Reflecting on Thuy's Time in Vietnam

Two days shy of exactly seven months ago, Thuy and I landed in Vietnam with the intent of doing a tiny bit of good in the world while embarking on our own adventures as a still somewhat newly married couple. At the risk of sounding terribly cliche, we never expected to collect such a wide range of experiences. Many good, some a bit challenging, all life affirming.

Thus, watching Thuy walk through the airport doors was tough. We did this trip together. Without her, I know I wouldn't be pouring my heart out on this here blog.

If you've met Thuy, then you'll know that she's a very humble person who will most likely never bring up some of the awesome things that she's done in her life. Since Thuy is about to board her flight and will be without internet for the next 17 hours, I'm going to take this chance to gush about what she accomplished during her time here in Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines. If she doesn't bring any of this up when you see her, feel free to do so yourself.

What It's Like Filming a T.V. Show in VN (and Becoming a Megastar...sike j/k)

Around January of this year a fellow salsa friend, Gary, introduced me to his friend, Alex. Alex was looking for Vietnamese-speaking foreigners to host his T.V. show, and Gary was kind enough to think of me as a potentially good fit. A few emails and one meeting with Alex at Highlands Coffee later, I was invited to host my first show for Việt Nam Đất Nước Tôi Yêu (The Vietnam that I Love).

At its core, VNĐNTY is a reality travel show that highlights interesting nuances about Vietnamese life, culture, and society. The show runs for 10 minutes and airs on HTV 7 (the number on your TV set will differ by location) on Fridays at 10:30 PM.

I took a few photos while filming my first show to document and share the experience. Here's what the process of filming a show has been like.