Parker’s Visit

For the last year or so, my dear friend Parker has been telling me he was going to visit Vietnam. I didn’t really believe him after he backed out to go to Texas to train and participate in the Hotter ‘n Hell 100 bike marathon ( an endurance race that pits cyclists against the elements of the hot and windy Texas summer). After that he had a paper to write and then perhaps more training to recoup strength following arthroscopic knee surgery. Then I think he underwent shoulder surgery and laser eye surgery. I heard he had even gone so far as to ask about whether or not he could be included in clinical trials on metabolic changes experienced by tall thin vegetarian Southern-born gents over 65 ... really, I had my doubts that he would ever get here! It reminded me of Errol trying to get out of going to office Christmas parties. People would place bets on what body parts he was going to have operated on or replaced in order to avoid attending the party.

However, a few weeks ago, Parker started making noises like he really was intending to come and then quite a bit of correspondence about dates and flights and air miles and what do you know ... he arrived last weekend! Saturday night at 11 p.m. And I guess you could call this his Saigon Marathon ... he was here just 6 days.

Parker had been here with the US Marine Corps for 13 months in 1967-1968. In fact, when I met him at the University of Western Ontario (he was my Philosophy tutor) in 1969, he had not been out of the service that long. I think he was quite surprised that our friend, Patricia, and then I came here to teach. Over my year and a bit here, he has often remarked on how different our experiences have been. I (and others ) have encouraged him to come and visit - to see the way Vietnam has changed in the intervening years, as well as to meet the wonderful people who live here ... under different circumstances. I am so glad he came ... better late than never.

So, what a whirlwind visit ... on Day 1 we spent a bit of time in District 1, sightseeing, shopping, and setting up a couple of tours. For sure we had to go to Ben Thanh market for nước mía. Jet lag eventually set in and we headed back to District 7, Parker amazing at the traffic all the while. Day 2, while I went to work, Parker went to the Mekong. I had recommended a private guide and it turned out to be a great idea. He got lots of 1-1 conversation with his guide, could leave venues when he felt like it, got back in time to avoid the rainy-season deluge and was happily napping by the time I got home.

That night we went to a unique restaurant, Cục Gạch Quán, which serves Vietnamese country-style food. It is set in a lovely old villa and the architect has designed many nooks and crannies and stairs and various levels and little bridges over a fish pond. Patricia and I went there last Tết and we really enjoyed it then as well.

On Tuesday, Parker had a bit of a chance to explore Phu My Hung on foot and met me at RMIT and off we went to the airport for our trip to DaNang. Parker was stationed near DaNang when he was here in the 60’s and he wanted to see if we could find Hill 55. Luckily there were blogs online by folks who had made this trip before and we had some ideas on how to get there. After checking into the hotel, we went off in search of dinner. We must have walked the only 4 or 5 blocks in Vietnam with no restaurant, so we ducked into a pharmacy and asked for directions and/or a suggestion. The pharmacist and clerk and customer all conferred and decided where we should go, called a taxi, and gave our driver directions. This was very typical of our experience in DaNang. People were very, very courteous and so kind to us. We ended up at a lovely seaside restaurant where we had a nice meal and 333 (ba ba ba) beer with ice.

The next day I enquired about whether or not our hotel could recommend two xe om (motorbike taxi) drivers to take us to Hill 55. It turned out that a security guard on his day off and a buddy were available. Off we went at about 9 a.m. Hill 55 is about an hour out of DaNang ... it is a big area and I fear we only saw a part of it. Parker did not recognize much, as the hill was totally barrren when he was here, while now there are lots of trees and farms and rice paddies down by the river.

There are a couple of war memorials as well as many many cemeteries, one of which seemed to be a war cemetery. Despite the remnants and memories of war, it was an absolutely beautiful day and we both enjoyed being on the back of the bikes.

After riding around Hill 55 for a while, we decided to go to Marble Mountains, a group of 5 prominent hills near DaNang City, where until recently marble was quarried and sculpted. Now I think they bring the marble from further up north or from China.

