My Love returns

What a sight for sore eyes! The last 6 weeks have given her skin a more golden hue and her hair is as gray as mine.

Yesterday, she arrived at SEATAC about 11:00 and cleared customs in less than an hour. We gathered the luggage and made our way back home. Stopped by Costco for some groceries and a hot slice of pizza; yum!!!

Here is a picture of our Thursday group from Nov 19th, courtesy of my friend Doug Greene.

We talked some about the language and she assures me that she can (and will) teach me to converse in Vietnamese during these next 11 months before our return. Our friend Bao has promised to study English too. I guess time will tell.

I've mentioned the school we want to convert into a reading room for the local kids. We still don't have permission from the government, but thought I'd share this picture of it. I really don't think the building is in such bad shape. It just needs a face lift and some paint; and maybe some electricity and water and septic...





Speaking of the kids and our Thursday get togethers. Here is shot of yours truly preparing the popcorn for my little friends. The popcorn and candy is fun and I enjoy doing it. The kids seem to like it too.

We have assurances that these will continue in our absence. I hope so. There is no way to know how much a single act of kindness can affect the life of a child. Imagine the opportunity to sow good seed into their lives every week. What a privilege.

Reflections

I'm still sorting thru my thoughts about the trip but here are some preliminary observations. I'll need to work over my priorities for the coming year.

It is clear to me that the area we're in offers much in the way of opportunity to serve. This comes with some mixed feelings however. I am more aware than ever of how backward the culture is, and how great is the need. We will need to refine the scope of our plans or we will be overwhelmed.

Developing ability to communicate in Vietnamese is clearly one of my highest priorities, for without it I am sort of a fifth wheel. With it our effectiveness would be more than doubled.

I'm challenged to accept what I would call barbarity or cruelty. I refer to the lack of what I consisder basic care for animals. Then there is the inattention/neglect of the children.

The harvest is great, but the laborers are few.

Homeward Bound

Bags are packed, ready to go... Checked email and chat with Michael in the states.

Last night we had dinner with Anthony and Kieu, Richelle couldn't come. Then took a ride on the river boat. Got back around 9PM and collapsed into bed.

Tuesday Morning got to the airport around 9:30 - 10AM for my 11:30AM departure on China Airlines. Requested a better seat than the one I had before and got bumped into business class at no charge for the trip to Taipei. What a treat! Made a similar request for the longer trip from Taipei to Seattle and was pleased to be moved to as seat that was still coach, but had an empty seat beside it. This seat had an armrest that could be raised out of the way allowing me to partially unfold my legs; not perfect but better than expected.

Arrived in Seattle the same time I left Saigon; 11:30AM Tuesday morning. Cleared customs in short order and started looking for my ride. Some how we missed each other for an hour and a half. Finally connected around 13:00 and drove home. Quick meal and into bed. It's odd how you wake up and think you're still in VN the first night.

Wednesday, waded thru a mountain of mail (mostly junk). Slept most of the day and then went to Dad's and visited til the evening. Barbara and Karen prepared a smoked Turkey and man did it taste good Thursday at Bob & Linda's. Didn't get home til 22:00 (10PM) pretty tired.

Loaded my pictures from the trip to the internet. Here is the link.

Monday Morning

We got up and met Richelle for breakfast near the Ben Thanh market. It was good to see her again and catch up on her experiences and insights. She has great stories to tell and humorous observations, as well as weighty comments about the problems of this culture. We plan to gather this evening with her and Anthony & Kieu.

Then we went for a haircut, shave, shampoo and facial massage. Anh got great treatment and lots of it(sans the haircut and the shave). The gal who cut my hair couldn't quite figure out how to make both sides about the same. We finally gave up and reasoned that we could have it fixed if we stopped her before she'd gone too far. She started to dry shave me; WHOA big fella! We switched off to another girl and she gave me the TLC I was looking for. But prices in this part of town are too high; it was about $5 USD.

Today we need to confirm my flight out tomorrow and pack whatever impedimentia is going with me. I'm hoping my uneasy stomach will straighten up and fly right this PM.

It occurs to me that I haven't filed my after action report on our second Thursday (last) story time. We had between 40 & 50 kids show up. There were also half a dozen adults. Anh had purchased toothpaste and brushes and she distributed to the older kids, but they went really quick. Of course we had a big supply of popcorn and candy. The story was about Jonah and the great fish. The program runs for about an hour but they kept coming and didn't leave until about 6:30. Some of the late comers came because they heard we were giving stuff for free. While we want to be generous, we don't want to establish a precident of coming at all hours for handouts. So Anh nipped that in the bud in her own tactful way. The kids here are for the most part unruly, and poorly behaved. I think it is from lack of training in the home.

