2 women in our neighborhood die from Covid

Two elderly women in our neighborhood died from Covid in the past week and a woman on the street behind us is hospitalized with the virus, All three were unvaccinated. This information comes from our ward's government representative. I witnessed no music, drum banging  or loud processions for the deceased as usually occurs when someone dies here. In the "new normal," some family members get together for a meal and drinks, but no large gatherings are permitted. I heard that the government got the bodies of the two women who died at home and handled the cremation. Meanwhile, the people across the street from us tested negative after 14 days and had their red "Covid is here" sign removed. Three more signs on our street were removed and another popped up. I believe there are five signs in all on our street. One house down the street from us, which has some rough folk living there -- the woman laughed pretty hard when my daughter crashed on her bike and bloodied her knees -- put their Covid sign on a small trash can that's not easily visible. I wouldn't expect much else from this crowd, which is also the group that laughed at me when I wore the shield. Anyway, there are 15,000 to 17,000 new Covid cases here a day, which I know pales in comparison to the United States. No variant is named in Vietnam, but I suspect Delta is still making the rounds with Omicron coming later. I've always felt they're a little behind the times here.
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It doesn't look or feel like Christmas in Bien Hoa. It's not just the 90-degree weather. Before Covid (B.C.?), Christmas was picking up steam, especially with retailers. Now, some of the stores have decorations, but there's been a definite drop-off. Makes sense. If you can't give your mom a proper, traditional burial, why would you care about a Western holiday? The big mall and markets are eerily empty. Joanna and I went shopping on Wednesday at the largest and only "real" mall in town and it was too quiet. No lines, no hustle, no bustle. Nonetheless, I'm trying my best to instill a little Christmas spirit into our house for my daughter Joanna and son Elijah. Joanna has been coloring Christmas-themed pictures, which I hang on the wall near our tree. I keep adding ornaments and lights to the tree, even if it's tiny and artificial. Or ecologically and economically friendly, depending on your perspective. Christmas doesn't mean a lot to my wife even though she's Catholic; Tet is what matters to her and that holiday will be quiet this year as well. Elijah isn't too interested in Santa yet, but he'll kick our Christmas balls all over the house. 
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I dropped my Apple laptop down a flight of stairs and even though we've tried to get it fixed, it
hasn't been the same. We bought another Apple laptop but the new one (really, it's pre-owned) isn't quite right, either. So both have been returned to the shop, and I'm working on a PC now, which is a little tricky for me. So I now have a legitimate excuse for any mistakes in my blog. I've also struggled to get lessons together for Joanna on the PC, but we're on Christmas break anyway. Christmas coloring continues, but that's pretty much it. 
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I want to sincerely wish everyone a safe, healthy and very happy holiday season. I know so many people who step up in difficult times like we're enduring now and do the right thing for others and themselves. I don't expect anything different this holiday season, and that can give all of us reason to celebrate. 

Nearby Covid cases recovering; too old to run?

 Another red Covid sign was posted on a house on our street, bringing the total to eight. But the good news is that some of the signs will come down this week if the residents test negative. A few are already down. Still, no one is talking much about Covid or a particular variant here. There's almost a stunned silence regarding the virus. But I do see some attitudes slowly changing. People on our street who didn't wear masks would laugh and point at me when I wore one with a face shield, but now they laugh at me behind their own masks. Some mask resistance exists here; one guy at the park rode his bicycle and worked out on newly installed exercise equipment without a mask, along with his kid, who was also mask-free. I used sign language to suggest he should wear a mask and he honestly thanked me through my wife. Next time I saw him and his kid they had masks on. Two park joggers go mask-less and they huff and puff as they go about their business in a crowded park, which means they're likely to share any virus they happen to be carrying. I politely suggested that they wear a mask, and got zero response. My wife told the park security guard to put a mask on, and, shock of shocks, he did. I wouldn't be so adamant about masks except for the fact that it helps prevent the spread of the virus, and Covid case numbers released by the government here continue to climb, with anywhere from 13,000 to 17,000 new cases each day. Things are pretty much opened up, and there seems to be an honor system at businesses to scan your proof of vaccination with your cell phone. Some do, some don't. A couple of aspects of life here are returning to normal a little faster than I'd like. More motorbikes are being ridden on sidewalks and more litter is starting to show up.

