simply homemaker

One of my favorite things to do since moving to Europe has been bringing my laptop to an absolutely beautiful place and writing my blog there.

Today, I am sitting in the beautiful Residenz Museum courtyard of Munich and writing these words.

This is where I’m sitting.

I love this little place. It’s just stunning. Germany is just really growing on me. Eastern Europe in particular has an incredible charm that I don’t think I’ll see it in Western Europe or even England. It is sophisticated, old, and regal, whereas England is whimsical and cozy, and Western Europe is grand and sparkly.

This past weekend, I took a flight from Zurich to Prague to visit my dad’s aunt, who is my great aunt. She picked me up from the airport, gave me a room from her house, and made Vietnamese food for me all weekend. My great aunt, Aunt Ha, also took me into the center of Prague to all the scenic spots, visited the natural history museum with me, and we got Starbucks at the most beautiful overlook of Prague. The weather was sunny, and it was just perfect. My great aunt’s son also spent the day driving me, my great aunt, and his girlfriend to the thermal spa towns of Karlovy Vary and Marianske, which were also so stunning in the Fall. I left the trip feeling so loved and connected with my family.

Two days later, which is today, I am having a day off! So, this morning at 4:30AM, my bus left St. Gallen to Munich, where my childhood sister/neighbor moved to over two years ago. It was so special to connect with her, since we both left home at age 17/18, figured a new country/city on our own, and the most special surprise was that she found the Lord last year! So we both met Jesus at age 20, when we were most struggling with the hardship of leaving home and facing the expectations coming from various sources. We spent time over coffee sharing our stories and things we have learned since moving away from home, along with the dreams God has put on our hearts. Hopefully, during the last couple weeks I am living in Switzerland, she can visit me. The short visit encouraged me so greatly that after that, I wandered the whole city smiling to myself.

It is so unexpected to me that I will be connecting with my roots during this study abroad trip to Europe. In a way, it makes the trip all the more magical.

Last night and this morning, I couldn’t really sleep, because I kept thinking about my time growing up and going to school in Vietnam. I went through all of my photos in high school and reminisced over my yearbook photos with my friends, along with videos taken in my hometown before I moved to the U.S. The adventure of the past 8 years (15 countries, I counted!) has been grand and amazing, which makes coming home all the more sweet. Anne Shirley, one of my favorite book characters, did say: “The best part of an adventure is coming home.”

I am indeed eager to go home, see my family, visit my favorite places in Vietnam, and just “be home.” I believe that I will find the Lord there, and that I will be able to tell of His story to many others in my hometown, like the man in the Bible whom the Lord decided to cure.

“So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” Mark 5:20

I am aware that my time in Europe is wrapping up in just a couple of weeks, and I’m grateful I said yes to all the adventures, from visiting my family and friends, to hosting Blair who traveled with me to so many amazing places, to using most of my free time to explore surrounding cities. Saying yes has reconnected me with many people in my life, and brought me as many new friends.

Early this morning, I thought about the year I deemed one of the happiest years of my life: my second year of highschool. I was thinking about why it was such a happy time! And the truth is, it was so happy because I didn’t have to think much. Most of my classes were in the afternoon, so I would wake up in the morning, do homework, and help my parents and grandma with chores. I had an amazing math teacher, who showed me that I wasn’t dumb, and that anything is possible with enough effort and the right way of teaching (my math grade went from 54% to 92% in a year). I read a lot during that year and attended huge book fairs. My mom was supportive in every book fair by buying me new books (I was so encouraged to read that the year after, when I won actual money from school competitions, I would bring it all to the book fair, which my mom told me to keep so she can continue buying my books). After a successful semester, I would celebrate by going to the convenience store down the street and buying myself a box of cheese wafers. It was one of the happiest times: I had supportive parents, and truly loved learning and going to school. Life was simple.

I owe a lot to my parents for my education and love of reading. The older I grow, the more I realize this truth. Reading from a young age allows me to quickly pick up new books as an adult and share things I learn with others. This is definitely something I want to give to my children.

Okay, it’s getting cold here… I’m going to keep exploring the city. See you guys in a bit!

It’s been three days since I last wrote you, and I just came back last night from Geneva! I had Maggi noodles I bought at the Nestle Headquarters Shop, and woke up this morning to start packing for the trip home.

I’m getting more and more excited about going home in 20 days. Packing the suitcase made me realize how much gift I have bought!

The truth is, there are difficult things about coming home as an adult figuring life out. But after spending a lot of time thinking about it, I know coming home for a longer time (1.5 months) is the right thing, for I could spend the time with my family and reconnect with friends from a long time ago (8 years at this point?)

I was talking to a girl in my program yesterday, and we both agreed that even though traveling around the world is fun and exciting, we are ready to start living not out of a suitcase.

I did have two years of living consistently in my post-college apartment, but after just about six months living there, I found myself planning for a trip almost all the time. Even my roommate Chelsey had to make a comment about it.

I tried for 3-4 months to “just stay home…” which began when I first told my life coach (queuing my first blog) that I wanted to love my home life again. I baked, and cooked, and decorated, and loved home, but I also was getting lonely and complacent with the way I was structuring my life, especially in my love life. The mission trip I took to Ethiopia in March last year showed me how much my heart still burns for mission and yearns for the bigger adventure of spending life with someone mission-minded. The Lord lent a helping hand by pretty much flipping everything upside down, allowing me to travel the world, go home for the summer, attend graduate school, explore ministry opportunities, and eventually end up here in Switzerland for the semester.

It’s been fun. Like, a lot of fun. I went to the United Nations in Geneva yesterday, and the day before, we went to Broc to attend a chocolate workshop at Maison Callier where I made my own chocolate and went on the cool chocolate tour.

But now I find myself close to the same place where I was not long ago, telling my life coach I want to love my home life again. To decorate. To go to Trader Joe’s almost twice a week. To wear dresses every day. To see my youth group. To be with the kids at AWANA. To go on little adventures with my friends on the weekend and host dinner. To be taken out to dinner. To attend Bible study. To stay at Bible study until 11PM.

And that’s why I’m so excited to go home for a long time, and spend the whole spring in Virginia, and potentially go somewhere warm and sunshiny to settle down.

This blog is a long collection of thoughts with a very simple message: I am happy with my adventures, and I’m ready to expand and elevate my homemaking a little bit more in the next season. It will actually involve being Vietnamese a lot more than I envisioned in my early 20s. I crave eating and making Vietnamese food more and more growing up, and don’t see why I should remove this part of my life as I settle down.

I pray that this next season, I will not forget the beauty of a simple home life. That I will find joy in the early morning rising, at the bringing people together at the same table, during the day to day ministry, and at the little things that make life lovely.

Thank you, to this season of life, for all the books I have read, all the podcasts I have listened to, all the people I have met, and the places I have been to. Thank you to all the friends and family who have read through my wrestling and questioning and finding answers in this blog.

And thank you, dear Jesus, for keeping and blessing me every day of my life.

May this day, this season, tomorrow, and the next season be all for Your glory.

Love,

Tram