in the bleak midwinter

Before I came to Hanoi I was told that winters can be quite cold and rainy. I didn't really realize what that meant until now... It means temperatures down in the 50's (10 deg C), a light mist all day, no indoor heating, biking through puddles with my face mask and helmet hiding all but my eyes, dodging under umbrellas as I bike narrow alleys, weeks without sunshine, clothes that never dry, cold fingers that are still supposed type all day, feet that never warm up, and getting tired quickly. They've even closed the schools (not a snow day, but a "cold day"?). Blech. Sound like I'm complaining? I am. My bad. My friends here think it's funny that I--the American who's used to worse winters--am so cold. My family in the States thinks it's funny that I'm complaining about 50 deg weather when it's below 0 at home. But you try setting your thermastat at 55, biking in the rain, and eating in the cold. At least I have a huge blanket for my bed that keeps me toasty. Maybe I should start carrying it around to work with me.

I've been following the news in Kenya closely and am blown away with how quickly and seriously the violence has escalated. I was just there last year and didn't see anything that would prompt this kind of killing. It seems there are a lot of ethnic/economic tensions lying just under the surface that erupted when the election set things off-balance. But "vengence is a lazy form of grief." My prayer is that the Church will be a prophetic voice of reconciliation and a place of togetherness amidst the strife.

On a happier note, my work is generally going well and keeps me busy. We just had a photography exhibition called, "Mirror? If the river could speak"... more on that later. Tet--the lunar new year--is coming up in early February and is a huge holiday here. They say it's like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter all rolled into one. People have been talking about it since I arrived, so I'm excited to see what it's all about!