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Well, I'm home now. It is good to be home, but it was a bit of a culture shock. As I tried to adjust to sane traffic and the crisp winter air, I realized that my experience in Viet Nam had been quite the immersion experience. The trips I've taken in the past few years have always been as a tourist - which means there is always a buffer between me and the culture. Clean hotels and restaurants. People explaining how the natives live, but making sure you don't get too close. Oh, I made forays into the streets and markets, but then went back to the hotels. This time, I walked down the little alleys to a regular home. More middle class than many in the city, but still a regular home. Only in a few cafes did I find a more genteel gloss, a place where Westerners hung out.

The trip home was long and tiring, but uneventful. According to my pedometer, I walked about 8 miles around the airport in Taipei during the 7 hour layover. My digestive system has not taken kindly to American food. Jet lag caught up with me. Today, my third full day back, I am hoping to be more fully present - it is a long day. Work at the church, then a four hour meeting at the Conference Office in Des Moines, WA. I'll be home late this evening.

I cannot thank Dashal & Nick enough for their wonderful hospitality. They are courageous people, living boldly - yet gently. The world is blessed by their presence.