Phuong's passport now has a stamp from another country. We went to Thailand for five days and it was a whirlwind trip to the say the least.
We did the following in a very short time: rode a bus everywhere; saw a food/dance/comedy show called Nanta; ate bland, mediocre international buffets; saw a tiger show; saw a snake show; ate bland, mediocre international buffets; rode a bus everywhere; went from Bangkok to Pattaya; took a boat ride to a small island and went swimming (actually, I taught Phuong how to swim); went to a sheep petting farm; saw a laser etching of the king's son on the side of a big rock; tried to see the queen; went to a wretched alligator skin store crawling with Chinese tourists; went to a silly 3-D museum; ate lots of exotic fruit; rode an elephant; saw a transexual international cultural show that was awesome; went shopping in Bangkok; got a massage in our hotel room; and ate marvelous Thai street food.
The highlights: street food; transexual international cultural show; the beach and water.
The lowlights: the bus rides; international buffets; alligator store with Chinese tourists; the bus rides and international buffets.
Bangkok is a very modern city. It's packed with freeways and cars, and they ride on the wrong side (the left side) of the road. There aren't nearly as many motorbikes in Thailand as there are in Vietnam. Downtown Bangkok is full of skyscrapers, street food, cars, incense, statues and people. Pattaya is a beach town (more like a city) about three hours by bus from Bangkok. It's a little more laid-back and a little less congested than Bangkok. We took a bouncy boat ride to an island near Pattaya
and went swimming. The salt water was very clear, and we had a nice
time. Should have stayed longer, but we got back on the bus.
I like ladies, and boys are OK when they're my students and they behave
well. But the blend of ladies and boys isn't my cup of papaya juice.
There were many, many lady-boys in Thailand. Either that, or a lot of
the pretty girls have Adam's apples and stubble. To each their own, of
course, and it's no skin off my butt. Actually, the transexual cultural
show we saw had lots of singing, dancing and extravagant costumes, and it was one of our favorite parts of the trip. So there.
The people in Thailand are very nice and polite. Everyone smiles and bows their heads when they greet you. We went with a tour group of Vietnamese folk, and other than cutting in line and reaching across my face at the international buffets, they were quite nice. One lady in particular was helpful, offering mouthwash to Phuong, who threw up every time we rode the bus the first two days. Phuong had a rough start to the trip, but once we discovered motion sickness pills, she was fine. Phuong found a great outdoor restaurant our last night in Bangkok with spectacular (and spicy) food. By the way, Phuong is an awesome travel companion, and she looks hot in a bathing suit.
I'd certainly recommend a visit to Thailand, and I'd definitely recommend the food, if you can handle the spice. I'd also advise you to avoid international buffets, unnecessary bus rides, and beautiful women with stubble and Adam's apples (unless that's your thing -- to each their own). Thailand gets a thumbs-up, but honestly, it's great to be back in Vietnam, where Tet holiday is in full swing and we were greeted by two scorpions in our living room. There really is no place like home.
Note: I spell transexual with one "s" because internet research informed me that transexuals prefer this spelling to "transsexual." What the hell do I know?
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
The rat returns and other issues
Phuong and I were sitting in our kitchen talking two nights ago when a rat slithered under our outside door and into our porch off the kitchen. I didn't see it because I was flapping my jaw as usual, but Phuong spotted it. Phuong got real nervous, saying she can't stand rats. I'm a coward and was ready to stand on a chair. So Phuong opens the back door, grabs a broom, goes onto the porch and starts flogging the rat with the broom. The rat scooted out the open door. Today, Phuong showed me an apple she left out in our kitchen to ripen, and it was half-eaten. You could see the rat's teeth marks where the apple had been chewed. At Phuong's request, her brother is going block the openings in our kitchen and outside doors by screwing strips of metal onto them. Whew, I'm glad I handled that situation so well.