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Last week at the park Joanna insisted we run a footrace. So, ready, steady, go, and away we went (I'm pleased my back lets me run). A lady who my wife and I know very casually says to my wife: "It's good your husband is running now with your daughter because he won't be able to run in a year or two because he's so old." Charmed, I'm sure. But it was one of those weeks where the odd was the norm. My daughter and I turned the corner to walk the path that leads to the street behind us and then on to the park, and as we turned the corner, we were met with smoke. Trash was being burned on the narrow sidewalk. Joanna was scared and wouldn't pass, so I started to push the pile to the side so she could get through, and some woman comes out of nowhere screaming at me to leave her burning pile of rubbish on the pedestrian pathway alone. I still pushed the pile a little so Joanna could pass and the woman barked something at me and swept the pile back into the middle of the sidewalk and reignited it. There was a bunch of leaves, berries, sticks and I guess some regular trash. I told her to burn her trash in front of her house or in the street and left it at that. Once past the burning pile, Joanna kept laughing about the whole thing, and started with the "Why?" questions. No easy answers. The charred remains of the pile were off to the side of the path the next day. Later, Joanna and I were walking down the main street when a security guard sitting in front of some bank shows his cell phone to me with a translated question: "Is she your daughter or granddaughter?" I told him daughter, which he either didn't believe or understand, and he showed me again. So I responded again, in English and Vietnamese, and he showed me and asked (I guess) again. I said "Yes, yes," and he seemed happy with the response. Then he pointed to my stomach and laughed. I told you it was an odd week.

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Owls are now the animal of choice for Joanna, which hopefully is a good omen for Yellow Springs, Ohio, and our waiver application. No word on our waiver lately; it was sent Sept. 17 and receipt of the waiver was acknowledged by the USCIS on Oct. 31. Nothing since, and some websites say we may have a decision by the end of May. I've accepted that Joanna has lost her year of kindergarten. If the waiver drags on forever we'll figure something out. ... Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone is an excellent book even though it sort of jumps around time-wise. which I guess makes it epic. The details of the characters' lives and the travels through Africa are riveting and, like Conquistador, which I recently finished, a bit unsettling. Much of the book takes place in Tanzania, which my friend recently visited. I'm glad I've become addicted to reading. ... Starting to heat up here for some reason, maybe because the rains have slowed. It's in the low 90's and of course humid every day.

Some kind of virus bugged us; keep your distance, please

I'm not sure if I had Covid, but there were some serious warning signs: chills, a sore throat and confusion. The confusion was the worst part. I could not find my wallet, which set off a desperate and futile nighttime search with a flashlight in the park. The wallet ended up being on the bedroom floor. I took my temperature countless times and it was normal every time, so I told my wife that I'd get tested the next day if I was still under the weather. After a lengthy trip to the bathroom and marathon shower, I felt fine that night and was right as rain the next day. Perhaps the vaccine did its job, or maybe I was dealing with some other issues, like confusion from fatigue related to lack of sleep and child care, and a sore throat and chills from too much air conditioned living. Who knows? Who cares, other than me? I will say I'm so happy to have been vaccinated because there's so much Covid around us now. My poor wife had a similar experience a few days later, with bad chills and dizziness. She bounced back after a few hours.  Our family remains devoted to the mask and hand washing, and I've become a real zealot about social distancing. Some people crowd others in line here, and put their groceries on top of someone else's stuff at the checkout counter. This happened twice to me this week -- at a specialty food store and at the local market. In both cases, the people made significant contact with me while sticking their items on top of mine. I smiled and politely motioned for both people -- a man and woman -- to back up and respect social distancing until I paid. But they bulldozed ahead, and I got seriously irritated and pointed to my  mask and barked out that "I HAVE COVID!" (in Vietnamese) and "get away from me" in English. The man actually left the store until I was finished and the woman walked five feet away slowly and with attitude, if you know what I mean. A few years back I might have put their groceries on the floor while checking out -- I've done that in the past, but those instances involved line-cutting as well as grocery stacking. But I'm a kinder and gentler White Monkey these days so I just try to communicate my concerns to the best of my abilities, and if that doesn't work, I try to scare the crap out of people so they'll back off. I don't want conflict or Covid. I've got two small kids who need their dad at the moment and I don't need strangers crashing my personal space with Covid. It's very much worth noting that a guy in line gave me a thumbs-up when I barked at the woman and the clerk smiled at me when I scared the guy out of the store. Most people here get it, but the ones who don't give Covid the chance to spread, and it's spreading at a rate of about 13,000 to 14,000 cases a day in Vietnam. At two of the seven houses on our street displaying ''Covid is here'' warning signs, mask-less people sit outside smoking and talking with their doors open. Like I said, most people get it.
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I don't need reminders I'm getting old -- turning 67 and my bathroom mirror have taken care of that. But the other day in the park I carried Joanna on my shoulders for a few minutes (at her request) and then I walked home with Elijah on my shoulders (at my wife's request). Later that night I could barely move from pain in my back at the same spot where I hit the road in a motorcycle accident a few years ago. When the pain first locked me up I wondered why, then thought back to my foolishness at the park with Joanna and walk home with Elijah. Then I thought about my age. Then I thought about the accident more than five years back. At least I can still think, but when the old sports injuries start to come back, I'll know it's getting near closing time.
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 I did a five-creature challenge with Joanna on Wednesday morning in the park that I knew wasn't super difficult, but figured would eat up a little of my daughter's time. It ate up less than two minutes -- bird, bee, lizard, snail, butterfly. She loves and knows how to spot her creatures. ...  Elijah heads straight to the road next to the park so he can see cars go by. A real boy, that boy, pointing out all the white SUVs to me after he kicks the soccer ball around a little ... I'm at 733 days and 106 weeks in a row of Kindle reading and I'm currently halfway through Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley & Livingstone. 