Back in Saigon (again)

We just got into Saigon and are checked into a small room very close to the center of town. The drive was long. They always are unless you're unconscious. We are here because my flight leaves Tuesday and I need to be on it.

Before leaving this morning, we visited Anh Vu (the captain of the hamlet). Getting there was mostly off-road travel and that isn't easy on the Attila motor bike. I think I probably exceed the design load for the bike... Anyway, they have a small, very humble home but they extended their hospitality to us. That included tea seated on the ground and then a hard boiled egg for each of us. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I hate hard boiled eggs, so I smiled and down the hatch. I declined the second egg by explaining that my doctor wants me to stay away from eggs.

We also took a tour of another 2 hectare piece of ground. I'm starting to feel like a land baron... We will soon need to figure out what to do with all this dirt. Anh probably already has plans. That's the kind of girl she is.

The way people drive here never ceases to amaze me. And I've seen lots of it. I don't think I could describe it adequately; you just have to see it to believe it.

I have not been able to blog as frequently as I had planned. Our house is about 10Km South of Phan Thiet and we don't go to town every day(that's where the Internet cafes are located).

The last few days I was tasked with building a dog house. I had a hammer and a hand saw to work with. We got it done with the help of Anh Vu. Don't you just love a volunteer? He thought my cross bracing was too extreme so it still wiggles a bit. The dogs don't seem too impressed with it. They still camp out on the porch at night.

Also we built a trellis. Rustic is the word that comes to mind. Another one is crude. Our building material consisted of concrete posts for the uprights and eucalyptus trees/branches for the cross members. Of course the cross members hardly ever were long enough so we wired them together to extend their length. It is designed and built with short people in mind, but Anh seems happy with the results.

Am trying to make contact with Richelle but don't have her new cell #.

Will blab more later.

Catching up

It's been quite some time since I had the combination of time and opportunity to update the blog. Of time I have lots, but our house is 10km S of town and I'm often without wheels. Also we have had many visitors. Anyway, since there has been so much time elapsed I think this post may struggle for organization.

Today is Thursday - At three o'clock the neighborhood kids will come and hear Anh tell them a story. Last week it was about Moses and the Exodus and there were about thirty kids. We treat them with popcorn and candy and try to teach them about hand washing and brushing teeth and also introduce some simple English. Last week it was counting 1-5 and 'How are you', 'Fine, Thank you'. They seemed to enjoy it. We give a prize for the one best able to recount the story they heard. I think Doug will be joining us today.

Impound of Hanh's bike - One evening the house keeper loaned Hanh's motorbike to her son. He proceeded to town without a helmet and got the bike impounded. They originally said for thirty days (major bummer). What I learned is that when your bike is impounded here, you not only loose the use of it during the time it's impounded, but the police steal parts from it. What you get back may not be near the bike you had. At times like this, money can come in handy. After two or three days and the paying of some money, she was able to reclaim her bike. They tell me that in December the helmet law will be universal. How that works remains to be seen. Most don't wear them.

Miss Stinky (Co Hoi) here is a picture of the queen of the pups. She is the largest and most aggressive of the 5 puppies. As a result, she is the best fed, because she either steals or intimidates the other dogs.

There is another dog I call 'Skinny' because his bones show. I was not sure initially if he would live because he didn't look like he'd been getting any food. We've been arranging separate dining for Skinny and he seems to be responding. Now he plays and runs and is developing a round little puppy figure.

There is also a really small dog I call 'shorty'. He is irresistibly cute. He gets special dinner seating as well.

Last night we went to dinner with Doug and Mai Greene. I'm enjoying getting to know them. We seem to hit it off right from the start and never lack for things to talk about. They have been coming here since 1990 and so have many interesting tales and observations to share.

Networking - There is a grapevine here that you would not believe. Our friend was in Phan Thiet trying to get a taxi to our house which is near a resort called "Hon Gio". She mentioned Hon Gio and the driver asked if she was looking for the house of the Viet Kieu (That would be us). Here they call Vietnamese that have lived abroad and returned "Viet Kieu" (sp) One gets the impression that everyone knows we are here, and that we are the hot news topic. Go figure...