I had to give up my daily walks. People kept hassling me. Some guys would whistle at me (must be my tight shorts), others would yell "Hey you! hey you!" and a lot of teenagers would say the exaggerated and obnoxious "Helllloooo!" to me. Adding insult to insult was the fact that two places I frequented to buy flowers and nuoc mia tried to rip me off, charging me twice the going rate of what they charged me before. And these are people that see me three or four times a week. Now that's smart, customer-centric business. And one woman wouldn't give me my money back when I refused to pay her higher prices. I actually had to snatch my cash from her wrinkly paws. And finally, one teen on a motorbike nearly ran me over, going out of his way to brush past me, shouting "excuuuse meeee, excuuuse meeee." I was going to give him a forearm to the head and knock him off his bike, but there was a teenage girl on the back of his bike. She apparently admired his behavior, because she was laughing and pointing at me the whole time. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think the boy was showing off for the girl. I guess it doesn't matter. Long story short ... the walk is finished ... forever. Oh, and I took my walks between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Must be a dangerous time to walk here.
Phuong and I are heading to Thailand on Sunday. Can't wait. Even bought some sun block.
Our tennis matches are getting more heated, and it isn't just the weather. Our time expired with the set tied at 5-5 the other day. And there's lots of running now because the points last longer. Fun stuff, even at 7 a.m. After tennis, we grab a coffee by the river. It's quite pleasant. In fact, I never get hassled when I'm with Phuong. Some guys may gawk at her, but everyone has been respectful. When the White Monkey is alone, it's a different story.
Classes are going well, especially the kids' classes. Students are focused more on tet than English, which I totally understand. Just like December in the U.S.
I'm cutting back on my teaching hours, which seemed to please the school, and probably the students as well. I want to spend more time with Phuong.
One last note: This is my 100th blog entry. Maybe I'll celebrate by taking a walk. Nah, bad idea.
I had to give up my daily walks. People kept hassling me. Some guys would whistle at me (must be my tight shorts), others would yell "Hey you! hey you!" and a lot of teenagers would say the exaggerated and obnoxious "Helllloooo!" to me. Adding insult to insult was the fact that two places I frequented to buy flowers and nuoc mia tried to rip me off, charging me twice the going rate of what they charged me before. And these are people that see me three or four times a week. Now that's smart, customer-centric business. And one woman wouldn't give me my money back when I refused to pay her higher prices. I actually had to snatch my cash from her wrinkly paws. And finally, one teen on a motorbike nearly ran me over, going out of his way to brush past me, shouting "excuuuse meeee, excuuuse meeee." I was going to give him a forearm to the head and knock him off his bike, but there was a teenage girl on the back of his bike. She apparently admired his behavior, because she was laughing and pointing at me the whole time. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think the boy was showing off for the girl. I guess it doesn't matter. Long story short ... the walk is finished ... forever. Oh, and I took my walks between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Must be a dangerous time to walk here.
Phuong and I are heading to Thailand on Sunday. Can't wait. Even bought some sun block.
Our tennis matches are getting more heated, and it isn't just the weather. Our time expired with the set tied at 5-5 the other day. And there's lots of running now because the points last longer. Fun stuff, even at 7 a.m. After tennis, we grab a coffee by the river. It's quite pleasant. In fact, I never get hassled when I'm with Phuong. Some guys may gawk at her, but everyone has been respectful. When the White Monkey is alone, it's a different story.
Classes are going well, especially the kids' classes. Students are focused more on tet than English, which I totally understand. Just like December in the U.S.
I'm cutting back on my teaching hours, which seemed to please the school, and probably the students as well. I want to spend more time with Phuong.
One last note: This is my 100th blog entry. Maybe I'll celebrate by taking a walk. Nah, bad idea.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Rejected, but it's not over yet
Phuong applied for a tourist visa to the USA so she could come there with me in June when I get some work done on my left eye. She had an interview at the embassy in Ho Chi Minh City and was rejected after two questions: Where's your job contract? Where's your bank statements? Of course, she has no job contract because she's self-employed and we didn't know to bring her bank statements. Interview over -- game, set and match. We can apply again, which we will with hopefully more positive results.