Our drivers wanted to take us to the shops where they sell all manner of souvenirs and small marble goods, but we decided to go up Thuy Son to see the sights ... Buddhist shrines and caves. First let me say, the stairs are very steep and they are not a uniform height, so it is hard going for the short-legged among us. Throw in overweight and out-of-shape and you can imagine how huffing and puffing was I ...

However, I did make it to the level with 4 Buddhist Shrines and a lookout. We met a very nice monk who was keen to sell us bracelets and encourage us to make donations.

We walked around the back of that pagoda and found more steps straight up. At that point Parker and I parted. He went up into a cave that took him to the summit of the mountain. He apparently had a great view of the surrounding countryside and of China Beach, which is about a 30 km stretch of stunning beach near DaNang. I will have to take his word.

I went into a cave, Huyền Không, which was huge. It was just beautiful, with amazing light streaming in from a hole at the top of the cave. Apparently the large hole was caused by US bombs and the cave had been used as a field hospital by the Viet Cong during the war. The cave has a couple of stalagmites and a number of Buddhist statues and guardian figures. It was cool and quiet and absolutely lovely. It was hard to imagine all that might have occurred within that cave over the hundreds of years it has been used.

We met up with our drivers at the foot of the hill, both of us feeling wobbly in the legs. So we went back to our hotel.

We went along the beach road for part of the way, which made us both want to eat at a restaurant on the shore. So after paying our tour-guides-for-a-day, we hopped in a taxi and headed to the water. We got dropped off at a place called Mỹ Hạnh, which is a seafood restaurant, but they were happy to serve ăn chay (vegetarian) food. We stayed for a while, enjoying the late afternoon light. The entire wait staff was amazed by Parker’s binoculars, which made for a lot of fun. We walked down the beach road a while and marvelled at how the kids could play soccer and high school friends could just wade in the water of the beach in peace, in contrast to how it was 43 years ago. 

Finally we decided it was time to go to the airport. We were quite early, so we upgraded and got into Ho Chi Minh City a couple of hours early. What a trip! We were so fortunate that the weather was absolutely perfect and we were able to see everything (pretty much) that Parker wanted to see.

The next day, I trundled off to work and Parker met my Vietnamese teacher, Thuy, and a Vietnamese guide to go to Củ Chi tunnels. The tunnels are a huge network of tunnels that were immensely crucial to the Viet Cong as there were hundreds of miles of tunnels, with hospitals, storerooms, weapons caches, and so on. Most of the tunnels were protected by traps and spikes and other assorted devices. It must have been hell to be in those tunnels with the rats, snakes, bugs ... I hear malaria was a huge problem in the tunnels. I think Parker was very surprised to discover how influential they were. After that tour, Thuy took Parker to the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. What a day! He got home in time to get ready to go out for Thangksgiving dinner at my boss, Linh, and her husband, Casey’s place. There must have been about 30 or 40 people there ... many of whom were Vietnamese-American or Americans married to Vietnamese nationals. So it was a chance for Parker to meet some different folks. And the turkey was pretty good as well. It was a lovely gathering and a new experience for me, as I have not socialized with those folks before. Then off we went so Parker could pack and get ready to leave on a 6 a.m. flight.

I am sure by now you have twigged to the fact that this is only Day 5 and I already mentioned that he stayed 6 days ... well it’s all about the international date line and 6’s and 7’s ... let’s just say we got up at 2:15 a.m. so Parker could get a 3:15a.m. taxi to the airport so he could get a 6:00 a.m. flight for NOTHING! Yes, upon perusal, his ticket did say Nov 27 not 26 ... so back to bed. I was up at 6 to get ready for school she said in a very tiny voice. Hard day. Parker took his lumps with grace. He walked around Ph My Hung and shopped ... filled my fridge with milk and juice and beer and wine. And slept, the bugger. We went to the ever so fancy schmancy Cham Charm restaurant that evening and did the night time routine all over again. This time he really did go and I just received word he got back to Connecticut safely. Alhamdulillah!

