Advertisement
Published: January 4th 2006
While on the Library Project of Vietnam tour the group heard all about Ngat’s one hundred year old Grandmother. About half of the group’s flight schedules were such that they were able to go to a birthday party when the tour was over.
This was the largest foreign delegation this small one thousand year old village had ever seen. This was one of the biggest events the village had seen. Most of the villagers turned out to not only congratulate Grandma but to greet the foreigners they heard were coming. Every group of families in the village came, gave a speech and money present to Grandma. The People’s committee gave her a certificate. It was a great celebration that always has us foreigners participating in “Tram Phan Tram.” Which means you all click your full glasses of homemade brew and down the whole thing in one swallow? Being a Methodist I don’t drink at all until I am overseas when it seems the diplomatic thing to do. As a matter of fact they would take great offense if I didn’t participate in this ritual. At Ngat’s and Trang’s graduation party we had beer and I get along pretty good with
Grandma
Ngat Dao and Mother.that but his was some homemade brew that by the time I made it to each table and “Tram Phan Tram” I was about ready to see double. I had enough of this and sneaked away and found a cozy spot near a pond. It wasn’t long that Ngat was missing me so the search was on. It didn’t take them long to find me as some villager told them a man bigger than a whale was sleeping near his pond. Anyway, they made me come to Ngat’s cousin’s house and lay on his bed as I slept and about a dozen watched.
Grandma, who had previously told me in an interview that she had few happy times, told everyone this was the best time of her life and she didn’t want those foreigners to leave.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 6; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0774s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
David A. Nygaard
non-member comment
The Grand Old Guy
Just like the song you are a grand old guy. You have done more to aid the wounds of both sides than a hundred thousand governmental officals. We need you as an anbassador not only to the world but to those of us in the USA on how we can give our country a better name in the world. But I guess that is the reason we are in Rotary International..............to make this world a better place to live for our families and world friends.............thanks for all your thoughts and tour of Viet Nam......sure is different from the last time I saw it. You make me proud to be a Rotarian.............Have fun and come home safe and sound..........