Tet holiday is coming Feb. 19 or so, and everyone here is getting wound up. Lots of absences from class, crazy bike riding (as always) and big crowds everywhere. Prices also rise near Tet. And there's still some time before the big holiday. Brilliantly, Phuong and I are going to Thailand for five days leading up to Tet, so we'll miss the real insanity. We're going to Bangkok and Pattaya beach, so we're pretty stoked about the whole thing.
We're still playing tennis three or four times a week, and I'm devastated to report she has beaten me a couple of times. The sun was in my eyes one time, and I drank too much coffee the other time, but I'm not one to make excuses. Actually, I tell Phuong I hate her because she's gotten quite good in a really short time. She understands, but doesn't care and competes really hard. Oh, and I didn't agree with a couple of her calls on shots that I hit. I'm sure they painted the line, and as everyone knows, my eyesight is amazing.
Some nights I teach at two different locations, and the bike ride is quite the thrill. But after almost two years here, I understand the etiquette. People can cut in front of you, pull out on you, and never use their turn signals. They can stop for no reason, run red lights, ride on the sidewalks, and generally put your life in jeopardy at every intersection. But here's the catch, or etiquette. You can do the same stuff, and no one really squawks. I've pulled some really stupid stunts on the bike, and the other drivers didn't flinch. Rules of the road, I guess.
Phuong and I no longer get the creepy looks when we're out together. I think people are used to seeing us together all the time, so the novelty has worn off. The only place that's a drag for me is COOP Mart, where teenagers say really silly "Hellos" to me, people stare at me, everyone cuts in line or bangs into me, and the workers there ignore everything I try to say in Vietnamese. I very rarely go there, obviously, but it's the only place that sells this soap I really like, so when I do go I'll buy every bar in the store.
We've had a stretch of really nice weather here, but the heat is just around the corner. But mornings are very nice, and the 6:30 a.m. bike ride to tennis can actually be, dare I say it, chilly.
Miss my family and friends in the USA, but life here with Phuong is fantastic, so no real complaints.
Tet holiday is coming Feb. 19 or so, and everyone here is getting wound up. Lots of absences from class, crazy bike riding (as always) and big crowds everywhere. Prices also rise near Tet. And there's still some time before the big holiday. Brilliantly, Phuong and I are going to Thailand for five days leading up to Tet, so we'll miss the real insanity. We're going to Bangkok and Pattaya beach, so we're pretty stoked about the whole thing.
We're still playing tennis three or four times a week, and I'm devastated to report she has beaten me a couple of times. The sun was in my eyes one time, and I drank too much coffee the other time, but I'm not one to make excuses. Actually, I tell Phuong I hate her because she's gotten quite good in a really short time. She understands, but doesn't care and competes really hard. Oh, and I didn't agree with a couple of her calls on shots that I hit. I'm sure they painted the line, and as everyone knows, my eyesight is amazing.
Some nights I teach at two different locations, and the bike ride is quite the thrill. But after almost two years here, I understand the etiquette. People can cut in front of you, pull out on you, and never use their turn signals. They can stop for no reason, run red lights, ride on the sidewalks, and generally put your life in jeopardy at every intersection. But here's the catch, or etiquette. You can do the same stuff, and no one really squawks. I've pulled some really stupid stunts on the bike, and the other drivers didn't flinch. Rules of the road, I guess.
Phuong and I no longer get the creepy looks when we're out together. I think people are used to seeing us together all the time, so the novelty has worn off. The only place that's a drag for me is COOP Mart, where teenagers say really silly "Hellos" to me, people stare at me, everyone cuts in line or bangs into me, and the workers there ignore everything I try to say in Vietnamese. I very rarely go there, obviously, but it's the only place that sells this soap I really like, so when I do go I'll buy every bar in the store.
We've had a stretch of really nice weather here, but the heat is just around the corner. But mornings are very nice, and the 6:30 a.m. bike ride to tennis can actually be, dare I say it, chilly.