So, whirlwind visit or no, I was very glad Parker came to Vietnam to visit. I enjoyed his company and I am sure I talked his ear off. I think we both find it hard to believe that we have been friends for 41 years. That is a very long time! Sometimes we go for quite a while without contact, but our friendship is an abiding one and very precious to me. What a gift the visit was, lightning or no!

More photos on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/raven_chick

Korea Day at RMIT

Emcees for the Event ... 3rd Semester Bachelor of Commerce and Diploma of Commerce Students

RMIT has many, many student–run clubs and almost every week, there is at least one event put on by students .. this week it seemed there were lots and lots of events, as there were high school student tours guided by RMIT students who go out of their way to make the visit fun and exciting; Teacher’s Day where students were creating photo tributes, serenades and selling flowers and cards for favourite teachers (there's always next year), the campaign "Sympathy is Not Enough" to raise money for flooding victims in the Central Highlands, and the launch of a great initiative called IEU ... I English You ... to try and make our campus more of an English-speaking environment. And I know I have forgotten some ... really, our students are very, very active! But in this blog I am going to tell you about Korea Day.

Although RMIT International University Vietnam is comprised primarily of Vietnamese students, it does live up to its name with an enrolment of approximately 200 international students, about half of which are Korean. I think I may have mentioned that my neighbourhood, Phu My Hung, which was developed by a Taiwanese company, has a lot of Korean residents ... in fact many local businesses, stores, and especially restaurants in District 7 are owned and operated by Koreans.

Many of our Korean students have lived in Vietnam for 6 or even 8 years, and generally I think they like living here. However, they are extremely proud of their national heritage. A couple of years ago, there was a Korean Day at RMIT and it was a rousing success. This year's event followed that lead; Korea Day 2010 was a great initiative on the part of our Korean students, with help from the wider Korean community and the RMIT International Club, and it was a lot of fun!

Brian

Brian, a student in my WPP class last semester had told me about the event, so I had been thinking about it, but even if I hadn’t, the event was marketed very well. Signage, students with great T-shirts, and lots of energy buzzing about. I went to the opening ceremony ... a few speeches and then some entertainment. First was a pretty amazing taekwondo exhibition.

I guess taekwondo means the art of striking with the fist and the foot, and we certainly saw a masterful demonstration of that. 

Setting Up the Kick



Back Flip to Kick Both Apples

The Ho Chi Minh City Taekwondo Club put on the display, and I think the team has a combination of Vietnamese and Korean athletes. They hollered, leaped, kicked and punched, splitting boards and smashing apples to smithereens in the process. At one point Brian said, “I think it is a little violent.” But it was really very exciting. One of the most exciting moves was when one athlete did a back flip and kicked two apples that were suspended from a rod to bits, sending bits of apple all over the audience. Wow, it was amazing!



After the martial arts exhibition, a samul nori group from the Korean International School came to play. I was introduced to samul noli by my friend, Serin Hong, who is a composer and musician.  While he started out playing the traditional Korean bamboo flute, he has expanded his repertoire considerably and has a World Music Players playing an amazing range of music. At any rate, when I went to one of Serin’s concerts in Toronto, there was a samul nori group playing and I was an instant fan. Amazing what can happen with two kinds of gongs and two kinds of drums! So the kids from the KIS were great and so cute. There is such energy in samul nori music. As an aside, I saw part of a documentary recently on samul nori and it included the group, SamulNori, a well as shamans and other aspects of Korean folk music. In trying to find more information about that show, I came across reference to “Intangible Asset Number 82” so maybe that would be a good movie to see one day soon.

After the formal program there were various activities ... being photographed wearing a hanbok, having your name written in Korean, learning and playing some traditional games ... and then of course the food court! The students (and maybe parents or local restaurants) had all collaborated to put on a good spread and people could purchase lots of kinds of food. It was very well organized. Lots of evidence of teamwork and a cheery approach to geeting it all done! And the food was delicious.  Well, I can certainly vouch for the bulgogee and kimbap.