Covid cluster around our house; locals call Joanna a boy

 Our street seems to be at the center of a Covid cluster, with more than 30 people and seven houses around us infected.  The virus has certainly quieted things down: kids don't ride their bikes –– masks or no masks –– up and down our street; fewer vendors and lottery sellers come around; fewer mask-less morons strut around, although the annoying bread sellers still arrive 6 a.m. with a booming announcement over a loudspeaker of hot, crispy bread.  The guy across the street, who gives me xam xam (a gelatin made from leaves) because I give his kids chocolate, tested positive along with his wife, mother and the two kids. I've suspended the treat exchange until things cool down. The concern for us is that these folks got the same vaccines we received -- AstraZeneca. As has been the case for me over the years here, I have no idea of what's going on. I hope the vaccines were legitimate but it does seem odd that a lot of vaccinated folks are getting infected. I sure hope our family can avoid getting coronavirus, but we're pretty nervous. I've been a little under the weather the past two days and if my malaise continues another day, I'll get tested. Covid would be a real drag for the obvious reasons, but also because my daughter depends on me to provide classes and entertainment. Many of the people who contracted and probably spread Covid on our street exhibited inappropriate behavior such as no masks in addition to having lots of people coming and going from their houses with zero social distancing. Houses in our ward that have a resident with Covid are identified with a red sign on or next to the front door. It's a grim passover of sorts.
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My daughter tried to cut her own hair, and failed. She likes to do her own thing. Anyway, my wife had to cut Joanna's hair really short to kind of even things out. As a result, when Joanna and I go out people ask me the age of my son, to which I reply that she's my daughter. The people overreact with shock and disbelief. They react a little too strongly, in my opinion. One guy in T-Rex Coffee told me at least three or four times that she looks like a boy. Whatever. It's ironic since my daughter is very proud of being a female, and she calls all insects, lizards, dinosaurs, geckos, and animal characters in her books "she" and "her". I love it. My son Elijah, meanwhile, is so enamored with kicking his ball that he boots it around for 30 minutes in the bedroom before his nap.
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I still fret over my daughter's education and socialization here. She's not in school, and wouldn't benefit much from online kindergarten taught in Vietnamese and perhaps some English. This is a 5-year-old kid who can read and write a little, is now expressing herself extremely well, and has a very keen memory -- and low threshold of boredom and isn't shy about speaking her mind. With Covid on the upswing, no schools are open for face to face learning and even if they were, my daughter would resist the uniforms, conformity and discipline that seem to be the focus here. The private international schools are about $19,600  a 10-month school year and require uniforms, and almost certainly stress discipline, conformity and order. There are no easy choices, which is why it's so crucial to me that my wife's waiver is approved by the USCIS and she can get her visa to come to the U.S. I know I've repeated all this countless times in this blog -- sorry.
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The park near our house is much more pleasant with motorbikes now prohibited from entering. Some guy and his girlfriend rode into the park in the one open spot, but the security guard politely asked him to take his bike outside the park. The guy rode away and the problem was pleasantly resolved ... I'm currently reading Into Africa, the story of Stanley and Livingstone.  I just finished Conquistador by Buddy Levy; it was as good as it was disturbing. My reading "addiction" is at 105 weeks and 726 days in a row. ... It's been two years since I've had alcohol, except in my Listerine mouthwash. ... Good visit with my eye doctor. Dr. Wong is a good doctor and good man. My glaucoma is stable and my vision even improved a tiny bit. Well, my hindsight is 20-20 ... 

