My son Jack came to visit, and it was the best nine days I've had in Vietnam. We didn't do a whole lot -- ate seafood, drank a few beers, ate some more seafood, ate some beef, drank a few more beers. We checked out some of the local Bien Hoa markets and sang a little karaoke.We talked a lot. Like I said, it was a great visit. While visiting, Jack got accepted into NYU law school. It was kind of a last-minute thing because he was set to attend Georgetown. I was there when it all went down with New York University and I was pretty excited. Not as excited as Jack, of course, but when you're an old fart, you want the good things to happen to your children and you don't care so much about yourself. Given my lifestyle, I guess I've never really cared about myself.
I'm street legal now. I have a motorbike license and three accidents to my credit. The accidents were pretty minor, and they serve as a great reminder that there are plenty of morons on the road, including a big, dopey white guy. But only one of the mishaps was really my fault, and everyone just continued on their way anyway.
Jack and I found an interesting coffee shop where the service is extra special. The coffee isn't bad, either, so we did some time there. But we only sampled the coffee.
The line cutting drives me crazy. People do it in the stores, on their bikes, in wheelchairs. It doesn't matter how long you've been waiting. No one cares. The locals are worse with each other than they are with me -- almost. I was sitting on my bike today and a guy behind me rode over my foot while I waited for a parking space to clear. Then he took the parking space. It was all I could do not to clock him, but I realized this is just business as usual here. People just bang into you when you're walking in a market or store. Just like Peru. Now that I think about it, the line cutting was awful in Peru as well. I guess I really miss the line etiquette in the U.S.
The rain has been pretty relentless lately. Yesterday, there was a two-hour downpour followed by three hours of steady rain. It's raining now. The Vietnamese get really worked up about the rain. They scurry and ride their bikes like crazy so they don't get wet. It rains nearly every day, so you'd think they'd be used to it. Not so.
My skin problems continue, but like cutting in line, I think it's just a fact of life here for me because of the heat and my penchant for sweating. Bummer.
Classes are going very well, and I'm getting to know the students. The younger students, ages 6 to 12, are fantastic. And their English is better than most of the adults. We have a good time in class as well. The older students are wonderful too, so there are no complaints about the job part of life here.
Life is good, even with the line cutting.
I'm picking up a tiny bit of Vietnamese, and I just ignore the locals when they laugh at my pronunciation. Ha ha ha. Ban dep.