So, I take my hat off to the students who organized RMIT’s Korea Day 2010. I always tell students that to plan and pull off a successful student-run event like this requires a great number of skills that can be transferred to the workplace, so I hope many students will be adding working on this event to their resumes and CVs! Well done!

Of Tigers and Angels and Birthdays

Working in our midst at the career centre is a bona fide angel ... Miss Nguyen Thi Bich Nhi. She is our unfailingly sweet and positive administrative assistant who is an integral part of our team and helps us in so many ways. Besides other aspects of her job, she takes minutes at our team  meetings, which I am sure can be quite boring, but whenever we get together for a meeting, Nhi always seems so happy because our team is together, cooperating and planning. She sets a good example for the meeting-weary among us.  She is always excited to try the next new thing, like the video-conference with our colleagues in Ha Noi and we never hear her say ... do I look fatter than usual on the screen?  Did you see how my arm wobbled when I waved?:-) She is very nurturing as well, as evidenced by her care for our office garden - she is so disappointed if plants wilt over the weekend and does her best to restore them, just like she does with the humans in our office! She envisions our windowsills full of flowers and plants. 

The Compleat Office Gardener

Nhi is the youngest in the office, so most everyone is ‘chị’ to her; I love to hear her call Ha, Yen, Linh, and Phoenix “chị”. She has a great voice. I do believe that I am a particular challenge for Nhi, as I frequently lose receipts and fail to note where and when I did this and that and she has been extre-e-e-e-emely patient with me in explaining my cell phone issues and teaching me how to top up my account at the machine at RMIT. And she calls all manner of people to arrange or explain or apologize to when I cannot do it for myself. What a sweetie.

Despite Nhi being an absolute angel at work, she really loves to consider herself a tiger ... her astrological birth sign, I think. According to the Internet, Tigers are aggressive yet calm, warm-hearted yet terrifying, brave in the face of danger yet accommodating, gentle and mystifying in unexpected places. Tigers love challenges and surprises, like visiting strange places and meeting interesting people. People around the Tigers are easily captivated by the tiger's enthusiasm and way of life. Tigers find enjoyment in the unpredictable, and while other people would rather retreat, they are not afraid to move forward and explore the new and the unusual. Tigers are brave and courageous beyond compare and usually come out as winners in battles.
So, a whole new way of thinking about Nhi... I believe Tiger energy would be a tremendous resource and should be embraced ... and Nhi delights in being the “little tiger” in our office ... we apparently may have another unnamed one who might order bread and could have a position of authority, possibly. But I digress...

Bich Nhi's Festooned Desk

Nhi’s birthday is in May, but apparently her birthday was not celebrated at work due to oversights and an abundance of modesty and not wanting to bring attention to herself. However, with the motto, No Avoiding! We Will Track You Down and Celebrate YOUR Birthday, we decided to fete our sweet Nhi with a surprise half birthday party. Well, you can imagine how surprised she was, walking into the office on a Monday in November and finding her desk festooned with balloons ... she had no idea we celebrated half-birthdays. Now she knows better.

Nhi and Yen

Nhi's Birthday Arrangement

There were also flowers and a card and the pièce de résistance was supposed to be a cake with a tiger on it! Yay. OK, key words ... was supposed to be ...

As you may know, many businesses in Ho Chi Minh City operate their delivery services by motorbike and it seems miraculous that all those cake stores' goods get delivered without a hitch.  Unluckily, poor Nhi’s tiger came a cropper and met his untimely demise somewhere on Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard. Along with the cake.  And candles.  Dum-dum-da-dum, dum-dum-da-dum ... Luckily, the driver was unscathed and quickly delivered another one in time for our noon-hour party. Nhi may have been disappointed, but seemed perfectly thrilled to have the delicious, flowery substitute, which proves my point that she is really an angel. However, that is just my opinion.

The Tiger and Birthday Candles Were Vicitms of the Collision ... R,I.P.

Happy .5 Birthday, Bich Nhi!