Miss my family and friends in the USA, but life here with Phuong is fantastic, so no real complaints.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
OK, I lost my temper
I lost my cool the other day. For the most part, I've accepted the cultural differences here that I don't care for, such as people cutting in line, or ignoring driving lanes and traffic lights, or telling me how fat and old I am. Some (not all) folk are extremely blunt. But I've been extremely Gandhi-like. Until Wednesday morning. Phuong and I were playing tennis when the next group showed up for doubles. They were 20 minutes early, so they sat courtside, and one guy was talking so loud while we were finishing a set that he was a distraction, to say the least. We finished the set anyway and were volleying, but the guy kept flapping his jaw the entire time. His partners talked, but weren't nearly as loud or obnoxious. I looked over a couple of times, but the big-mouth didn't give a crap. So I took action and slammed a tennis ball at him, and it hit the fence next to his head so hard that he flinched. He responded by asking: "What wrong you? What wrong you?" I gave him the icy Vietnamese stare and said in my wretched Vietnamese: "Toi khong tot." I think that means I'm no good, but my Vietnamese is wretched. His friends kind of smirked, so I think they enjoyed my hot-tempered reaction. The big-mouth toned it down because I got his attention. I hate to be an a--hole, but sometimes there's no other option.
Phuong and I have an odd neighbor (and who doesn't?). This guy was singing karaoke into his gigantic sound system at 10:44 p.m. so loud that our walls were shaking.We could barely hear each other talk. You could hear this num-nuts all over the neighborhood. But nobody complained. That's not done here, I'm told, because people don't want trouble. Screw that. For me, this was too much, so we knocked on his door (actually, Phuong had to walk into the house because he and his wife couldn't hear the knocking). We asked politely if he could turn off his music and singing, and he did. Problem solved.
I guess I'm just too big for this country. Our bathroom mirror is so short it reflects my chest and stomach. I have to squat down to see my face in the mirror. Our sink is tiny, and Phuong was upset when I was tossing dishes around due to lack of space.
Food is great here because Phuong is a great cook -- we have octopus, beef, shrimp, awesome chicken, clams, duck, kim chi and everything else. That's why I'm so fat, or so I'm told.
Phuong has applied for a travel visa and we hope to visit the USA in June. We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Classes and students are wonderful. I returned to Long long long long Thanh on Wednesday after some time away, and it was cool to see the kids again. One class was shocked at my massive frame. Good times.
Oh, one funny thing. I saw a woman cut in line to get communion from the priest at last Sunday's mass. Had to laugh at that, although no one really smiles during church services here.
Phuong and I have an odd neighbor (and who doesn't?). This guy was singing karaoke into his gigantic sound system at 10:44 p.m. so loud that our walls were shaking.We could barely hear each other talk. You could hear this num-nuts all over the neighborhood. But nobody complained. That's not done here, I'm told, because people don't want trouble. Screw that. For me, this was too much, so we knocked on his door (actually, Phuong had to walk into the house because he and his wife couldn't hear the knocking). We asked politely if he could turn off his music and singing, and he did. Problem solved.
I guess I'm just too big for this country. Our bathroom mirror is so short it reflects my chest and stomach. I have to squat down to see my face in the mirror. Our sink is tiny, and Phuong was upset when I was tossing dishes around due to lack of space.
Food is great here because Phuong is a great cook -- we have octopus, beef, shrimp, awesome chicken, clams, duck, kim chi and everything else. That's why I'm so fat, or so I'm told.
Phuong has applied for a travel visa and we hope to visit the USA in June. We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Classes and students are wonderful. I returned to Long long long long Thanh on Wednesday after some time away, and it was cool to see the kids again. One class was shocked at my massive frame. Good times.
Oh, one funny thing. I saw a woman cut in line to get communion from the priest at last Sunday's mass. Had to laugh at that, although no one really smiles during church services here.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Aging in Vietnam
Birthdays, like death, are inevitable. I had one Friday. Normally, I don't like my birthday, but now that I can share it with my beloved Phuong, getting older isn't so terrible. I don't know about death yet, but I'll find out eventually. Like I tell my students, "We're all going to die. Everyone in this room will die." The students always laugh when I say this, for some reason, so it's all OK.