Persistent Covid way too close; flu shot, bee stings

Two of our neighbors -- three and four houses away -- have Covid. One gentleman in his 90s is on a ventilator in the hospital. A woman in her late 30s remains at home. Both were vaccinated, so I'm not sure what's going on. Or what to believe, really. There's no official government notice, like yellow tape or a sign in front of the houses to let people know Covid is present. Information is shared through word of mouth among neighbors, which surprises me since rules and regulations seem vital here. Maybe officials are unaware or can't keep up, but some kind of signal to the neighbors that Covid is nearby would seem essential for everybody's well-being. Society has opened up and life and traffic are back to their usual chaotic flow. But with so many home deliveries of food and packages, it's no wonder officials are acknowledging that 0 Covid cases won't happen. Vietnam reports 8,000 to 10,000 new cases daily. On Tuesday, Vietnam added 38,000 new cases to its overall total of 1,137,923, which included 28,000 previously unreported cases in Binh Duong, a neighboring province of Ho Chi Minh City and Bien Hoa. I see online that the United States gets anywhere from 50,000 to 111,000 new cases daily, so this virus is far from finished. My wife and I received our two AstraZeneca shots but we still wear masks and wash our hands religiously. I'm assuming our 5-year-old will eventually get a vaccine and we'll need a booster. Bring it on.
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Our son got an influenza vaccine on Wednesday and my daughter, wife and I were vaccinated for the flu. It's like needle park here, sometimes. Joanna is not a fan, vehemently protesting any injection, saying "No thanks, no thanks!"  The anticipation was worse than the injection for the flu, and she didn't cry after getting stuck, but she whined a bit before the fact. She cried more when she was stung by some weird bee  -- something like a yellowjacket I was told -- a few days ago. I got stung multiple times a while back by one of these guys and I cried a lot more than Joanna. I also swelled quite a bit at the site of the sting. Joanna's skin raised only slightly where she was stung. She was victimized while looking at the nest being built on tree trunk in the park. We went home, put on a band aid, and Joanna shook it off after a short while, returned to the park and continued her creature exploration and play.
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Many schools in Dong Nai are doing online learning to combat Covid, so Joanna and I continue our learning at home. Her attitude improves all the time since I give her total leeway with her drawing and coloring, and she even did some math without any complaints. ... We had a power outage last week and my daughter was upset until I gave her my headlamp, prompting her to say, "I'm putting on my 'octogoggles,' " a funny reference to the Octonauts, an underwater adventure cartoon she watches sometimes. She's doing quite well, all things considered, and there are many things to consider ... We received a receipt and short note from the USCIS regarding our waiver application for my wife to get a visa to come to the United States. Our nonrefundable payment of $930 has been received and they're now reviewing our case. The note also states that if  biometrics are required, they'll let us know. That's pretty much it, so we'll just wait for a decision: Either my wife and our family leaves for the U.S. relatively soon, hopefully, or we have some serious thinking to do, especially about our daughter's education and future. ...  T-Rex Coffee and Tea, the nearby dinosaur coffee house, is our new hangout. Joanna and I go daily (except Sundays) for an hour or so. Joanna even has a T-Rex Coffee and Tea t-shirt. ... I'm deep into the book Conquistador, which has shaken my faith in mankind with its portrayal of massacres and human sacrifices. On that awkward note, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Electric E; dinosaur coffee; more Covid, no waiver news

