<![CDATA[Am I nervous? You bet your ass I am! It's bound to be an exciting journey to lands unseen (at least by my eyes). I have a lot of hopes for this trip, and a lot of worries. For the most part, all of my worries can be condensed into two groups.
Money
[caption id="attachment_376" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Skyline"][/caption]
Who didn’t see that one coming right? People that read this site will likely say “Charlie, that’s all you talk about!” I suppose you’re right. However, this is what is on my mind constantly right now, and since this is my place, I’ll write about it all I want! HA!
In all seriousness though, money is by far the biggest motivator in this world, and I have now made a commitment that goes against all things I’ve ever done before: I’ve made a commitment to doing something I cannot afford to do. It has never happened before. I’ve always been very good with my money. Yes, I’ve been in debt for a long time, but so what! I always make my payments on time, and I have a decent credit score for a guy that’s still in college. For the most part, I’m responsible with expenditures, and I manage my debt well.
But something changed this year. Something has changed in the last two years really. It’s something I suppose I should have seen coming, but didn’t really care to pay too much attention to the negative effects that comes with this sacred event. I didn’t change my spending habits, aside from not buying anything at all to save money. I didn’t change my diet to a better one (because I love eating great (bad) food so much). I didn’t lose it all gabling away at a casino, or playing poker with friends (because I come out on top more than half the time anyways). No ladies and gentlemen, in my case, something amazing happened that has led to my inabilities with financial obligations in the near future: I fell in love with a girl.
Yes, I know, I cannot blame her for this, and I certainly don’t. Besides, had I suggested otherwise, I would simply be told by her, her friends, and likely my mother as well, that it’s my fault anyways. It’s always the man’s fault, right ladies? Although I would normally argue this, and submit that woman are trouble in a lot of cases, and that it is frequently their fault… in my situation, they are nothing short of correct. It’s my fault, and although I have attempted to create ways of paying things off (starting a website for advertising revenue for example), most of my attempts aren’t helping fast enough. For instance, HotTipsCentral.com is a very successful venture so far. It’s well managed, updated frequently, and it has a decent amount of readers per week. It’s about to pay itself off already, and I’ve paid for 2 more years. However, this little bit of money is small if I wish to use it right away. Over time, it’s a nice wad of cash to help me out, but right away… well, that’s just not how websites work! Still, I must continue to keep trying, and keep pushing away at what I love to do, and eventually it will pay off ten-fold.
Impression
[caption id="attachment_375" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Memorable Bonsai Dinner Cruise on Saigon River Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam"][/caption]
My second worry about my trip has to do with my image. It’s important to me, more than Hang knows, that I give a solid impression of myself to her family. Her mother has already met me, and from what I can tell, she approves. Just like in America though, it’s the father that I feel the highest level of concern for. I don’t doubt by now he has heard lots of information about me, and has likely seen photos, just as I have him. Our first meeting will be a big event I fear, and I hope that whatever happens, when this month overseas is over-width, he approves of me. No, scratch that… approval is not good enough… I want him to be happy with his daughter being with me.
As an American, I’m told that I’ll be treated very well over in Vietnam (or at least south anyways). I’m told they are even cleaning up and going as far as to build onto their home for my visit. This seems nice and all, but I fear they have done all this effort without need. I guess, perhaps, it’s just another one of those culture things I don’t understand yet. I’ll have to try and take in all I can with this experience, so that I can not only grow closer to Hang’s family, but grow as a person as well.
If you haven’t already, you should join THIS Facebook page, and follow my trip. I’ll be posting here, hopefully, at least once a day to tell everyone about stuff. I’ll include lots of photos and videos too!]]>
