it wasn't thunderstorming when i arrived,

as promised. I started to feel delusional by the 7th hour in Guangzhou Airport, and though I've been going all this time feeling unconcerned by flying, feeling even excited at the takeoffs and landings, I had panic attacks in spurts all through the last flight from Guangzhou to Ho Chi Minh City, could have sworn that I could see the right wing of the plane trembling, was convinced we were going to crash when we landed and slammed on the brakes. Watched an episode of SVU to comfort myself, but it was one where Mariska Hargitay was absent/undercover and it didn't help. Felt weepy. Just over HCMC the lights were beautiful, not the rainbow of lights you expect over a city, just two colors - yellow and bluish-white - in lines weaving in and out of each other.

I'm here now, there's internet (though Facebook is blocked in Vietnam), and they gave me a free plate of fresh fruits and a crispy loaf of bread with cream cheese and the most wonderful black coffee for breakfast, which is enough to make me forgive anything. A sparrow came in through the ceiling in my room at 6 this morning and woke me up - I covered the mirror with a blanket so it wouldn't kill itself, opened the windows, took a shower, and eventually the bird found its way out. A sickly looking dog peed and pooped on the patio while I was looking for someone to give money to. A rooster crowed somewhere nearby at around 7. This is not Korea. I can't see any mountains.

I arrived really late last night, and it was too late to get into the hostel where I made my reservation, but the owner had reserved a room for me with her friend across the alley for the first night. It was good enough but a little dirty, with some quantity of ants, and I'm happy to move to the other place this morning, which so far seems much nicer.

In other news, it's hot, mid-80s hot, and I don't seem to be feeling as stifled by it as I might have expected, having come from -12 degrees C in Seoul, but then again, I've only experienced late night and early morning so far, and not the heat of the day.

To-do list for today: withdraw some dong (I've been okay so far because everywhere accepts dollars), find a cell phone, locate directions to my school, where orientation starts at 8:45 Monday. Get settled in my room. Buy groceries. Blog.