There's no place like... home?

Today as I was leaving my hotel in Bangkok to go to the airport, the taxi driver asked me "Domestic or international?" When I told him I would be flying international, he asked if I was returning home. Presumably, when he referred to "going home," he meant "are you returning to your white-person country-of-origin via some major international airline?"

My response? "Yes. I'm going home... to Vietnam."
"Oh! You must be very happy! You will enjoy!" He told me, obviously misinterpreting what I meant.

But no, Vietnam is truly my home, at least temporarily. It's surprising that it took a vacation outside of Vietnam to help me to realize just how comfortable I really am there, especially after all of my various complaints and "GET ME OUT OF HERE" feelings over the past few weeks.

But it's true! In Vietnam, I speak the language (sort of- well, not really... but enough to do simple tasks), read the alphabet, know the foods, understand the cultural nuances, know how to cross the street, know how to get around the various major (and not-so-major) cities, have my own place of residence and my own means of transportation, understand the currency, have a job and a purpose, and am generally not just another transient backpacking tourist.

I think, after six months of living in Vietnam, I felt totally out of place to be touring around Thailand, taking pictures of temples and observing the culture through the eyes of an outsider. After creating a much deeper relationship with Vietnam simply by virtue of living there, I forgot how superficial traveling as a tourist can feel. I think that's why the vacation felt a bit unfulfilling in the end and why, surprisingly, I am excited to return to Vietnam, to a place that feels more like home.

I'm so excited to return to Hanoi tonight and feel comfortable in such familiar surroundings. I will eat at some of my favorite street food stalls (the bun cha nem on the corner of Bat Su Street has become one of my new go-to places!), walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and see some of the same people and dogs that I see every time I walk there, haggle in Vietnamese, order food in Vietnamese, understand what I am eating, and feel generally more comfortable than I've been feeling this past week.

I think this one-week vacation out of the country totally rejuvenated my spirit in that now I am ready and willing to return to Vietnam and fall in love with it once again. I've been so jaded and cranky these past few months, but just being away from Vietnam for even one week seems to have refueled my "tolerance tank," and I am ready to give these next five months another go with a renewed sense of optimism and patience.