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Published: June 29th 2006
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monsoon rolling in
five minutes before a monsoon hits district 1. Greetings friends, family and fans...not so much new in my life, but i do have a kick-ass apartment. so, most of this is just sweet photos from my place. Monsoon season is in full swing, so HCMC is much less the sunny tropical paradise I've grown to love; lately it resembles a warm Seattle/Norwich more than anything.
Life in Ho Chi Minh continues to treat me well - I've started working a lot more, so I'm busier now than I have been for months - and I'm happier this way. Since nothing truely inspirational has occured lately, I've decided to compile a list cultural trends that I find noteworthy enough to share:
1) On Body Hair: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that many of you have never really spent much time contemplating your neck hair; you think that short hair at the base of your neck looks normal, or right now, you're thinking, what hair at the base of my neck??? fair enough. I used to be one of you, but having a hairy neck here is no-can-do, and thus, it's on my mind more frequently than i care to admit...to the point
monsoon
five minutes later! where I occasionally find myself scrutinizing the backs of people's necks to check their grooming...let me remind you that while neck hair is a minus, mole hair is a plus - and hairy moles on the base of the neck are more than acceptable!
2) On An Appropriate Line of Questioning: Unlike in the States, it's no-holds-barred when you meet someone for the first time. Do you have a boyfriend? Are you married? How much do you make? How much did it cost?? (my personal favorite). Even though it took me a long while to get accostumed to these questions, I don't know what I'll do without them once I'm gone. It's great to be straightforward and get these questions answered immediately. Why wouldn't I want to know if a hot guy has a girlfriend?!??
3) On Fashion: on the runways this summer, we've got a full range, from office casual to traditional clothes to (often knock-off) designers!
what's hot: Embracing the spirit of George Costanza, the streets of Ho Chi Minh have donned a relaxed look for the working woman. The ultimate in office casual, there's nothing like a full- body pajama suit. Women are behind
the clouds...
are fabulous! vending counters, walking the streets and riding motorbikes; getting it done the comfortbale way, and looking good in the process. While I haven't yet ventured into the wide world of casual day wear, I think I'll have a suit or two made before I depart.
Outerwear - the essentials: What every woman must have...I know you're thinking of that darling jean jacket that hangs in your closet, or perhaps that pendant you just can't live without, but here it's a slightly different game: 1) a hat, 2) long gloves (above the elbow), 3) a mask (carbon filter is preferred), sometimes a bandana-esque face cover-up is also worn, 4) a long sleeved jacket (and you thought you could FINALLY wear tank tops year round...no, no, no), 5) stockings to accompany your sandals, even flip-flops (maybe a bit of the japanese influence here) and 6) for those rainy monsoon days, a 'form-fitting' raincoat. (That was sarcasm with the form-fitting bit - these things are one step away from trash bags, but they do get the job done. Congrats to the vnamese for thinking first of function and then of fashion).
Riding Gear - you think that helemt looks cool?? Think
night scene
one friend likened my neighborhood to a cubist-inspired painting. This is, in fact, what the whole of HCMC looks like outside of the business district. again. Helmet head is NOT an acceptable hairstyle for ANY respectable person at the office or on the streets. Take that thing off, pronto! (all this, despite the fact that 1,200 die per month in motorbike accidents). In all seriousness, I have a friend who had a REALLY BAD accident (we're talking coma for a week or so) who swears by this line of logic after the accident. Desire to look good outweighs safety in this case.
4) General Manners: Picking your nose - check
Spitting haphazardly in the street, or inadvertently on people (yes, i've been a victim) - check
Public urination (and occasionally defecation) - check
Not saying excuse me and simply pushing people aside - check
Using your hands to eat (sometimes) - check
Picking your teeth with a toothpick - stop the bus! that's crossing the line! cover your mouth for that sh*t in this country! You think someone else wants to see the inside of your mouth??? No way, jose!
5) Cuisine: dog - personal check, but not something I care to repeat (much more common in the north, where fewer people are buddhists)
cats - not yet, they're bad luck to eat, which won't necessarily stop me
rats - surprisingly delicious
snake - common in the north (interesting side note: an elaborate ceremony sometimes accompanies the snake dinner. First, a man chooses which snake he wants to eat, then the servers kill it in front of him and serve the heart and blood, still warm, to him to eat before the meal. This is believed to improve virility. I've considered having a dinner like this, but don't know if I would actually be able to go through with it. Plus, I'm not a man looking to improve his sexual performance.)
bugs - to a degree (millworms, crickets, acceptable; cockroaches aka: american crickets = crossing the line. only in the Cambodia) I haven't dabbled in this particular category yet, but I want fried crickets before i leave. They look surprisingly delicious.
embryonic duck egg - don't know if i can handle it (just like it sounds, there's a partially formed baby duck inside, and if you're lucky, it's developed enough that you can make out all the body parts and crunch the boes before you swallow!! If not, then you'll have a much easier time getting it down. According to Vnamese superstitions, if you have bad luck, you should eat one egg and it will divert bad luck away from you (180 degrees). If your luck is fine at the time, you should eat two; only one will redirect bad luck 180 degrees towards you, so you'd want it to travel full circle.) I have not yet tried this delicacy... I'm not sure I have the stomach for a fully developed embryo.
gecko and other lizards - not yet. We actively searched them out on the motorbike trip, but unfortunately we came out empty-stomached.
I suppose that about wraps it up for now. World Cup coverage has been good, but too late at night for me to catch most of it. I meet my dad and sister (Julia) next week in Hong Kong for a few days. (YYAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!) Then, Julia and I will be traveling around the north of Vnam for a week or so!!! I'M EXCITED!!! This is Moira, over and out.
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Uncle Tom
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Have a great visit with dad & sis
I hope you have a really great visit with dad and Julia.