Ode to Esther

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It was a hot evening... I had lived in Vietnam for nary a month, and we were sitting under an umbrella at Highlands coffee behind the opera house in down town Ho Chi Minh City. My roomate Martina and I had just finished a 1.5 hour bickram yoga class, and we were still sweating despite ourselves. I was unfortunately dressed in my classiest pair of trekking shorts and oversized t-shirt, she still in her yoga pants.

From beyond the gates came a bounding bundle of excitement... Esther Arthur, 5' something and shimmering all the way. She met her own description to a tee; "the brown girl" she called herself. She was dangling with jewellrey and rings and even a scarf (of which the secret of a good scarf can never be revealed). She spoke loudly, laughed loudly, even at her own jokes. This was my first encounter with who was soon to become my partner in crime, my "8-man", my closest friend in Saigon.

Over the next few months we were like ships passing in the night. We hung out infrequently at best, and then when we did, our respective parties would separate before the night was through. I don't remember the first night we partied until the sun came up over the streets of Saigon, but I can assure you there have been many, many, many since.

She rescued me in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon when I needed rescuing. She loaned me her couch on many occasions, she's loaned me clothing for a lunch date when I was locked out of my house, she has proven that no city is too BIG to be the smallest city in the world.

Tomorrow night is Esther's going away party because next Friday she departs on a plane for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Like you wouldn't believe, I will miss her smile, her laugh, her fear of rats, her seriously amazing dancing, her ability to drink ANYONE and EVERYONE under any table, her stolen bags and her lost shoes, and her constant energy to 'move this party forward'.

So, please... for your own sake. If you ever are lucky enough to meet this girl, seize the opportunity. You will be lucky you did.

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Photos

May 9th 2006
Two east coast girls...

Comments

[Matt]

Re: Ode to Esther
A truly amazing girl. Anyone associated with her is honored beyond all things that are honorable, lucky beyond all things that are lucky...well, if you knew her you'd understand. -M