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.
 • • •
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.
• • •
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.
• • •
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.
• • •
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.
• • •
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.
• • •
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.
• • •
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.

Same normal here; child care; remembering mom

The new normal in Vietnam is starting to feel a lot like the old normal. Motorbike traffic is reckless and ruthless again. Big cars are racing up and down small streets. At the popular coffee shops you see lots of mask-less young people not overly concerned about social distancing. The coronavirus never really got a foothold here, so maybe locals aren't quite as concerned as the rest of the world. The government closed the borders as soon as news broke about the virus in Wuhan, China. Then Vietnam focused on contact tracing to control the spread. A few towns in northern Vietnam near the border with China were quarantined shortly after the virus began to spread. There have been no reported deaths here and the overall number of cases is 334 as of May 25. We are not completely opened up here with some limits on restaurants, and a few more people wear masks in supermarkets, but it's not a dramatic change by any means.
The first thing I do in the morning is check virus numbers for the United States. My wife does the same. We're horrified, of course, since the U.S. is at 100,000 deaths under the leadership of President Donald Trump. Brazil, under the leadership of President Jair Bolsonaro, sometimes called the Trump of the Tropics, has been climbing rapidly and now is No. 2 in cases with 394,507, including 24,593 deaths.

* * *

My wife Phuong is steadily and slowly recovering from her c-section and the birth of Elijah. My back and knee won't heal, but I'll never have to go through nine months of a difficult pregnancy followed by hours of intense labor, a c-section and lots of bleeding. Luckily, Phuong can handle all things Elijah while I take care of all things Joanna. I do what I've always done with Joanna: read, go to coffee shops, draw a little on the white board, go shopping, and write letters of the alphabet. We have picnic lunches together, which means I have to sit on our very hard floor. Joanna loves shopping and finally she's responding to my request not to take off running and disappear in a big supermarket or store.  But she insists I carry her on my shoulders when we walk to the market or coffee shop. Oddly, this weighted walk has helped my back somewhat. It makes no difference on the knee, which has developed a mind of its own, buckling when I least expect it and staying stable when I expect a collapse. Joanna also loves videos, and has figured out to start a computer, track down YouTube videos and stay entertained for hours. She enjoys phonics videos now (Peppa Pig is yesterday's news) and understands the concept of sounding out letters and words. That should be a handy skill when she starts pre-school / kindergarten next week. Joanna is sweet to her brother, but I sense she's ready to branch out.

* * * 

My mom died 14 years ago on May 25; she was generous, hardworking and remarkably under-appreciated. She cared more for others than herself, and I think this ultimately led to her demise.
Gertrude Millman was a fighter with a heart of gold. And as my mom would say: That's no BS. I wish I had paid more attention to the example she set with her work ethic and self-sacrifice. I found out after she died following a too long struggle with Alzheimer's that her given name was Joanna, but somehow that got changed to Gertrude on her birth certificate. Her Ukrainian parents didn't protest and Gertrude it was. My 3-year-old daughter Joanna is named for my mom. Joanna sometimes has a fierce temper, but overall she's sweet and caring. I know my mom would have adored her as well as Joanna's 3-week-old brother Elijah, named after my great-grandfather on my dad's side of the family. I don't know much about him other than the fact he was a farmer, had 11 kids, supposedly could open a clam with his bare hands and spelled his name with one 'l' -- Milman. Elijah Milman makes for a good story and wonderful name to give to my child.

Baby boy brings us joy; taxis reject me so I take long walk

My wife Phuong endured a short but painful labor that ended in a c-section and the birth of a healthy boy -- Elijah Pham Millman -- on May 6 at 3:45 a.m. Mom and baby are doing great now. There was some concern about blood loss by Phuong, but all turned out well. We're both happy beyond belief. I wasn't at the hospital -- Phuong's mom went with her. I stayed at home with Joanna, cooking, cleaning and trying to handle a little girl whose become quite a handful, especially with mom having a difficult pregnancy and then disappearing one night. We explained the situation to Joanna, and I think she got most of it. Anyway, only one person was allowed to accompany the moms-to-be in the hospital due to coronavirus fears. Phuong went to the hospital late on Tuesday night, gave birth Wednesday, and returned home Saturday afternoon. Not bad for a woman who had a c-section. She's tough.

* * *

I fell down our stairs carrying laundry and bent my left knee well beyond its normal limits. The good news is that knee pain took my mind off my sciatica.  I had to man-up the next day when I took Joanna shopping at Vincom. After buying clothes and groceries for the family, I stood outside the mall and tried to hail a taxi. Three taxi drivers about 20 feet away laughed at me and Joanna, and refused to give us a ride. I'm not sure why. Maybe we weren't going far enough. (Joanna used up my cell phone's battery watching videos in the mall, so we were sort of stuck.) One of the drivers walked up to me basically to start a confrontation, I guess, laughing and waving his hand at me. This is the third time I've been refused a ride by taxis outside Vincom. Here's where I manned up. I ignored the driver, of course, then covered Joanna's head with a t-shirt I had just bought, put her on my shoulders, and walked 1.6 miles home in 99-degree heat along a dirty, dusty and dangerous road (Vo Thi Sau) that was having construction work done on the gutters and shoulders. I didn't even think about my knee during the walk. I was worried about the drivers and if the heat would bother Joanna, but we stopped for water and I dumped cold water over her head twice. She had fun, pointing out the "diggers and excavators" along the way. I don't care when taxi drivers act like this to me, but I was flabbergasted they would do this to a 3-year-old girl. As long as the knee holds up, I'll walk.

