We're having a real monsoon season this year. Long periods of daily rain. Sometimes we'll get thunder and lightning as well. The rain keeps Joanna indoors, but the only place she can really go is the little park near our house. And the grass is wet from the rain, so it's not a lot of fun for her or Phuong. I like the rain because it's a respite from the heat. This is the most and steadiest monsoon rain I've seen in my nearly five years here. Global warming? Donald says no way. It matters little to me at the moment. I'm teaching only three classes a week, so the rain hasn't been a problem. In fact, I like traveling by bike in the rain because the traffic, which seems to be getting worse every day, is much lighter when there's a downpour.
However, cars have started racing up and down our little street now, blaring their horns as they go. They never slow down for children. Hit and run can be a problem here and I've been a victim three times from other motorbike riders. So even when we use a stroller to transport Joanna, we're a little nervous because, like I said, cars don't slow down and neither do bikes. Two teens were showing up and showing off at the park near our house on a little motorbike, and they started riding near us, swerving as they approached. Phuong shooed them away, and later they crashed doing the same nonsense. The bike was broken and one of the kids got scraped up, but none of the eight people in the park helped them. Just desserts.
Phuong is trying to get a Canadian tourist visa so we can take a vacation to Prince Edward Island for a month. It's no issue for me and Joanna -- we can pretty much go wherever and whenever we please. We're Americans. But everything involving travel seems problematic for my wonderful wife Phuong. Our lawyer filed a freedom of information act with the U.S. State Department to obtain all of Phuong's records so we can find out what the heck happened the last time she applied for a U.S. Spousal Visa with her first husband. We applied for the FOI in March and haven't heard back yet. I've been told that anything involving the U.S. State Department can take at least a year before there's a response. Wake up, Donald! I really, really, really don't want Joanna going to school here. And it's not because of the schools or teachers. I'm not informed enough to have an opinion. The traffic and the way people ride and drive are what worry me. Crazy, huh?
We took Joanna to a "play area" at Vincom, the local mall. I hated it -- noise, lights, gimmicks, games. There's a $4 entrance fee -- give or take a dong or two -- and you have to take off your shoes and wear a wristband. The staff of young people couldn't have been more sour. All the games -- which cost extra -- had bright, flashing, colorful lights that Joanna seemed interested in. Otherwise, she didn't really care for any of the crap there. Smart kid. They have more places like this in the U.S. and I hope Joanna doesn't like them there, either.
Phuong has returned to the tennis court and it's looking like I won't be much competition for her. Like most folks here, she relentlessly follows the directions of her tennis teacher, practicing over and over until she executes flawlessly. Her forehands have a natural topspin and she continually hits the corners and paints the baseline with her ground strokes now. She always ran well, so that's not an issue. Her backhand is solid and improving. Her serve needs work, but if she improves that aspect of her game, things could get real ugly for me. My serve is the only thing that keeps things interesting.
And I have always refused coaching of any sort in any sports -- or anything else for that matter. It hasn't hurt my golf game, for example. I consistently shoot in the 70s -- on the front nine. But at 62 years old, the mind still remembers the glory days. I used to run OK for a fat man and was able to chase down shots that would surprise even quality tennis players. But those days are gone. Forget the glory days. Now, I live in the gory haze. No worries. I'm fat anyway, according to people who learn English from me. And old.
No comments:
Post a Comment