I returned to the USA for a few weeks and had a fine time, but the chilly weather was a little rough for me. I've been in the heat of Vietnam so long that my body is starting to change a little. Actually, I came back to Vietnam Dec. 10 and found the warmth quite enjoyable. December is a good month weather-wise here. People still cut in line and ride their bikes like knuckleheads, but I'm no longer shocked by any of this. I still say "please" and "thank you," by the way.
I saw my children and they're all doing great. Jessica let me stay at her house in Delaware, Ohio, and it's a neat place. She's doing well. So is Caroline, who has a new job and looks fantastic. Jack is busy as hell at law school and with his accounting business. Alec is wonderful, enjoying life as he always does. Friends Ron, John, Tommy and Andy were quite gracious and hospitable. My brother Tom put me up for about a week and beat my old ass in tennis twice. I blame my glasses and poor vision, so once I get contact lenses, I'll destroy him on the courts. My ex-wife Lynda cooked a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner which I enjoyed with the kids.
I didn't like driving a car in the U.S. because of traffic, the little car I had (my fault for making a poor choice), and my vision. I went to the eye doctor and she wants to do a little work on my eyes next year. Can't wait. Otherwise, no issues. My house looks good, Yellow Springs was chill as usual, and Glen Helen was awesome as usual.
The highlight of my trip was coming back to Phuong in Vietnam. She was waiting for me at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City. We hugged and kissed in the car -- like teenagers -- the entire ride back to Bien Hoa.
I start work on Monday, and I really look forward to seeing the students again. I missed teaching, but enjoyed the time off. Needed a break. Now I'll take by jet-lagged butt to bed. It takes a week or so to adjust to the change of time and whatnot. But I'm back home with Phuong and teaching again, so life is good. Too bad we're all going to die.
I returned to the USA for a few weeks and had a fine time, but the chilly weather was a little rough for me. I've been in the heat of Vietnam so long that my body is starting to change a little. Actually, I came back to Vietnam Dec. 10 and found the warmth quite enjoyable. December is a good month weather-wise here. People still cut in line and ride their bikes like knuckleheads, but I'm no longer shocked by any of this. I still say "please" and "thank you," by the way.
I saw my children and they're all doing great. Jessica let me stay at her house in Delaware, Ohio, and it's a neat place. She's doing well. So is Caroline, who has a new job and looks fantastic. Jack is busy as hell at law school and with his accounting business. Alec is wonderful, enjoying life as he always does. Friends Ron, John, Tommy and Andy were quite gracious and hospitable. My brother Tom put me up for about a week and beat my old ass in tennis twice. I blame my glasses and poor vision, so once I get contact lenses, I'll destroy him on the courts. My ex-wife Lynda cooked a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner which I enjoyed with the kids.
I didn't like driving a car in the U.S. because of traffic, the little car I had (my fault for making a poor choice), and my vision. I went to the eye doctor and she wants to do a little work on my eyes next year. Can't wait. Otherwise, no issues. My house looks good, Yellow Springs was chill as usual, and Glen Helen was awesome as usual.
The highlight of my trip was coming back to Phuong in Vietnam. She was waiting for me at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City. We hugged and kissed in the car -- like teenagers -- the entire ride back to Bien Hoa.
