Leaving Saigon surprisingly leaves me a bit sad, mostly because of the significant people in my life here. Very very sad. I have lots of fond memories of my experiences and my travels here, mostly spent with wonderful beautiful people. On the flipside, I am truly ecstatic to be returning home, spending time in the museums and streets of New York, getting my corn on the cob at Havana, Cuban style (with cheese, mayonnaise, yogurt and chili pepper), and biking in Central Park. At home I'm looking forward to being a couch potato with dad, eating in greasy diners and fancy Georgetown cafes. Truly, I can’t wait to get around by driving myself somewhere or walking onto a subway train. Oh, joy! I’m really looking forward to finding new and interesting work, and hopefully become published, even if it is only a maze book – I can still draw them after all these years.

Di 10 makes me a grand dinner tonight as it’s her last chance to cook for me for a long time! Should be scrumptious – cua rang muoi and hu tieu nam vang. If you want to know what those are, you need to go to a Vietnamese restaurant with me and I will show you. Then I’ll tell you that at home, my aunt makes it a thousand times better. They’re delicious dishes and even when made badly (like pho) it still tastes good.

This adventure is at long last coming to an end, and with it, other significant experiences will end and people in my life will move in different directions. It's sad. Looking forward, I see more travels, bigger and brighter life, challenging work, and daring explorations open to me. I’m ready to jump in.