Internet Cafe - I'm using a different one today. Like all the others I've been in, it is primarily a place for teen aged kids to waste time either playing games or instant messaging. Nothing that would pass for productive time. When I asked about the ability to upload some pictures, the young man asked if my wife was Ngoc-Anh. As it turns out, his name is Bao and he attends the same CMA Church as us. One nice thing about this place is that it has AC and is fairly pleasant. There is currently a lull in the gum chewers and the noise has subsided.

Dick and Dung - We heard good news about Dick's health. He was suffering abdominal discomfort and went to the French hospital in HCMC to be treated. I was told that they'd discovered an ulcer, but Dick tells me that they found nothing.

Hanh has concluded her business and come to reclaim me. So I guess I better wrap this up for now. I'm only going to be here for another week.

Back in the pink

It's Sunday morning and just to bring you up to date, we travelled with our friends from Nha Trang back to Phan Thiet. Then most of us came down with one thing or the other. Any way, it was a few days wasted. The weather has been around 30 C and the humidity is high. So high that it makes the horizon indistinguishable.

This morning we came into town to attend church and then grocery shop and internet cafe. Unfortunately blogging will be very brief today as we have a busy social schedule. Guests are waiting at the house now.

We met an American at church named Doug Greene. He is living in Phan Thiet with his wife Mai (pronounced My). They have been coming here since 1990. I think we will be fast friends and we are already making plans for next year. They live in Oregon during part of the year and snowbird it here. They came to our house and snapped this picture at lunch in our house.

Up to Nha Trang

Monday (yesterday) Nov 5
We started our day with a walk at dawn. Then breakfast; just Anh, Sam (our driver) and me. Everyone else was still in bed. Sam and Anh were discussing spiritual things and the next thing I knew we were praying with Sam. What a great way to start the day!

After breakfast we loaded up the van and headed North along the coast. We went thru Mui Ne and then on up to Phan Rang.

In Phan Rang we met a lady Anh knows. She is building a beautiful house. It's 3 stories and very nicely done. The location is surprisingly remote and to reach it we took a walk thru rice fields. On the third floor there is a commanding view 360 degrees. She and her husband have a home in Los Angeles.

Continuing on to Nha Trang we met up with Dick McKenzie and his wife Dung (pronounced Yung). They have a beautiful home and what a surprise it is to find this place of beauty tucked away down an small nothing alley. We all went out to dinner and then came back to visit. Dick is retired from Illinois and living here in Nha Trang. Their house has an atrium in the center and the two floors surround it. There is a waterfall as you come in and another in the atrium.

Tuesday (Nov 6)
I think we will be here most of today and return to Phan Thiet this evening. Max and Yolie will continue on to Saigon and returning to the Phillipines tomorrow (I think).

I got to sit in on Dick's English class today. There were about 8 people there and Nghia helped us with the computer so that we could load some pictures. After the class I met a young man Troy and his wife Hong. He is a helicopter pilot and so we hit it off right away. He was telling me about some flying opportunities in Thailand. We will definitely be staying in touch.

More good news! Dick and Dung will be joining us for the next fews days in Phan Thiet.

Down to the Delta (and back)

Saturday (22:23 Nov 3) - Today was mostly spent on the road. We went to see some of Anh's relatives. We just got in and are bushed. Will fill in the details later. God answers prayer. We made it back alive.

All rested and coffee'd up; here's a recap of Saturday.

Our day started out slower than expected. The ride we had arranged didn't show. So we had time to drink Cafe sua da (Iced coffee) and meet people on our little back alley. Cafe Sua costs about 5,000 VND or 30 cents US. Starbucks will never make it here!

We visited with a woman who has been selling food on the street corner every day since she was nineteen. That was in 1970. So she has been there on that same corner everyday since about the time I went into the Navy. Her existence is meager by our standards, but she was cheerful and kind.

I also met a couple of Australian tourists on their last day here. He is a retired history teacher and his companion was an adviser in the gov't.

The van arrived and off we went around 11:00. Getting out of town takes a fair amount of time what with traffic, construction and all. Mostly it's the traffic, but I can't describe it; you must see to believe. There is so much construction going on here; bridges, roads, buildings and levys.

We went SW to Me Tho province to a place called Dong Tam where we met one of Anh's cousins and picked up one of her aunts to accompany us on the day's journey. There I saw a 'fish egg tree' and ate some of its fruit. It was good. They also harvested a clump of what turns into seeds from a low growing palm tree. The fruit was white like a Lichee and they scooped it out with a spoon. The one clump yielded a pint or two of the edible stuff.


