Wife aces interview; controlling COVID; termites; big boy

My wife Phuong had her interview for a U.S. immigration visa at the embassy in Ho Chi Minh City last week. She did a fantastic job, readily admitting she had been rejected four times attempting to get a visa to the U.S, and refusing to discuss her first marriage, saying how happy she is now. Her honesty and straightforward approach clearly impressed the immigration officer. He seemed baffled about my wife's previous difficulties at the embassy, including an absurd lifetime ban she received about five years ago trying to obtain a tourist visa to the U.S. to accompany me to an eye doctor's appointment. No matter. My wife will obtain the visa to the U.S. when our son Elijah, who's almost three months old, gets his passport, allowing all of us to come to the U.S. together. We're not in a huge hurry because COVID-19 is surging in the U.S. and we want to see what happens in the presidential election in November. If it takes place -- ha ha. I'll probably have to let my driver's license expire and use the eye drops that the doctors here prescribe for my glaucoma. I'm not thrilled with either prospect, but if I leave the country in November like I planned, I won't be able to get back in, or at the very least I'd have to spend 14 days in quarantine. That's a fact, and probably one of the reasons there's been so few COVID-19 cases here -- 509 as of Friday, Aug. 31.  So right now, I'd rather be here than there, if you know what I mean. And obviously, I won't live apart from Phuong, Joanna and Elijah.
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Even with the relatively small number of cases here, about 100 new cases of COVID-19 were reported this week in Da Nang, which is on the central coast. The government immediately sent out a series of emails, asking everyone to wear masks again, and evacuated 80,000 local tourists to cities throughout Vietnam. There's talk bars and cinemas will shut down, and fear that schools may close again. Joanna's school requires masks now, but not everyone complies. Anyway, the government in Vietnam clearly takes this virus very seriously, and any cluster of cases is a big deal. And that's how it should be. Looking at the U.S., that's how it shouldn't be. Here's the conundrum: In an open society like the U.S., people can express themselves freely and demand to make individual choices, like not wearing a mask or choosing to go to a bar during a pandemic. There's a price to pay for this freedom and the COVID-19 numbers in the U.S. don't lie. Vietnam, on the other hand, is a communist country and information is controlled and monitored; people aren't openly critical of the government here like in the U.S. Yet, most of the people here -- but of course not all -- appear ready to make personal sacrifices for the greater good. And the COVID-19 numbers don't lie.  I don't like the mask, but I'm wearing it. Besides, the worst thing that happens is that my glasses get steamed up.
NOTE: I had to update this blog when I learned about the uptick of cases in Da Nang on Friday.
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We've had all of the wood cabinets removed from our house. The heat and humidity make this place a hotbed for termites. The wood dust was unsettling, so my wife took action. Also, I had to get both of my computers repaired. My PC got hacked and that resulted in Facebook terminating my account for a few days for violating community standards. At first, I didn't know if I was terminated because of an accident picture I posted, or a photo of my (removed) gall stones I posted a few years back, or just my general, aging appearance. My access returned without explanation a couple of days later. I have no issues with Facebook and Social Network is a good movie in my opinion. My PC Windows were a mess after the hack and had to be reinstalled. My Mac got dropped, resulting in the finger pad becoming uncooperative. Now both laptops are back to some semblance of normal, more or less.
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Our baby Elijah is clearly going to be a big boy. He's does a lot of eating, smiling, jiggling and talking these days. Not a lot of sleeping, however. He's active and loves swinging his right arm. In fact, he delivered a nasty overhand right yesterday that knocked the glasses off my face. Joanna remains a handful for teachers and staff at her school. That's OK with me because she's a handful at home, too. Plus, she's sharp as a tack. Her English speaking and comprehension are top-notch in my opinion. But I'm her dad so of course I feel that way.

