Thursday, May 31, 2012

Raining Cats and Dogs! (Lee)

All day yesterday it was very hot and humid with threatening skies. Sandy kept telling me eventually it will rain hard and the heat will break. I have been awakened by such heavy rains hitting the roof, no thunder, just pounding rain. I have seen people at night asleep on their motor bikes, and one person asleep in a hammock strung between two lamp posts. I wonder how they are tonight...  Goodnight, Lee

Sandy's First Blog

My apologies to our readers for my not getting into this blog stuff as soon as I would have liked, but here you go. This first one was written only a few days ago in the Newark Airport when we did not yet know we would get here okay and that ... well, the trip would get better after the initial surprise! glitch.

I used to say that the hardest thing about travel was getting off the couch, but, given the start of this trip, I would like to modify that statement: the hardest part is getting to the airport, especially when you realize that you have no Plan B. In other words, if I don't get there in time, Lee has no idea what to do. We had no backup plan; we just had Meet at The Airport.

So, to get ready for this venture, I go the clothes washed; the gifts chosen; made arrangements to have the office plants watered,  and for the house and cats to be tended by my dear friend John. And a few days before I left, when the plumber finally came and saw what he did, I even turned off the water to the house and put in stores of bottled water for the cats along with food and litter. I had taken care of everything, or so I thought.

But when on a national holiday at 6.30 a.m. I got in my car to drive to the airport--everybody else I know either asleep or, DUH, having a holiday in their holiday-- a light on the dashboard came on: the engine coolant level. And it made a noise.

This was on a car with a history of electronic quirks: for a while last fall for about a month, before The Great Rain, the sunroof opened whenever I opened the driver's side window. And then it just stopped happening.

So there I was. Which way should I bet? Was this yet another electronic quirk or the more serious problem that the owner's manual said it was? The local weather was supposed to be as hot as Vietnam, but ... well, what exactly does the coolant do and well, how important is it, really? Is it like air conditioning that you can live without if you have to? The owner's manual made it sound life or death. The engine coolant was not the same as my boyfriend Mr. A.C. in Vietnam--nice but I am not going to die, necessarily, without the cool air.

Everybody I knew who had not left town was not an early riser. So I called a cab. (The ride to the airport was expensive enough that I think there might be some virtue in MV's looking at our providing the occasional ride to the airport at the end of the semester, not just at the beginning of the semester.) But it got me there.

And I live to tell about it.

On the bright side: I wrote the first draft of this blog at gate C121 at Newark Airport. Since then, I have learned that my cats are fine, my family is fine, my friends are fine. The car just sits there and so be it. The damage was only monetary except for a pretty frazzled nerve or two there for a while. I will have to get the Jetta to the dealer when I get back--without it exploding, I hope, or whatever might happen--but okay.

So here I am. Outside the sun is just bleaching and  it's hotter than wherever you are (trust me).  I am in  a place with a lot of bang for the traveler buck; a place where the eye never rests; a place that tells you, "Look, look", a place of movement and energy, a place where I sometimes have no idea what is going on but I do pretty well anyway, all things considered. Usually, anyway.

Since this is a blog and not some big Official Essay, let me offer more than one conclusion here, Dear Reader,  in keeping with the abundance--the heat, the light, the greenery, the traffic, the noise, the smiles, the everything-- here in the tropics. You choose:

Sometimes adventure comes to you.

Sometimes adventure starts at home.

It's always good to have Plan B even if you think there is absolutely no need. (That thinking that there is no need may be hubris, plain and simple.)

And to wax philosophical: a poet once had a speaker in his poem say, "I am a part of all that I have met," and that is true, and it is also true that all that I have met is part of me--even the freakin' Jetta and the @#$%^ engine coolant light.

Thanks for reading and please post if the spirit moves ...

Day two in Ho Chi Minh City by Lee

Today was a whirlwind day of shopping and activity. Sandy and I met for breakfast again and I had a combination of typical US breakfast food and a bit of Vietnamese food too. I had a little mini omelet, fried banana (can't get enough of those), boiled sweet potato, and a spring roll.

After breakfast we learned that our afternoon appointment at the consulate office was cancelled. After a moments disappontment we realized that we had a totally free day in Ho Chi Min City to do whatever we wanted. We jumped out of our skirsts and into casual clothes and headed off for more shopping.

All the shops are very small and narrow. Sandy tells me that taxes are based on how wide the building is. The goods are set up far into the street so that nearly every block is like an open air market. Today we went by several beautiful flower shops with flowers I have never seen or smelled before.

Later we finally made it to the official market. It is fascinating to me that raw meat is just sitting out in the open air in this incredible heat. I was thinking that I would probably get some terrible version of food poisoning if I ever ate any of this meet, and then I wondered where the restaurants that I eat at have been getting their meat????!!!! Makes me want to reconsider vegetarianism! I know the seafood must be fresh because fish are kept alive swimming in little bins. Maybe they are kept alive until just before they go in the cooking pan?

In the evening we went to see the War Remnants Museum. It is very sad to see the pictures and artifacts from the Vietnam War, but such a moving and emotional experience to see the war from the Vietnamese perspective. It was especially sad to see the lingering effects of agent orange and the on-going suffering of those born with congenital anomolies attributed to agent orange.

On the brighter side, they did have a large section of the museum with drawings depicting peace and hope that were made by children. These pictures were beautiful and showed remarkable talent and optimism for a future marked by peace. My favorite picture drawn by a child was a picture of the world with trees and animals and a river running through it. There were outstretched hands reaching towards the earth in peace. The hands were all different colors recognizing different races. When you see the war through Vietnamese eyses in the War Remnants Museum, it is a very hopeful thing to see the optimism of children for the future.