I start work on Monday, and I really look forward to seeing the students again. I missed teaching, but enjoyed the time off. Needed a break. Now I'll take by jet-lagged butt to bed. It takes a week or so to adjust to the change of time and whatnot. But I'm back home with Phuong and teaching again, so life is good. Too bad we're all going to die.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Fix-it for cheap
Three times in the past month I've been wowed by the work of Vietnamese fix-it folk. I rolled over on my glasses and snapped a tiny wire that held my left lense in place. My eyes are about as good as my Vietnamese, so I had to do something. I have spare glasses, but the prescriptions are weak, and that's a guaranteed disaster on the motorbike here. But my fiance Phuong took the glasses and lense to a shop she knows and the guy was able to replace the tiny wire and secure the lense in less than an hour at a cost of 10,000 dong, which is about 50 cents U.S. Amazing. The soles were coming off my beloved sneakers that my daughter Jessica picked out for me in the U.S. (The heat is rough on shoes here.) I was ready to toss them, but fiance Phuong came to the rescue again. She knows a shoe repairman in the Bien Hoa Market area and he replaced both soles ... for about $2 U.S., or 40,000 dong. As some of my Vietnamese students like to say: "Unbelievable!" Finally, my room air conditioner wasn't giving me the big chill I wanted, but guess what? Phuong knew a cleaning service that came out to my house and spent more than a hour washing and scrubbing and adjusting the air conditioner. Now my room is an icebox and I love it. Oh, and it cost 60,000 dong or so -- $3. In my opinion, there's no such thing as too cool. All the repairmen did good work, and they were prompt and friendly. And of course, Phuong is perhaps the most wonderful human being on planet Earth. But I notice that almost everyone here likes to tinker. My students break toys I bring to class, and then they fool around with them for a short while and fix them. They're patient and clever, two attributes I'm sadly lacking as I muddle through life.
I'm in a good food rhythm here now that I've overcome food poisoning at an outdoor restaurant. And it only took me five days to get better. The chicken here is awesome, the pork is fantastic, and the clams and oyster are excellent and reasonably priced. Phuong is a great cook, so I'm blessed again. The beef here is pretty mediocre, but I'll eat it once in a while because I like meat.
There is a down side to having a beautiful and talented and wonderful fiance. A lot of Vietnamese men come on very strong to Phuong. They're a-holes of course and Phuong is very cool about it. She basically tells the guys that she's married and that they can go home to their wives, mom, or grandma. Or all three. Of course the chuckleheads do this crap in front of me, but they speak Vietnamese with smirky smiles on their smirky faces. I guess I deserve it for having such a beautiful fiance, but I don't like it. Phuong tells me to chill out, so I go to my bedroom and turn the air-conditioner down real low.
Phuong and I were playing tennis today, and the doubles teams that took the court in front of us included two guys who smoked cigarettes while they played. I should have taken a picture, but I was too busy smoking a cigarette after I thoroughly thrashed Phuong in tennis. Actually, we just volleyed and it was great fun, except for the incredible heat. I drank four bottles of tea and lemonade afterwards.
Classes are going well, even though they're quite plentiful at the moment. But I'm gearing up for my trip to the U.S. next week, so all is well. I'm very sad Phuong isn't coming with me this time, but that will make returning to Vietnam wonderful. I'll miss her so much.
I'm in a good food rhythm here now that I've overcome food poisoning at an outdoor restaurant. And it only took me five days to get better. The chicken here is awesome, the pork is fantastic, and the clams and oyster are excellent and reasonably priced. Phuong is a great cook, so I'm blessed again. The beef here is pretty mediocre, but I'll eat it once in a while because I like meat.
There is a down side to having a beautiful and talented and wonderful fiance. A lot of Vietnamese men come on very strong to Phuong. They're a-holes of course and Phuong is very cool about it. She basically tells the guys that she's married and that they can go home to their wives, mom, or grandma. Or all three. Of course the chuckleheads do this crap in front of me, but they speak Vietnamese with smirky smiles on their smirky faces. I guess I deserve it for having such a beautiful fiance, but I don't like it. Phuong tells me to chill out, so I go to my bedroom and turn the air-conditioner down real low.
Phuong and I were playing tennis today, and the doubles teams that took the court in front of us included two guys who smoked cigarettes while they played. I should have taken a picture, but I was too busy smoking a cigarette after I thoroughly thrashed Phuong in tennis. Actually, we just volleyed and it was great fun, except for the incredible heat. I drank four bottles of tea and lemonade afterwards.