Traffic warnings; kids' stuff; visa interview

Reminders aren't necessary about how dangerous traffic is here for motorists and pedestrians. But I got a few on Monday -- whether I wanted them or not, and I didn't want them -- during and after  walking Joanna to school.  The first came when we were crossing a small street near the school. Joanna was on my shoulders as usual. I stood on a corner about to cross the street and I saw a woman on a motorbike with two kids on the back parked with her back to us on the opposite corner. By the time Joanna and I were 90 percent across that street, the woman had U-turned her bike and raced to cut in front of us, taking her bike on the curb in the process. It scared the Pho out of me.  I yelled "Why?" at her, which she most likely didn't understand. But that didn't stop her and her two kids from glaring back at me. I know how to ask 'why' in Vietnamese, but didn't think of it at the time. Not a huge deal, but I was a little surprised at her behavior since there was 4-year-old girl on my shoulders. I dropped Joanna off at school and proceeded on the sidewalk down busy Vo Thi Sau street to the Coffee House for my morning cappuccino.  As I crossed the street to the Coffee House a car was slowly coming through the intersection. The car inched through the intersection and flashed its lights, signalling me and another pedestrian to cross while warning cyclists and other cars of its approach. We crossed and then I heard that horrible sound of crunching metal and breaking glass. I instantly looked back and saw that a motorbike had plowed into the side of the car. The cyclist was bleeding from his head and was taken away. His bike was left in the street. The lady driving appeared to be fine -- the cyclist slammed into the passenger side.  No one else was in the car. I heard no sound of braking or tire screeching from the motorbike, and judging by the sound of the impact the cyclist drove full blast into the car. All the witnesses said the cyclist was speeding. It's too bad for the driver. She did everything right and  went out of her way to be nice to pedestrians and other motorists. Her reward was a huge scare, a big dent in her car and a lousy morning. Of course, I hope the cyclist is OK. Anyway, after my cappuccino, I stood outside on the sidewalk in front of the Coffee House talking to the wonderful manager about the accident when he suddenly pulled me toward him. A motorbike cut behind me on the sidewalk and missed hitting me by inches. I walked home without further incident.
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Our daughter Joanna continues to make progress in school, especially on the behavior front.  Thank you teachers and thank you wife Phuong. Joanna prefers solo work to group work, but she's not aggressive with other kids. I still contend that Vietnamese is a little bit of a stumbling block and frustrates her, but she's slowly catching on with the help of music and songs. She's very affectionate with her brother Elijah, who's quite big for 9 weeks old. He "swims" in a little pool Phuong bought and likes to be rolled on the bed. He's mellow for a baby and we consider ourselves very fortunate to have healthy children.
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Phuong has her immigrant visa interview tomorrow (Friday) in Ho Chi Minh City. It's unlikely there will be a decision right away, but since we have two wonderful children together, rejection based on relationship fraud (again) would seem unlikely. Who knows, however, given the tone set by the current leadership in the U.S. and the competency of people investigating our "case."  If approved, we would still have to get a passport for Elijah, a lengthy and somewhat complicated process. Plus, we would have to weigh the wisdom of going through airports and on airplanes to go to a country where Covid-19 cases are surging wildly. It's a lot to think about, and I don't like thinking a lot these days.

Contrast in Covid-19 clusters; rainy season and adaptation

We had a mini-cluster of coronavirus cases in Vietnam -- 14 in one day. I know that's nothing compared to the United States or Brazil or dozens of other countries, But there's been only 369 cases overall here, so 14 in one day is substantial. Those with the virus apparently caught it in other countries and were repatriated back to Vietnam.  I cringe when I see the U.S. Covid-19 numbers, and I cringe when I hear things like increased testing is the cause for the increased cases in the U.S., and the U.S. heritage and monuments are being destroyed by left-wing radicals and thugs and looters. Strange days indeed. My barber actually rushed to grab a newspaper and show me a chart of the top countries with Covid-19 cases and deaths. He pointed to the U.S., which of course is No. 1 in cases and deaths. He waited for a response. Not much I could say about it in Vietnamese. In English, I'll say it's a tragic and unnecessary situation, and that numbers don't lie. My wife has her U.S. visa interview in a couple of weeks. I wonder if Covid-19 will be mentioned at all.
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The monsoon season seems more typical this year, often bringing late afternoon rain on a daily basis. The rain usually lasts no more than an hour, but on very rare occasions it will last several hours and into the night. I used to not like rainy season so much, but I've finally realized the temperature comes down a little before, during, and after the rain. Yes, the humidity goes up, but it's humid pretty much all the time here anyway. The heat can be overbearing with the equatorial sun beating down along with humidity.  That's why I appreciate rainy season.
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 A new deodorant is on sale here -- Nivea "African" formula. It works. I'm dripping sweat everywhere but under my arms. Now, my chest stinks, not my underarms. Really, it works. However, I'm not sure what it does to your body to make you stop sweating where it's applied. I wash with Lactacyd, a gentle soap that comes in a baby formula. It helps eliminate my heat rash. I use it in tandem with HIDEM cream, which stops the itching and gets rid of the gnarly red spots.  I always wondered why my face was so itchy all the time, then deduced that my face was on the verge of heat rash; Lactacyd and HIDEM have taken care of the problem. The reason for these boring and seemingly unnecessary details is to bring home the point that we can adapt to almost any conditions. I'm not small, and I've always sweat heavily. But I'm doing what I can to make my life more comfortable in the tropics. We wake up very early when the weather is at its coolest. Sometimes we'll nap in the heat of the day, but too often life gets in the way. Bottled water is essential and I make sure my daughter Joanna and I stay hydrated. She sweats like her dad.  My wife Phuong can take of herself here since she's a local, and our son guzzles breast milk day and night. We've air-conditioned much of the house and our electric bill is impressive. But heat really affects me in a negative way, so the AC is essential. I should stop coffee if I really want to cool down, but coffee makes me feel good.  I don't smoke (more than four years without a cigarette) or drink alcohol (more than seven months), and that contributed to my sweating and feeling grimy. In a lot of ways, I'm living a local lifestyle, but I simply can't eat hot soup for breakfast and wear long pants and a jacket to block the sun.
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Our daughter Joanna is very slowly adapting to school as she approaches her fourth birthday. It appears unlikely she'll be a conformist or wallflower. Her "extracurricular activity" will be dance. She loves to dance and sing, and belts out an inspired version of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," which she stumbled across surfing YouTube. She's meticulous about her clothing, which may explain her aversion to the school uniform. Her intellect and temper appear to be above average. That's why she's in school. And I want to praise her teachers (again). They have shown great skill and patience handling our daughter.
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Our son Elijah is two months old and loves to eat and sleep. He's only fussy when he's hungry, which can be quite often, but he's not over the top when he complains. Actually, he remains easygoing, is starting to smile a little, rolls over from belly to back and loves to look at the blue rectangles on our ceiling, just like his sister.