* * *

I've enrolled Joanna in a pre-school here since Phuong's U.S. visa interview has been indefinitely postponed due to coronavirus. School is from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a break roughly from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and nap. We'll see how it goes. Lockdown ended here late April and early May, but Joanna has been bored. The heat doesn't help -- it was 93 at 8 a.m. this week. Classes are taught in Vietnamese with an hour or so of English every day. Joanna only speaks English but can understand a little Vietnamese when pushed. Being bilingual can only help her.

* * *

We've had 318 total cases of coronavirus in Vietnam. The U.S. currently has more than 90,000 deaths from the virus, so I'm going to say we're fortunate to be where we are. That's one of the reasons we enrolled Joanna in school. Along with everyone else, we have no idea what the future holds.

Vietnam may lift lockdown; U.S. immigration ban impact

Vietnamese officials are meeting today (Wednesday, April 22) to decide when and how to reopen the economy. It appears the lockdown extension could be lifted  a week early -- sometime next week. Vietnam will have gone more than three weeks with everything but supermarkets shut down. There have been only 268 cases reported here, with no fatalities. A former student of mine noted that Vietnam is a young country -- 60 percent of its 97 million citizens are 30 years old or younger. Coronovirus hits everyone, of course, but seems especially devastating to people 65 and older. Police are reportedly tracking down every suspected case and those with symptoms are immediately taken to a hospital for evaluation. I have no idea how officials conduct testing for the virus, but I'm pleased to say the situation appears under control at the moment. It's a good thing. It's very unlikely hospitals here could handle a huge influx of coronavirus patients. None of the countries with extremely large outbreaks are able to cope, and these are countries with considerably more resources and wealth than Vietnam ... for example, the United States. Schools will re-open here sometime early May, likely May 4, which means students will have had an unexpected three months off due to the pandemic. Vietnamese officials, unlike some world leaders, took the coronavirus outbreak seriously from the start, closing borders and schools, closely monitoring airport traffic, and investigating all suspected cases. Perhaps the hot weather has been helpful, although Singapore is currently struggling with an influx and it's closer to the equator than Vietnam. We're located 12 degrees N latitude while Singapore is practically on the equator.

• • •

U.S. President Trump's decision to halt all immigration to the U.S., the country which has by far the most coronavirus cases (819,175) and Covid-19-related deaths (45,343) in the world, will at best slow any hopes my family had of coming to the U.S. and at worst end those hopes altogether. Closing the borders to immigrants now seems unnecessarily reactive. That train left the station but President Trump has blamed the WHO, U.S. governors, overly cautious doctors, U.S. states, China, Obama, social distancing and stay at home guidelines and now immigrants for the United States' problems. Don't forget that immigrants are on the front lines in the battle with coronavirus, accounting for 17% of healthcare workers and 24% of direct care workers in the U.S., an official with the National Immigration Forum told the Guardian newspaper. It also looks like I won't get any stimulus money since I'm married to a Vietnamese citizen, although I'm not 100 percent sure about that. I am 100 percent sure I haven't gotten any stimulus money yet, but it would take more than $1,000 or so to stimulate my 65-year-old economy. Xenophobia is a powerful force in the world today, and tragically seems to be gaining momentum. Maybe I'm watching too much CNN. Or not enough.

• • •

My mornings now include the grim routine of checking the website worldometers.info to see how many people have contracted and succumbed to coronavirus. We live in times that I thought only possible in the science fiction books I read. On a positive note along that vein: I've read 136 days in a row according to the Kindle downloaded on my iPhone; I haven't smoked in four years and one month; and haven't had a drink in four months and three weeks. Even an addictive, narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality can produce a few positive results if channeled in a proper direction.

• • •

Medical care is a little bit of a concern for me since I can't really travel to the U.S. even though I have Medicare. I absolutely must have a specific type of prescription eye drops, so I'm on a mission to find them here. We've got a couple of leads; I'm cautiously optimistic. I refuse to go to a doctor here for my sciatica or back pain, so I'm playing holistic roulette on the internet hoping for results. I made progress with acupuncture but coronavirus halted that option. Now I'm soaking in warm salt water and doing yoga before bedtime, and the results have been promising. I can walk in the mornings and the pain is minimal. In light of coronavirus, I really shouldn't be overly concerned with these types of issues, but I want to continue to be an active part of my family's life.

