Luke and Birdy Get a Room

The Staircase Leading Up From the Ground Floor

You could say we have a nice house... because we do. The houses in Vietnam are mostly built in a semi-European apartment style. They are long (deep), not very wide, and face north/south if you're lucky. A house that faces east or west in this part of the world is an invitation to live in an oven. Our house takes up two plots, making it twice as wide as a regular house in our neighborhood.

The Downstairs Living Space

We live in a fairly affluent section of Tuy Hoa. The neighborhood is younger and populated with doctors, business-men, at least one foreigner (now there are 11 more), and various government employees. The poor, ramshackle parts of the city are never more than five minutes away, but their influence only shows up in the form of petty theft and grand theft motorbike/bicycle. There is still quite a bit of construction taking place here, and at least three houses being built on our street. Since we've been here we've had two houses go up, and a third is well on its way.

Our Neighborhood (another house going up)

Our house is three stories tall, has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a large kitchen and three living rooms. My family became the first to occupy it when they moved here earlier in 2012. When Birdy and I moved in, we joined my mother, three of my siblings, and a Vietnamese couple with an infant. My brother, Sam, will be leaving in September, and my step-dad will be visiting for about three weeks around that time. The Vietnamese couple will also be leaving sometime in September. This big, fancy house will have a lot of room come October.

View From Second Floor Balcony

Initially we moved into the bedroom on the top floor. It was further away from the other bedrooms, had its own bathroom, and seemed like it would allow us more space and privacy. As it turned out, it was right next to the living area most frequently used my siblings. It also proved to be unbearably hot. We tried it out for about two weeks before moving down to the second floor, into the (now) only empty room left. It turned out to be the smartest thing we'd done since... Well, we live in Vietnam. It's been a while since we made any decisions that aren't questionable in some way or another.

Those are the facts about our living situation, thrilling as it is! I'll leave you with some more pictures of our humble mansion.

My Mom's Bedroom (they came furnished and they all look something like this)

A Bathroom (you shower right next to the toilet and it all exits via a drain on the floor)

Third-Floor Landing/Living Room

Our Bed, A Place of Refuge From Things That Bite

Third-Floor Balcony (it's covered in the center but open on either side)

The Entry-Way Fence, Gate, and Plants

Staircase

All Windows Are Barred (to prevent unwanted visitors)

Our Dryer

The Entry-Way on the Ground Floor

All Vehicles are Parked Inside the House (protects them from rain and theft)

Second-Floor Landing/Living Room