Line up for 2nd jab; creatures; safer park; Joanna bee cool

When we got our second AstraZeneca vaccine shot at a converted gym, the line cutters were out in full force. Three people stepped in line in front of us, but my wife called out one guy, and a watchful government official sent the trio to the back of the line, and basically taught them the process of queuing in an orderly fashion. The cutters nodded in approval, like this was the first time they had been instructed how to line up, which may have been the case. There seems to be a panic in some countries -- actually most countries I've been to -- of being left out when a group of people gather to do something, whether it's paying for groceries or getting a needle stuck in your arm. That leads to people simply muscling their way to the front of the line to get what they've no doubt been denied countless times in the past. By the way, my wife and I both felt sick after the shots -- headaches and stomach issues that lasted a couple of days. Not horrible but a little uncomfortable. Since the lockdown has been lifted, coronavirus cases have been slowly rising in Vietnam, from a low of about 3,000 new cases daily to nearly 6,000 a day. Our province, Dong Nai, has been the area recording the most new cases – over 800 a day. Among the infected is a 90-year-old man on our street and a pregnant lady around the corner, who both had been vaccinated twice. 
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Maybe this is another teaching moment here: Officials have installed metal bars and chains to keep motorbikes out of the pedestrian park we go to. Signs and gestures didn't work. Motorbikes were cruising the park; walking was becoming dangerous, especially for children like my son and daughter. Delivery drivers would sit around, smoke and litter next to their bikes in the park. A security guard being paid the equivalent of $150 USD a month did little or nothing to intervene. It's probably cheaper to put up barriers than hire more, or more involved, guards. The improvements (I'll call them that) took place during the lockdown along with lots of other construction projects in town, including new sidewalks, which were desperately needed. 
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Joanna and I have resumed our afternoon walks with masks on. The creature hunts are back, and my daughter is amazing. She is in a class by herself at spotting critters. She saw a lizard between two stones that form the barrier to the park's stinky canal, two lizards on a utility pole, and a beehive being built on a tree. The only thing I've spotted recently is another giant spider in the bathroom next to our kitchen. We've all spotted ants, but not very many lately. My wife cleaned some snails (ugh!) that I won't eat, and missed a spot when cleaning up the counter, so the ants came out to finish the job. Other than that one incident, no ants. I've turned my addiction issues to cleaning, in addition to reading, and the ants don't have a chance. Also on our walk, we saw two guys walking through the mucky canal with boots on (thankfully for them) and carrying large wooden poles with little nets on the end. The water was low, and these guys walked down the canal scooping up fish and putting them in a bag. I have no idea what kind of fish they were "catching," but there were a lot of them.
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We had a small Halloween gathering for Joanna.  She made her own costume -- a color-and-cut bee mask and black and yellow T-shirts from my drawer. She refused to wear a witch costume my wife got out for her and insisted on being a bee. We colored a few Halloween pictures – good witch, bad witch, pumpkin – and hung them on the bedroom doors. She knocked on the doors, and entered dark rooms where spooky dad gave her treats with a spooky, kid-appropriate video playing. I think she loved it, especially the candy. I know my daughter should be in school now, but she's rallied a little with the lessons I've given her. She still hates math, but we're having "testing" week, and of course she aced the sea animals section. I contacted some international schools here regarding Joanna. One never picked up the phone (during school hours) and I got disconnected, and another called back and sent an email that started with We are appreciated for your interest ... At least they responded and were nice, and I'll assume a teacher didn't write the email, but looking at their class schedule and seeing the email, I expect more for $17,000 to $20,000 a year. The waiver from the USCIS is so crucial for our family, especially for our children and their education. We filed the waiver in the middle of September, but still no acknowledgement of any kind from the USCIS.
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I'm about to join the 700 club, if such a thing exists on Kindle, since I've read 697 days and 101 weeks in a row. Currently reading Labyrinth of Ice, a story of the Greely polar expedition ... I tried to buy a Birds of Paradise comforter for Joanna for $123 and $68 shipping and handling, but Fed-ex wouldn't release it to me from HCMC unless I produced the receipt, photo of item, and bank record of purchase. So I slogged though this process with my wife, sent the requested documentation, and got an email back saying I must also pay at least $50 more duty and taxes, and possibly more, or they'll return the comforter. Principle rules ... return the comforter to Redbubble, who's good to work with by the way, and let them keep the $191. Update: My wife overruled my decision and said pay the duty and taxes so Joanna gets the comforter after Redbubble wrote me to say they would cover the extra expenses if I send them the receipts from the duty and taxes. A complicated world we live in these days ...  a big shout-out to a wonderful high school classmate of mine who sent Joanna a couple of truly cool coloring books. And I didn't have to pay duty and tax. Thank you Estera!