Lockdown extended; 'mini-gym' entertains our daughter

Vietnam is taking strong steps to control the coronavirus, extending a two-week lockdown that started March 29 until the end of April. As of Sunday, April 12, Vietnam had reported 259 cases nationwide, an incredibly low number if the figures are accurate. My wife went to the supermarket Sunday and had to have her temperature taken to get in, and when it registered a little high, she had to wait for a re-test. She told security her temperature was high because of the weather -- it's been 98 or 99 (degrees Fahrenheit) every day and very humid. And my wife is very pregnant and covered in clothing to protect herself from the sun. After a short wait, her temperature dropped, she passed the re-test and got my yogurt. If her temperature had stayed high, I assume the police would have been called and an ambulance would have taken her to the hospital for further  evaluation. Of course, she had her face mask on, which is a requirement here.

• • •

Admittedly, keeping an active, nearly 4-year-old girl entertained during a lockdown and stifling heatwave presents a serious challenge. But my perceptive wife bought a small, multipurpose mini-gym apparatus for our daughter Joanna that includes a swing, two 'rings' and a wooden ladder on a rope. My daughter loves to climb and creates a lot of anxiety in our house by scaling the banister on our stairs. No more. I praise Phuong every day for this purchase. Joanna has lost interest in coloring and doesn't feel particularly challenged by letter tracing, so the mini-gym has been a God-send. As noted, she's active and needs physical activity, which is difficult under the present circumstances. But the mini-gym has taken a little pressure off mom and dad.

• • •

Joanna and I always wear masks when we take a daily walk at 4 p.m., and the heat makes it uncomfortable. When we get to the park I let her take the mask off and I'll remove mine as well. We'll put them back on when we see people approaching. Most kids don't wear masks and cluster to play football and hang out. I haven't seen police break that up, but police came and told my sister-in-law to remove chairs and tables from her little restaurant and serve takeout only. She had already made the change to takeout only but was lazy about bringing the chairs inside.

• • •

Last week our 77-year-old neighbor died -- a very nice man but a hardcore cigarette smoker -- and the three-day funeral was not very strong on social distancing. Some folks clustered around tables playing cards,and drinking and about 20 percent of those who attended didn't wear masks. Few women smoke in this country but obviously it's difficult for the many men who smoke to puff with a mask on.

• • •

My wife finally got an appointment for her U.S. visa interview, but it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus. I'm not sure what our plans are. Not important at this point.

• • •

 A friend of mine made what I think is an astute observation about the coronavirus, saying as horrible as it is, it gives us a chance to hit the reset button. With lockdowns in place around the world, pollution levels have dropped dramatically. People are spending more time at home, and in some cases that means more time with family. The negative has been overwhelming, but we're nothing without hope. People have a way of finding hope.

Locked down, trying to stay busy in distressing times

Our real coronavirus lockdown began this week as the number of confirmed cases topped 1 million worldwide. Everything but supermarkets shut their doors in Bien Hoa. A couple of odd businesses -- a sports clothing shop and a Korean beauty salon -- stayed open after the lockdown was ordered on Monday. The government sent out a no-nonsense message on Tuesday this week via internet telling residents to mind their social distancing, stay indoors, and forget about shopping (except for necessities) for 14 days. The two businesses closed. On the website worldometers.info, which updates throughout the day, Vietnam has reported 233 cases of the virus overall as of Friday, April 3. The total has been rising about 10 cases a day the past 10 days, so I think the government is trying to snuff out the spread of the virus before it gets a real foothold here and picks up momentum. I have no complaints about how the government here is responding to the crisis.

 • • •

Joanna and I sometimes take a 30-minute walk with our masks on and marvel at the lack of traffic. Kids still play soccer in the street and there are a few badminton players in the park.  Almost all of them are not wearing masks. Joanna is aware that things are abnormal because the coffee shops we frequent together are closed. She doesn't even ask for videos when we watch CNN or France24.
I fill my time with assorted house chores like laundry, dishes, and cleaning. I've been reading everything Jack Vance has written that I can buy on Kindle, but that's been going on for the past 120 days in a row.  Of course there's lots of Joanna care, including two hours of kiddie pool time. I read to Joanna in the morning, and we watch two hours of Peppa Pig videos each day. I know that's a lot, but we are locked down and Peppa Pig is quite entertaining, even for adults. I also listen to a slew of Brian Jonestown Massacre music I purchased on iTunes and Amazon.  I got on board after watching the documentary Dig! on YouTube. I stopped teaching.  I'll resume when the 14-day isolation period ends. My pregnant wife is enduring, but it's not easy. At least her back pain subsided.

• • •

Rainy season is approaching and more folks tend to get sick in Vietnam this time of year, but I have no idea how rainy season will affect the spread of the coronavirus. This virus seems resilient regardless of weather conditions since it has spread to more than 200 countries in both hemispheres.
My heart goes out to anyone suffering from this virus, but I feel especially distressed for the U.S., Italy and Spain.  If blogspot stats are to be believed, I have more readers from Italy and the U.S. than any other countries the past two years. Be careful and follow the guidelines, folks.

• • •

I have read about and I have watched officials on TV who were dismissive about the virus when it was initially identified and started to spread. Some are even dismissive now, especially about the guidelines and tactics recommended by scientists to combat the virus. I don't think a comment about these people is particularly necessary from someone like me. The soaring death count, especially in the three countries I mentioned, speaks volumes about their comments, actions and attitudes.