Day 61

IT’S MY B-DAAAAYYYYYYY!

I wake up at 5.30 in the morning and connect Skype so my parents can wish me happy birthday, we talk a little bit and they go to bed and I go back to sleep. Then at 6.30 am I get up and get ready to take the kids to school and when they’re ready and coming down they come singing happy birthday to me, I thank them, give them a kiss and we go to school.

Back at home Xuan tells me we’re going to have breakfast out and because it’s my b-day there’s no nail salon practice for me. I want to have the day for myself. When I’m ready to leave the house Xuan asks me to seat at the kitchen table and gives me an envelope with her gift inside, aunt Margarida’s gift a facial cream with avocado and my parents surprise gift: a recording camera!

When I see all of this I start crying and I can’t stop… Xuan also starts crying. Hehehehe I still can’t believe my parents bought me a recording camera… it just proves that they support me in my passion which is movies and TV and that they want me, while I’m in Vietnam, to do something good I can use later. My parents, my heroes! =)

After the crying session, we hop on the motorbike and head to the center of district 1 where we eat breakfast at Highlands coffee shop. We stay there for a bit and Xuan tells me stories from when she was young and how did she met Carlos. Then it’s time for our shopping day and we go to Ben Than market.

Ben Than market is more focused on tourists so things are more expensive than in An Dông Market but they also gave a bigger variety of stuff. In the end, yesterday I only saw a fabric that I liked for my mother and one for me, so today I want to find nice things for both of us. The first place we go has lots of beautiful fabrics so I buy 3 different ones for my mother so she can have 3 beautiful dresses.

We continue walking around and we go to a place with silk and satin fabrics and there I almost loose my head and buy 4 fabrics, 2 for long dresses and other 2 for a sleeveless tank top.

Xuan buys fabrics for her and aunt Margarida and they’re also very beautiful. We continue our shopping spree and when it’s lunchtime we drink coconut water and eat in one of the food stalls in the market.

After lunch we walk around a little bit and I find a very nice hair accessory for my oldest cousin and another one for my mum but the one for my mum was too way expensive and so it had to stay there… when we finish we head home to leave all the stuff we bought and we go to An Dong Plaza.

There we look around and finally buy a couple of “jewelry” and flip-flops for Thach Thao and Phuc and then we end up at An Dong Market.

We walk around and we already know where to go, I go buy fabric for my dress and skirt and Xuan buys a couple of fabrics for shirts.

It’s after 5 pm when we head home and the kids greet us with smiles and curiosity about what is inside the bags. It’s time for their dinner and when they’re almost finishing Xuan and me also eat. I wanted to take everyone to Haagen-Dasz for an ice cream but unfortunately Phuc has fever so the kids stay at home. After Xuan speaks with the guy who’s doing the dragons we jump on the motorbike and go for one of the best ice creams in the world.

It’s an expensive place for an ice cream but it’s my b-day and I deserve a three! I order macadamia nut and red fruits flavor on a waffle covered by hot chocolate… it was soooooo goood!

We finish and we go home, as it was a very long day. I take a shower and head to bed and after a while I hear a little commotion and when I go out I realize Phuc’s fever is worst and Xuan’s asking for medicine and hot water to Chi Mi and Chi Lam.

There’s nothing I can do except hoping that he gets better during the night so I go back t my room and my bed. I watch some reality shows and fall asleep…

Night night peeps!

P.S. - I could choose millions of songs for today but I guess I'm going to stay with one of my favorites...