He can be the Big E, Little E, Easy E, but he's always E, as in Electric. My son Elijah, who's getting tall as well as big, jacks up the microwave to full heat and maximum time whenever he passes by. If I heat up coffee, he turns the dials to their limits so coffee will boil all over the place if I'm not there. But I've always been there because I know my son's behavior. I worry about his height and size now because he can reach the stove dials and every outlet in the house. Coffee is a special problem, and not just because of the microwave dials. He goes ballistic if I don't let him drink it, and he's oblivious to how hot things are or could be. My after-dinner coffee is a scream-fest and he has to be diverted. Electric is the big lure and we have to use it to get him off the coffee, letting him turn off the ceiling fan. If we're not focused on him, he'll move chairs to reach light switches, creating concert-like effects in every room, especially the bedrooms and bathrooms.  We got him a sensory board with switches, plugs, locks and shapes, and he's starting to get into it. My daughter did everything on the board a couple of times and the thrill is gone. Elijah smashed the bell on the board, laughed and applauded himself. He's a fun guy with a ready smile.
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Joanna and I spotted a T-Rex Coffee and Tea on Vo Thi Sau during our afternoon walk. It was easy to spot because it's next to the ATM  I use. Oh no. Joanna loves the place (the T-Rex coffee shop) and she was fascinated by the large and scary anatomical T-Rex inside, along with plastic and relatively realistic triceratops, parasaurolophus, and velociraptors. It took her a little while, but she now she touches the moving, roaring T-Rex. She'll eventually get bored with the place, but it will take a while since she's enamored with dinosaurs, sea creatures and all animals, really. We went on a Sunday and the crowd of kids was a little rough; one kid kept hitting the styrofoam dinosaur with his fist and anything else he could grab, another kid about 6 or 7 was flipping off the T-Rex while his parents sat nearby and laughed, and another kid grabbed the T-Rex tongue and ripped the tip off. Adults were nearby but preoccupied on their cell phones ... or laughing at their kids' unsavory behavior. Joanna started getting a little wound up, pulling up some flowers to feed T-Rex. I didn't laugh, explained the problem to her and we left in a veil of tears. I tried to explain so she would understand and not get too upset, but my daughter is very sensitive to criticism. I really just wanted her to know that other kids can be fun and good friends, but we have to make our own decisions and do the right thing. Thank goodness my daughter is very bright and seems to understand what I'm telling her most of the time.
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Covid keeps hanging around here, averaging more than 8,000 new cases a day in Vietnam in the past week, but life is returning to normal. More and more noisy vendors are walking the streets, more bikes are appearing and more speeders on bikes and in cars are making their presence felt on our street. Food produced locally is still relatively cheap, but imported goods are getting costlier all the time. Joanna and I end up in the park sometime each day, often to meet my wife and Electric E, who loves kicking the ball and chasing it down.
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We're still waiting for any word regarding our waiver application for my wife to get a visa to enter the United States. It was sent mid-September. My daughter isn't in school but should be (she's 5 years old), and probably will refuse to go to school in Vietnam. The only school she could do here would be online kindergarten, which I nixed. So we're hoping for good news on the waiver and we're hoping for it soon. Homeschool continues, but my computer broke down, the internet can be problematic, and Joanna needs peers and she needs to be challenged more. We're on a break at the moment waiting for a new laptop to arrive. In the meantime, she draws and colors while humming the entire time, reads on occasion, and walks in the heat with her dad. We watch British Council kids videos and she'll answer the accompanying questions.
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I've surpassed 100 weeks and 700 days in a row of reading, having recently finished the riveting Labyrinth of Ice by Buddy Levy, which was about the Greely polar expedition.  Now I'm reading Conquistador, his book about the conquest of the Aztecs by Cortes. ... I'm a month away from two years without a drink of alcohol. I might share a beer with my wife if we get the visa. ... Rainy season continues here, with a daily downpour usually starting late afternoon. The Coffee House always lends Joanna and I an umbrella if we happen to be out walking in the rain. Nice folk work there. 

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.
• • •
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.
• • •
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!