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Published: December 15th 2005
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Flags Galore!
As you can see, it's pretty much expected that everyone hangs out their Vietnamese flag to honor the government. Needless to say, ours is hanging outside like everyone else's. Ho Chi Minh was pretty quiet for a few days, until the SEA Games! The Vietnamese Football (soccer) team went the whole way to the finals, which meant that people poured into the streets to celebrate their win in the semi-finals!!! It was CRAZY!!!!!!! I was in district 7 (southern part) and traffic was not too bad until District 1, where sh**t was off the hook!!! Motorbike parades everywhere, literally thousands of people in the streets cheering, waving flags, wearing bandanas, standstill traffic, a sea of people in every direction....it took me two hours to drive home! (Usually a 15 minute drive). It was great to be part of a group that was so happy, but more than slightly frustrating at the same time. I kept trying to find alternate routes home, only to find that they were equally blocked. Brian ended up on top of a truck, waving a flag and yelling "Vietnam is the champion' in Vietnamese - he said it was the closest he'll ever come to rockstar status. A sea of literally 2,000 people erupted in cheers below him!!! If you're white and out and about doing stuff the locals do, they LOVE you!! I wanted to
More Flags!
This is my neighbor's house, right across the street/alley. They are exceedingly kind to us; they help us put in our motorbikes, they give us plates of fruit...They're great! The dad stays home during the day and often cleans the house. They park their van and 5 motorbikes in the front room (western traslation: Living room) right next to the TV! stay out partying, but I had work bright and early the next day. For the final game, Marta and I dressed in Vietnamese jerseys and went to a bar near our house...we were ready for celebrations!!! Unfortunately, the team lost 3-0 to Thailand, so we didn't get the celebrations we'd hoped for. Instead, we went for bia hoi and 'invited' many Vietnamese to drink with us. Girls here don't drink/smoke/do anything unladylike, so many men assume we are prostitutes...so we kinda set them straight. at some point in the night - generally when they drunkenly invite us to hotel rooms... It's not even that offensive anymore, because I realise it's a cultural thing. Low and behold, the next day I wake up to see that the streets are even MORE decorated than they were the night before. For a day or two I wondered whether or not the team was returning to Ho Chi Minh, before discovering that there is a special governmental meeting this week. So, the city is decked to the nines in a mixture of communist propaganda and the beginnings of Christmas decorations...it's mildly amusing to see a Vietnamese rendition of snow - seeing as how it's
Bizarro Temple!
The Pagoda near my house. At first I thought this was a Cao dai temple. Cao Dai is a Vietnamese church that combines all major religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism... But upon closer inspection, it's a mostly Christian church with some Eastern ornamentation - and it's in a Pagoda! not EVER around here.
I have described my experience in HCMC as something like that of two lovers. It's difficult to explain, bu I'll give it a try. Never in my life have I been more aware of my surroundings at any given time. This city is an entity, a peronsality all it's own that is so chaotic and intense that it's almost impossible to leave behind. In the past (my interactions with Carlisle, Norwich, even traveling in Europe) my environment has played a relatively passive part in determining what I do day to day. I made decisions, I did what I wanted to within the realm of possiblities offered, I knew what to expect...here, the city makes a lot of decisions for me. The ebb and flow of it dictates when I will go to the market, when I will drive to work to avoid traffic, which routes I will take...I'm aware of it at almost any time - even sleeping I have to listen to music most of the time because of the street noise. I'm not referring to just the traffic here, but even the sounds of street stalls being cleaned in the morning, a woman
Yikes! Spikes!
pagoda architecture... sweeping the street in front of her pho stand, my neighbors putting their van away in the morning... I'm probably shaping this up to sound somewhat negative, but in fact, some of the best moments of my life here have been a result of this inescapable rythm. I can remember distinctly driving down Ngyuen Trai after an early morning class and seeing beyond the sea of people to a cathedral reflecting the bright morning sunlight. I liken these interactions to a romantic relationship because each day is so intense. The feelings this city evokes, positive or negative, are such that I normally don't experience them within a normal friendship. They go beyond superficiality to the heart of things. Therefore, when the city makes me happy, I am elated, almost bursting with a sense of joy; conversely, when the city upsets me I feel equally frustrated.
When I first came here, I felt much more of the elation, wonder, delight, etc. Generally all things positive. I believe I'm now beginning to move into the next stage, where things that I overlooked before, or took in stride, are starting to 'erk' me. Understandably, this happens to everyone at some point; I'm curious to see where it will take me. So, I am going to escape to Dalat for a few days and soak in the countryside.
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vladster
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i really liked the comparison city/lover. there is something to be said about places that have such a great personality that they influence your life in small daily details. great cities do that to me too - i have my life but i MUST also participate in the city's life. there's another dimension there... and if the city has a powerful personality i get to dispute my agressive/passive mix. i think, though, that more than a relationship, this type of interaction reveals more about me because there's no dialogue!