Classes are going well, even though they're quite plentiful at the moment. But I'm gearing up for my trip to the U.S. next week, so all is well. I'm very sad Phuong isn't coming with me this time, but that will make returning to Vietnam wonderful. I'll miss her so much.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
A sick man, indeed
I insisted Phuong join me for dinner at a local dive where I know a couple of people. The place is a little sketchy and the food is so-so at best, but the owner and her daughter are friends of mine. So we went there last Wednesday night. The place is a sometimes hooker hangout, and the male patrons are chuckleheads to say the least. Phuong was wisely reluctant, but I sort of insisted ... so we went. The song You're in the Army Now was looping on the sound system there so we heard it about 15 to 20 times during our dinner of beef, french fries and something Phuong called kettle fish. The good news: The hooker count was low and the chuckleheads didn't hassle us. The bad news: We both got incredible cases of food poisoning. My case was a little more incredible. I'm still quite ill and it's Sunday. Phuong got better quickly. Part of the issue for me is that I'm working so much -- 30 hours of classroom time with some travel on a motorbike and in a car thrown in for good measure. Also, I've got some new children's classes and it's taking time to get them used to my way of teaching. We're slowly starting to mesh but it's been a rocky ride. Ah, that's just shop talk anyway. Who cares?
Phuong is catholic, and I want to support her the way she supports me, so I've been going to mass on Sundays. Bien Hoa has quite a few catholics because the government sent them all here after the U.S. left Vietnam in the early 1970s. At least that's what I've been told. Anyway, mass in Vietnam reminds me of mass in the U.S. about 55 years ago. No one smiles or talks in church. No one. You can't cross your legs. You kneel a lot. The service in very long -- about 70 or 75 minutes. There is a lot of singing, and the words are on TV monitors throughout the church. People still cut you off on their motorbikes when they literally race for a parking space before mass, then they solemnly march into the church. And they cut you off again when they race like heaven out of the parking lot. I mentioned the grim mood of the service to some people and they looked at me like I was out of my sacrilegious mind. "Of course no one smiles," one woman said to me. "It's a church service. We go to worship." OK. I was a catholic school castoff twice in my youth, but I'm doing my best to hang in there with mass. I truly love Phuong.
I'm getting excited about returning to the U.S. in a couple of weeks or so. Can't wait to see my children, and friends, and my house in Yellow Springs. I'm incredibly disappointed Phuong can't join me on this trip, but we'll get to the U.S. together one day. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
I'll finish with some shocking news: It's still hot as hell here, but my godawful skin rash has finally cleared up. I'll have to bring back another souvenir when I return to the U.S.
Phuong is catholic, and I want to support her the way she supports me, so I've been going to mass on Sundays. Bien Hoa has quite a few catholics because the government sent them all here after the U.S. left Vietnam in the early 1970s. At least that's what I've been told. Anyway, mass in Vietnam reminds me of mass in the U.S. about 55 years ago. No one smiles or talks in church. No one. You can't cross your legs. You kneel a lot. The service in very long -- about 70 or 75 minutes. There is a lot of singing, and the words are on TV monitors throughout the church. People still cut you off on their motorbikes when they literally race for a parking space before mass, then they solemnly march into the church. And they cut you off again when they race like heaven out of the parking lot. I mentioned the grim mood of the service to some people and they looked at me like I was out of my sacrilegious mind. "Of course no one smiles," one woman said to me. "It's a church service. We go to worship." OK. I was a catholic school castoff twice in my youth, but I'm doing my best to hang in there with mass. I truly love Phuong.
I'm getting excited about returning to the U.S. in a couple of weeks or so. Can't wait to see my children, and friends, and my house in Yellow Springs. I'm incredibly disappointed Phuong can't join me on this trip, but we'll get to the U.S. together one day. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
I'll finish with some shocking news: It's still hot as hell here, but my godawful skin rash has finally cleared up. I'll have to bring back another souvenir when I return to the U.S.
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