle when I thought back to how lost I got in Montmartre the first time I came here. The highlight of my day, however, was when I asked for directions, and the shop owner told me, "Tu parles français très bien!"
Because my mom was only in Paris for the first week of my Spring Break, I tried to fit in as much sightseeing as possible.
I have been studying in Paris since January, for the Spring semester, and this Saturday, i spent my whole day at the American Library In Paris. It sounds like a dreary way to spend a weekend when you go to school in the city of lights, but I was rewarded with the most beautiful view on my way home.
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