Then we went to Dong Thap province to a place called Thien Ho It is remote, and right on a river. To get from the town (I guess you'd call it a town) to Anh's Aunt's house there is a narrow trail. To far too walk; so we ride on the back of a Honda. At one point I was pretty certain my driver and I were going in the river, but grace prevailed. We visited this place last year too. Her aunt is in her 80's and showing the miles, but she was glad to see us and a gracious hostess. She is surrounded by kids, grandkids and great grandkids.

Leaving there we went to Vinh Long province thru the city of Vinh Long (where Anh gave birth to Tony) and proceeded to a city by a river. I think the name of the city was Long Ho, but I'm not sure. We were there to see Chi Hanh's floating fish farm. To get there we boarded a narrow motor boat and he took us across the river. It's an interesting operation. It has TV and a place to cook and sleep. They even have a dog which looked like it was starved for attention to me. When they throw the fish food into the pen, it erupts into a feeding frenzy. They are raising a fish called Dieu Hong. It is a white fish and they feed it Tilapia food. Can't imagine living there 24/7 just to feed fish 3 times daily. I'm told the fish mature in about 4 months and a crop yields in excess of 6,000 kilos on the fin.

The sun was setting as we lingered there. Sunsets and sunrises are so beautiful here! Then we motored back and left for our dinner. Dinner for six cost us about $12.00 USD. Our driver was golden; stuck with us all day long and was thoughtful of our comfort. His name is Sum. I fell asleep on the return trip. I was glad to be out of the van, one gets weary of riding after a while. Our transportation costs yesterday were 1,000,000 VND plus 100,000 VND tip and his meals (in USD that's about $65.00. FYI, before the fall of Saigon in 1975 the exchange rate was approx 500 VND to 1 USD.

Sum will be driving us to Phat Thiet today. He will stay with us at the house and then tomorrow drive us to Nha Trang with Max and Yoly.

Back to Saigon

Friday Nov 2 (I think) - Last night it rained. The air smelled so clean and refreshing. Anh and I got up at 03:00 and went out on the patio to enjoy it. There was also an electrical storm and we were without power. At night all the ships are visible for miles at sea due to their lights. You wouldn't know many of them were there but for the lights at night.

We found about 6 puppies being raised in the same pen with the chickens and the geese. You can imagine how they might smell. Well we named one of them Miss Stinky. I think that is something like 'Co Hoi' in Vietnamese. She has since been cleaned up and came out to sit with us during the rain. She is sweet and sticks close to the house. It is not the ideal environment for the puppies as the goose likes to bite.

At 05:00 this morning we boarded a van and came to Saigon. In classic Vietnamese mode, they were not prepared for the four of us (even though they had been told what to expect) and the driver was rude. Always creates a great mood... The guy's driving was truly scary and he didn't seem to mind inflicting his cigarette smoke on the rest of us. I read a couple chapters in my BOLD reading list. Then took a nap. It's better if you don't look at the traffic. The whole trip takes about four hours.

Richelle took us to see her hotel room. Then Anh and I found a couple rooms nearby for us and her friend Max and his wife Yoli. They arrived from the Phillipines around 14:30. While Ahn was picking them up at the airport, Richelle and I enjoyed a couple cold drinks (Coke for her & Mango Smoothie for me) on the roof of the Tax Building. It over looks the statue of Uncle Ho and the roundabout in the center of town. From there we all went to dinner and back to the hotel.

Tomorrow I think we are headed South to see one of Anh's aunts. Max and Yolli are going to see Vung Tao. Richelle has class work to do.

Hello Vietnam

Departed Seattle Oct 29 @ 01:50 for Taipei. I had asked for an exit seat so I could have some exta leg room. Instead there was a bulkhead in front of me. So what I got was less leg room. The seat was a sub-mini micro that was physically impossible for me to wedge myself into and sit normally. No big deal, it's only a 13 hour flight... Unable to sleep in my sub-mini micro seat I watched numerous movies; Die Hard 4, Mr Brooks, icense to wed, You kill me, Sunshine, and Evan Almighty. I don't recommend any of them.

Arrived Taipei approx 06:30 Tuesday morning, had to beat feet to make our connection. They make you go thru a luggage check again. Only two scanners for the whole flight so the line gets pretty slow. Got to the gate and boarded immediately. Departed approx 07:30 for Ho Chi Minh city. My Seat was much better which allowed some snoozing during the 3.5 hour flight.

Arrived HCMC approx 10:00 Tuesday morning (crossed the date line). They have made some nice improvements to the airport facility at HCMC. Before we had to ride a bus from the plane to the terminal, but now they have jetways (the things we take for granted). They also installed a luggage conveyor system (Wow). So we only waited about an hour for our boxes. TSA had opened 2 of the 4 boxes. It feels something like a break-in and it's our own government doing it in the name of 'security'. Can any one tell me which of my constitutional rights were violated?

