Your Hanoi Summer Style Guide

It's HOT. 

I thought I knew what hot was when I went to visit my Hubs back in the day in Arizona and it was 103+ for 3 days. Then I moved to Hanoi.....and Summer arrived. For the last week it has been on average 95 degrees+ with 70%+ humidity, which makes the heat index on average 113+ degrees. HOT. Now I understand why a colleague said to me "Oh, you're going to be pregnant here and SO miserable." I refuse to be miserable, I am happy and grateful, but this heat is NO JOKE. I told myself I will find a way to avoid being miserable. It can be done!

With the recent change in weather, I have noticed several new styles in Hanoi. There has always been the "Half-shirted man" style, which I could not get a good picture of; Just imagine a man with half of his t-shirt folded up so his belly shows. I am not judging it, I might be sporting it come June.

In addition to the "half-shirted man", there is another style that is EVERYWHERE; the "no-shirted man." Apparently men can still sell dine outdoors in this style and also sell their wares on the street in the same fashion.

A topless vendor selling cellphones

While the men in Hanoi seem to be stripping, the woman are doing just the opposite. Vietnamese women take skincare very seriously and almost never get any sun(Yes, many of them have amazing skin). While the men wear less clothes, the women wear much more. 

On normal sunny days in Hanoi, you will find a Vietnamese woman on a motorbike wearing:

1. a "fashionable" SARS mask

2. a hooded jacket

3. A helment(60% of the time)

4. gloves

5. pants, or this new number I have seen popping up: a blanket with a strap around the waist to keep your legs hidden from the sun:

Hanoi Fashion Summer 2013

Or, perhaps, if you are an elderly man or woman, you will roam the streets wearing your pajamas...

An old man that lives in my neighborhood, out for his morning walk

I have been told it will be like this until September. 

Since I am not a fashionista, I will not be following the current trends in Hanoi. 

However, I have found a remedy for the heat:

Our pool--not too shabby, eh?

The way to avoid being miserable this summer: I plan on living in my swimsuit. 

(while not at the office of course)

What happened to NiCLO?

Hey y'all! I know, some of you may have been wondering "what happened to NiCLO?"

Well....THIS happened....

Ze Bebe is expected to arrive October 28th! 

Bebe obviously takes after us, hamming it up, even in the ultrasound(see that tongue sticking out?)

It's a wonderful blessing and we are thrilled! However, our lives have already dramatically changed. This foodie couple has now been transformed into a foodie husband and a very picky eater. I am even more picky than my infamous #1 blog fan and brother! I never thought I would see the day. However, for the last few months, I have only been able to stomach about 5 things; macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, yogurt, cereal and only one Vietnamese specialty..... 

nước chanh

aka Lemon Juice

aka Lemonade

I am sorry to let you down, fellow foodies, but I promise, I am slowly getting my groove back. Or, rather, creating a brand new groove with our awesome kid.

We have been having a lot of fun planning for the Bebe's arrival. Let me first explain why we call the baby "Bebe." In Hanoi, my best option OB doctor is a French woman. She is lovely, and she makes me feel lovely too. Each time I see her, it's a stream of consciousness, that sounds like this:

 "Oh! Ah-lo! Ah-lo bebe! Ze bebe eez zo perfect! Ze placenta is beautee-ful! Ze bebe eez measuring beauteefully. Oh you look zo chic ma-ma! Oh la la! You need to gain ze weight, and zen I will tell you to lose ze weight later on! Ok? Ok! Zuch a busy bebe!"

It's pretty entertaining. Sometimes, a bit challenging, for example, yesterday she asked me if I am having contractions, and I said "I don't know, what do they feel like?" and she says "Tightening." Um...I am pretty sure EVERY pregnant woman feels tightening as their bellies grow, but that is all she could explain to me. I am just grateful I have an OB in Hanoi. The plan is to come home to tropical Des Moines, IA to deliver the bebe in September-after Christmas. If you told my 18 year old self I would be moving back to Iowa, she would be shocked. Yet, my 18 year old self has no clue how awesome DSM is these days(no sarcasm here, I am really excited about it!)

me and ze bebe at 15 weeks in my first maternity purchase

Hubs and I have been laying pretty low. A few weeks ago I went to CLO training in Bangkok, where I got to meet 18 other women who work the same job as I do at Embassies throughout Asia & Central Asia. I made some great new friends and learned a lot! 

I also got to do what any normal person would do in Thailand:

EAT MEXICAN FOOD!

It was amazing, if you are ever in BKK and need a fix, check out La Monita

The service is slow, but the food is amazing, and my counterparts say the margaritas are too!

We are also approaching "Summer" in Hanoi. Yesterday, it was 95 degrees with 71% humidity. I thought I was going to die, but then I remembered that I DID use to teach hot yoga for 6 years and perhaps it was all preparing me for this life. 

On the plus side, we have been having some really beautiful sunsets....

Last week

Tonight

I am really grateful for the sunsets, because tonight it made me remember that I have the option to choose: I can choose to focus on complaining about the heat *OR* I can open my eyes and enjoy a really beautiful sunset off my balcony. I can choose to complain about the smells of the city or I can choose to rejoice that I have a job I really love. I can choose to be homesick for my loved ones back home or choose to be grateful for the amazing partner that I have by my side. 

So, my friends; What really happened to NiCLO? Well, I guess I was choosing to have a little pity party for myself and not write about my recent challenges. I was so focused on feeling sick and pregnant & other first year abroad "stuff" that I think-know-I was missing out. For now, I am back to blogging and even more grateful for the challenges of expat living and the wonderful lessons I have learned so far. (I am also writing this all down to remind myself the next time I have a pity party!)

See you SOON!