A foreigner's perspective of U.S. politicians; baby talk

I am fascinated by how people from other countries view the United States and what's going on there. I met a restaurant owner in Bien Hoa who is from New Zealand. A real gentleman. We got to talking U.S. politics -- oh, dear -- and he found Donald Trump to be amusing. The gentleman noted that Trump will say whatever comes to mind, and that he doesn't worry about the consequences. His view of Trump wasn't entirely unfavorable. I accepted his point and admitted that Trump shoots from the lip, but I added he also dribbles and drools all over himself, even more than my 6-week-old son Elijah. The gentleman liked Obama and admired the way he addressed the public, but said that Democrat Joe Biden, Trump's 2020 presidential opponent, talks like he's senile. I pointed out that I believe Biden had a stuttering issue as a child, which may help explain why his speaking style seems disjointed at times. But he is 77 years old. Our conversation ended on that note because our hamburgers were ready. I enjoyed talking with the gentleman and hope we can chat again.
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Our son Elijah rolled over from his stomach to his back by himself. I don't know if it counts as an official rollover since I placed him on his stomach. He did this when he was five weeks old. I helped him once and then he did it by himself a few minutes later. I put him on his stomach for short periods a few times every day to help strengthen his neck. He seems to be doing fine and since there are no well visits for babies here that I know of, I check the internet and make sure his development is on schedule. Unlike his sister, he'll go in the crib and sleep without a fuss. Joanna wailed whenever she got near the crib and would hold on to my shirt or whatever with the iron fist grip, perhaps indicating a hint of separation anxiety. If that's the case, it might explain some of her acting out and behavior at school. But, she's only 3 years old (she'll be 4 soon) for goodness sakes, and school is from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. I'm suffering from some separation anxiety because I miss Joanna. She's been doing much better lately and I'm very proud of her regardless. There's an English class at the school, but all other lessons are in Vietnamese, and that may add to Joanna's stress. She understands a little but doesn't speak any significant amounts of Vietnamese.
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Carrying Joanna to school at 6:45 a.m. and back (4:30 p.m.) on my shoulders has clearly been beneficial for my sciatica. I can walk in the mornings now, which is a must since I take Joanna to school and pick her up. Many sidewalks here are in disrepair or filled with trash or parked cars or people sitting on plastic chairs drinking coffee. But we take our time and are very careful when we walk, especially when we have to walk in the streets. Some cars and bikes don't seem overly concerned about pedestrians, even 3-year-old girls, but I knew this going in and try to teach Joanna to be careful.
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The coronavirus is rarely mentioned in Bien Hoa these days; I really haven't heard it mentioned in casual conversation.  It's on TV news, of course. I still see a handful of cases in Vietnam listed on worldometers.info -- the site shows about four or five new cases a week. The total here is 349 with no deaths. Our daughter has her temperature taken every day just before she enters school, and she must wash her hands with hand sanitizer. Again, so far so good. My recent illness went away with the help of hot tea and honey and some herbal Chinese medicine my wife's mother buys somewhere near Bien Hoa market. It's effective for colds and such. Pretty sure it wouldn't help with coronavirus.
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I'm teaching English to two private students. Both are extremely bright and making steady progress. One of the students is a retired teacher; the other is a doctor. I only work six hours a week -- two 90-minute classes a week for each student. Since I'm "retired," I'm not interested in working a lot of hours. I always considered work one of the necessary evils of life. And it's a four-letter word.

Race is a touchy subject, and I've made my mistakes

I don't like to admit it, but I know I've said things and engaged in conduct that I now consider racist. The killing of George Floyd has brought the world's attention to the issues and problems that people of color must face. These are problems I've never had to deal with. I don't consider myself racist. Nobody does. But when I reflect on what I've said, especially my ill-advised and lame attempts at "racial" humor, and how I view the world through white lenses, it's clear to me I've made mistakes and that I have a problem. I need to consider the impact of my words and actions on those around me, white and non-white. Here's an easy contrast: Comedian Dave Chappelle has the genius to deliver a serious message within edgy racial humor. I just have a big white mouth. I grew up in a family that considered black people almost alien beings. They didn't use the N-word, but they had a whole slew of other derogatory terms beyond "colored" or "black."  Sure, I would chastise my parents for this. But looking back, my confrontations were due in part to the contentious relationship I had with my parents on every issue. I will give my dad some credit; at age 94 he became an ardent supporter of Barrack Obama. The fact my dad was a hard-core Democrat contributed to his late awakening, but I detected a sincere admiration of Obama. I shared that admiration of Obama and still admire him. Actually, I really miss his leadership, especially with the leadership we have today. Race is a difficult and touchy subject to discuss. But the only way to deal with difficult and touchy issues is to get them out in the open, discuss them, and ultimately take positive action. What action? Hopefully, that will come out of the discussions among people of all races.
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There are a couple of personal streaks that I'll note: I've read 185 straight days and I haven't had a drink of alcohol for more than six months.  I used to drink beer or whatever every night before bed and other times of day. That's been replaced with reading. I've read more than 25 books by Jack Vance, mostly science fiction and a few mysteries. His sci-fi books are, well, out of this world.
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Joanna is enrolled in pre-school and, quite honestly, it's been rough going. She doesn't like wearing a uniform or taking instruction of any kind. Thankfully, the administration, teachers and teachers' aides have shown amazing patience with Joanna. She comes by her difficulties in school quite honestly. I was a lousy student, a discipline issue and a knucklehead in general in school.  She can do the work and she has the intellect, but she gets bored really fast and goes way off-task. I remember those days. I can't thank the school enough for their work and patience with Joanna. I want to address these issues now rather than when she's 7 or 8 years old ... or older.
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I'm fighting some kind of illness -- no fever or dry cough, but my sinuses are a mess. It's an annual event for me, the ex-smoker, but with coronavirus in the air, I'm a bit cautious and mildly concerned. We take our temperatures all the time and I inhale vitamin C.  I walk Joanna to school every morning and afternoon and pick her up as well. Schools are breeding grounds for viruses and facilitate their spread, which, of course, is why they've been closed so long and so often during the coronavirus pandemic. Since my energy level isn't any lower than usual, I'll keep my fingers crossed and my mask on.