So about 11:00 AM we stepped out of the terminal to meet the mass of folks waiting for some one. We found our face in the crowd; Chi Hanh. Then we stood around and visited while we waited for our van to arrive. Our friend Richelle was with the van too. It was good to see her and hear of her experiences and observations during her last month in HCMC. She's become
quite good at the language. I know this because Anh was impressed and she's a tough audience. Anyway we put our stuff in the van and set off on our 4 hour road trip to Phan Thiet. I was fairly exhausted and (on the way there) fell asleep sitting up. We arrived sometime around 17:00. I know that because the sun was still up.

Wednesday - We woke a little after 03:00. Tossed and turned and wrote some in my journal. Anh and I went for a walk at 05:30 the sun was coming up. Apparently the flies were awakened by it too, and we were followed by them the entire walk. Met some of the locals on our return walk. One grandmother was walking her 1st grader to school. And we met several workers waiting for their rides to work. We've learned that there is a school near us that is abandoned. The parents are forced to make other arrangements if they want their kids to go to school. Anyway, we are looking into the possibilty of cleaning and rehabing it. After breakfast took the motorbikes South to KeGa. I had a refreshing drink of Vietnamese coffee while the girls wandered around. Took the long way home and had an adventure. Then lunch followed by a luxurious 2 hour nap. It was delightful.

The afternoon was spent driving motorbikes North to Mui Ne. Not much to see, but it was fun. We came back in the dark. By the way, helmets are now required by law, so we wear them. Got home, had dinner, and would have gone to bed, but for the late night visitors. They stayed til almost 23:00.

Thursday - Got up this morning with the sun and took a walk with Anh. Met more folks, including 3 guys returning from their morning swim in the ocean. They asked me if I wanted to go with them tomorrow. What could I say? So 05:00 tomorrow morning they are coming to get me. Some of the neighbor kids paid me a visit while I was having breakfast, so we chatted briefly, gave them each candy and asked them to come back one afternoon next week and we will have popcorn and Anh will tell them a story. Many of these kids are completely unsupervised during the day. We don't want to get into a daycare mode.

Well that brings you up to now. We took a motor bike ride into Phan Thiet to buy some stuff and so I could make this posting. I'm surrounded by kids wasting time playing video games. Yike! Is this really the future of this country?

I was struck by a verse; Mark 4:19. Not the whole verse, but rather a phrase; "the deceitfulness of wealth" it's one of the three primary reasons why peoples' lives don't bear fruit. It makes me wonder how much wealth I have and how much wealth has me.

Don't forget; when you travel all times are local.
More later; I see the girls waiting for me. Never keep a lady waiting...

Preparation

This is not the most fun part of the process, but doing a proper job makes the trip go better.

We will be flying on China Airlines; leaving Seattle at o'dark thirty on the 29th of October. Passports, tickets and visas are all in order. The flight is non-stop to Taipei. That's kind of a misnomer, since every flight should have one stop at least ( and that at the appointed destination). Anyway, we change planes in Taipei and continue on to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City). We are scheduled to arrive at 10AM Monday morning. That would appear to be nine hours but is more like an 18 hour trip.

Packing - Ugh
Normally we like to travel light. It's less work and we don't like to lug any more stuff than is necessary. But this is a little different since we plan on having a home there, it seems appropriate to bring some twigs and feathers to stick in the nest. We are each allowed 2 checked boxes. The maximum weight per box is 70 pounds. The sum of the length, width and height must not exceed 62 inches or we'll have to walk. Finding out that your package is oversize or weight at check-in is no fun.

We are both really jazzed about seeing our new home. It was under construction when we were there last year. The pictures we've seen look nice, so we are anxious to be there. There is so much that we want to do that the mind races and you wonder where to start. I think I'll be starting with plans for a swimming pool and refining the plans for our landscaping. The swimming pool is how we plan to stay in tip top athletic form.

There is also much to do in the area of service. One must never forget that this is a communist country and they take control very seriously. We want to start a reading room for the local kids. Permission to build a school is still going through the department of red tape. It seems ironic to me that the officials we met were very excited about our intention to build a school, yet there is no fast track or sense of urgency about approving our moving ahead with the plan. We need to work on networking to establish ourselves in the community. That part's kinda tough for me since my command of the language is so weak, but I continue to study.