There are a lot of Catholics in Bien Hoa, but Christmas remains a low-keyed affair here. Some coffee shops and big stores put up a tree, and a few smaller shops are decorated with lights and ornaments, but overall Christmas is something of a little deal. This attitude has helped me enjoy and appreciate Christmas more than I ever did in the United States. I felt the same way in Peru. The Christmas spirit seemed more sincere in Peru, probably because almost all of the people are Catholic. But the holiday was never shoved in your face. It's not shoved in your face in Vietnam either. Granted, Vietnam is communist and Buddhist/Taoist/Confucian, but since there are quite a few Catholics in Bien Hoa -- along with the fact that nobody loves money more than the Vietnamese -- I'm surprised that the excessive commercialism of Christmas hasn't caught on here. Probably, the proximity of Tet reduces the impact of Christmas along with the influence of communism and dominance of non-Christian faiths. Regardless, I feel more of the "real Christmas spirit" here than I ever did in the U.S. To show my sincerity, I put up a tree (artificial, of course, because of environmental concerns) and decorated it with some ornaments and anything else that was available. Phuong bought very nice lights for the tree. I want to introduce Joanna to Christmas and she's already absorbed with the tree, ornaments, lights and crazy decorations (including an empty tube of toothpaste). I haven't broached the subject of Santa Claus, but Joanna says "Jesus on the cross" when she sees the crucifix above the tree and wreaths. She may be a little young (29 months) to understand the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ, or the history and origins of Santa Claus, but she understands that something is afoot and that it's colorful and bright ... and includes presents. Phuong converted to Catholicism when she was 20, but I'm not sure she understands the importance and relatively recent tradition of making a buck off of a Jewish baby born 2,018 years ago. Phuong and Joanna can learn that lesson first-hand if we ever get to the United States together.
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Given the tenuous nature of our immigration efforts to enter the United States, we're weighing our options. Since my daughter Joanna seems to be bright and has a gift for language, we want her to grow up in a country with a decent educational system. We're researching now, but some contenders are Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Ecuador, Uruguay. I'm insisting on first world or first-and-a-half world. I'm old and a lot of countries don't like old people ... or Jewish people, or Islamic people, or black people, or brown people, or poor people, or foreign people. My wife is Vietnamese and my daughter is an American citizen who looks American, but is half Vietnamese, of course. Her American appearance has made her something of a curiosity here (call it White Monkey syndrome), and neighborhood kids don't want to play with her. That wouldn't have anything to do with the parents, would it? So, when my pensions and Social Security kick in (if Trump doesn't end social security), we're moving somewhere with better weather and better opportunities for Joanna. Italy heads the list because so many Italians have been reading my blog. We'll visit Italy for sure, and maybe live there if my country shuns me ... and my wife and daughter. I want to thank each and every one of my Italian readers, if I can find them. And I want to meet Fabio Fognini.
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Fabio is a wonderful segue into my tennis battles with Phuong. My reduced schedule due to trash burning in Bien Hoa has backfired, so to speak. I thought my game would be rejuvenated. Instead, Phuong has more energy and I'm sluggish. She's won four straight since we started playing on Saturday and Sunday only, and I've been playing fairly well. She's been relentless. I fired my imaginary coach and I may have to get in touch with Fabio for inspiration.
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I've just finished the last Jack Vance book I brought to Vietnam. I've read 13 Vance sci-fi books since returning from the U.S. in late August. I bought a few more online and had them sent to an address in the U.S. Can't wait to read them.
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