After that it was off to the Water Puppet Show, which was a lot of fun. Very colorful with dragons, brightly colored fish, and all kinds of splashing and playfullness. At the end one of the dragons was even breathing fire!!

We met an Australian Bloke at the water puppets show. I think he was so relieved to be amongst English speaking people that he just latched right onto us and was talk, talk, talkin. Wherever you are Damon from Australia have a good night and safe travels.

It's time for me to start packing up all my stuff to get ready for the journey to the Mekong Delta tomorrow. I am very excited to see parts of Vietnam outside the city and am looking forward to arriving at KGCC. Goodnight family, friends, coleagues, and anyone else who cares to read about our adventures in Vietnam. Lee

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

First Full Day Behind Us! (Lee)

Hi All,
Sandy and I had a wonderful first day! She is showing me all the wonderful sights and is watching over me like a very protective momma. You should all google crossing the street in Vietnam or in Ho Chi Min City and look for video of this experience. Then you will know why I need a protective momma!

On our first day we met for breakfast bright and early at 0730. Breakfast is included with our hotel room. You can get a wide range of "breakfast items". I had a little bit of pankake and these cute little teeny weeny omeletts along with a mini "hombuger" complete with lettuce, tomato and what I thought was ketchup. I don't know what the red stuff actually was, but it wasn't ketchup--delicious though, sort of sweet. I also tried a batter dipped, deep fried banana that was out of this world!

Next we ventured out into the city and met with Rad Kivette from the Vina Capital Foundation. His group is working to improve health care access and outcomes for poor children in Vietnam. He was very knowledgeable and just a wonderful resource regarding health care in Vietnam. It is also nice that he is from North Carolina originally, so we could relax and enjoy communication in our native tongue. If anyone is interested in learning more about the Vina Capital Foundation there is a website at www.vinacapitalfoundation.org

After our meeting it was already time for lunch. I had pho, which is soup, but it is much heartier than soup in the US. It comes with a plate of extra vegetables, herbs, and bean sprouts to throw in fresh. I had forgotten to bring my "cheater chopsticks" with me from the hotel, but I did very well eating soup with chopsticks--and I only wore a very little bit of my soup!

Next we went shopping for a silk jacket for Sandy, but struck out there. Then we popped into the Sheratin to check out Spa prices. We might just get a little pampering while we are here.

Then it was time for the after lunch nap, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I listened to someone singing music from the Phantom of the Opera on television as I fell asleep. He was a Vietbamese singer, but his English pronunciation was perfecto! It was lovely.

After our nap we went for a walk to see the sights and power shop. The people are very kind. They seem to realize that I am a bit out of my element. It is such an unusual experience to look out into a sea of faces and no one is like me. No one looks like me or sounds like me or can really know how different the rhythms of this City are compared to what I am accostomed to.

At one little shop the young woman who took care of my purchases spoke little English, but was able to convey to me that I should keep my purse zipped and in front of me and hang onto it tightly. She also showed me not to let my camera dangle from my wrist by its cord, but to keep it firmly in my hand. I was so moved by the care and concern she showed to someone she didn't know at all and would probably never see again. I felt like we touched hearts--it was nice to receive such kindness from a stranger. Lee

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

We Made It! (Lee)

Hi Everyone,
Sandy and I have arrived safe and sound. We are both glad to be done with flying for a couple weeks. I was feeling a little tired and not quite myself. My hotel room is 117 and I was thinking it would be on the first floor--turns out it was on the 11th floor. So just finding my room was my first Vietnam Adventure!

We will settle in for a good rest. It is 2:00 AM here, and then be up bright and early to enjoy all the sights of Ho Chi Min City. If anyone is curious about what the hotel is like, they have a web site at www.lanlanhotel.com.vn  

I almost forgot, we did have a little adventure on our longest flight from Newark to Hong Kong. They made an announcement over the loudspeaker asking for a doctor. I didn't see anyone responding, so I asked if I could help. One of the flight attendants was having an allergic reaction to something and her face was swelling up. I couldn't do too much other than offer her some allergy medication that I had and stay with her awhile to make sure she didn't run into trouble breathing. A doctor did come up front after a bit, but he only spoke Mandarin so he wandered back off when he saw she had someone to look after her.

The flight attendants were all so nice and grateful that I came forward that they gave me a big bottle of champagne from first class. Unfortunately it was confiscated on the next leg of our journey. Oh well--easy come, easy go! Good night all,  Lee

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Directions ;-)

I have received emails from family and friends wondering how you post a comment. To post a comment, click on the title of the post that you want to comment on. I posted a practice comment by clicking on where it says "Getting ready" underneath the heading "Blog Archive". The Blog Archive is on the right above my picture. Hope this helps. Happy posting. Lee

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Getting Ready (Lee)

Hi Everyone,
I thought I better practice blogging before I leave the country. Knowing I can accomplish this task will give me one less thing to worry about.

I am finally packing the last few things and getting ready to head to Vietnam. I can't believe my good fortune to have this wonderful opportunity. Thank you to all my friends and colleagues at MVCC who are wishing me well and sending me on my way.

As I put everything I can possibly think of that I might need into my luggage--it occurs to me that baggage inspectors in other countries must think Americans are terrible hypochondriacs. Oh well--if either Sandy or I don't feel well in any way--I think I've got it covered.

The baggage inspectors may also wonder about the wide range of odd looking breasts in my luggage too...

Good night everyone, Lee