Day 2 of my Viet Nam trip was different, as it allowed me to take a different approach to photography.

As we drove from the city area of Hanoi into the farm area, I was able to work on a journalistic approach to my photography. I looked for images that were impactful, that allowed glimpses into the life in Hanoi as a whole, or a small vignette into an individual's life. Of course, I could not get a full story from a single picture, but one can see people going to work, selling goods, or resting and relaxing. Worries, boredom, excitement, and exhaustion appear in many forms, from the face to the body to the dress of each individual.

The culture of Vietnam appeared in the water puppet show at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. While I could not understand the song, the puppets allowed a basic concept of the story to come through.

After the show and delicious bún chả dinner, Em, Caitlin, Thomas, Elijah, and Adrianna invited me to join them in walk through the night market. I saw a rat that was probably the size of a squirrel (and it was eating a mouse), various quilts and bamboo bicycles in one store, and a decent amount of lucky cats.

This day showed me just how blessed we are in the U.S.A. As an adoptee, seeing the poverty in Vietnam was eye-opening. God has blessed me with a wonderful family, a safe home, and a country built on Christian principles and ideals. If we treat these freedoms and liberties and blessings as nothing, if we are not thankful to God for them, we risk having them taken away.

I hope that these images help viewers see just how much we really have, and how we should be more thankful.

Soli Deo Gloria