Returning to love, heat, traffic, idiots and kindness

There was a period of adjustment when I returned to Bien Hoa, Vietnam, after being gone for six weeks in the United States. I'm happy to report that my daughter Joanna remembered me. In fact, she's so pleased I'm back that she cries when I leave the room. She cries when I go to work. She cries when I go to the bathroom. The adjustment? I can't do anything now without Joanna being with me. This, folks, is a wonderful adjustment. Of course, being with my wife is a tiny adjustment since  we're adults in love. But I suspect Phuong may be just a little jealous of Joanna's obsession with her 62-year-old dad. But just like before I left, Joanna seems happiest when mom and dad are together.
Joanna was walking before I left, but now she's 14 months old and running, climbing, drinking without a "sippy" cup, using a straw and chewing her food with 14 teeth. She has a sense of humor as well, kissing her mom when I ask for a kiss, then looking at me and laughing when I act mad and jealous. Phuong is also happy I'm back, because she has a little more help now taking care of Joanna. Her family was eager to chip in when I left, but Joanna apparently really missed her dad and could only handle the relatives in small doses. Joanna seems a little behind in her speaking, in her pushy dad's opinion, but I attribute this to the fact she's dealing with two languages. However, when I called myself "Dada," Joanna corrected me and said "Daddy."
Meanwhile, I was so happy to see three of my four children and my one beautiful granddaughter in the U.S. during my visit. My kids are all doing so well; that was clearly the highlight of the trip. Also, thanks to John, Richard, Lynda and the folks in SLO for their wonderful hospitality as I dealt with my brother's death.
Another adjustment upon my return to Vietnam -- somewhat unpleasant I might add -- is the weather. You guys know this routine. It's hot as hell, I sweat like a pig, and people ask me why I'm sweating when it's 96 F with 91 percent humidity. On the bright side, I'm quickly losing the weight I picked up in the U.S. where I ate quality food (especially Gus's Sandwiches in San Luis Obispo, and cheesecake and ice cream at Lotus Vietnamese restaurant in San Luis Obispo, owned by Ngoc Thuy, who also goes by Alex. A lovely Vietnamese woman.)
I've had a handful of classes since I've returned, all kids or teenagers. They've been a little wild, but for some reason I'm more patient now than I was before. I still don't tolerate bad words and over the top behavior from the kids, but I give them a longer leash when it comes to misbehavior and speaking in Vietnamese. I went though a difficult time in the U.S., and maybe the kids can sense this. I've always liked the students here.
My blog wouldn't be complete (or be my blog, for that matter) if I didn't bitch and moan about a couple of things. But there's good and bad to report. Traffic, specifically automobile traffic, seems to have doubled since I left. And the idiots behind the wheel do the same nonsense motorbike drivers do -- never yield; turn onto busy roads without stopping, yielding, or looking; and constantly lay on their horns. Last week, a drunk on a motorbike roared past me by crossing the yellow line, then cut me off and slammed on the breaks in front of me. I yelled at him and he screamed back at me, got off his bike, and was ready to fight. I stopped and approached, then saw that he was wobbly and drunk. If I had pounded his stupid ass, I would have been wrong in the eyes of the locals. If he had pounded my stupid ass, I would have been wrong in the eyes of the locals. I gritted my teeth and went home.
The next day, on my walk, two morons on a bike ran into me AFTER I had crossed the street. They cut the corner so sharply that their bike turned into the oncoming traffic lane and banged into my leg. They took off, of course, but an older gentleman chased them down on his bike, made them stop, and gave them a lecture. I cheered from the sidelines. On the same walk, a woman at a little candy stand gave me one big bag to consolidate all the little bags I had accumulated by shopping. I was struggling with all the little bags and the cane I use when I walk, and the lady saw this and gave me the bag. A lovely lady, indeed. And on the same walk, my cane accidentally got tangled up in some clown's motorbike, and he started screaming at me. I was in no mood at this point, so I threw 100,000 dong at him, got on my knees and "begged" his forgiveness. He looked and felt stupid, I'm proud to say. He was the aggressor and the one screaming, but people ran out from nearby Thuy Nga coffee shop to "restrain" me. I got off my knees, picked up my money and went home. I no longer walk, and don't go anywhere in town unless Phuong and Joanna are with me. As a man of chi, it's all yin and yang to me. The bottom line: I love my family here and in the U.S.