Reflections on Vietnam - Chris

Hey folks, we have a ton to reflect on for Vietnam, but things have been busy and the internet has been super wonky. Expect posts to come fast and furious as we get into Seychelles. We've have some fun events on the ship to tell you about as well. Stay tuned!

It's really hard to talk about any reflections on Vietnam without talking about being on call. So a big party of my job on the ship is to be available for emergency mental health issues. Most of the time this is not a big deal and a few phone conversations with students in a panic is all I have gotten so far. But what it really means is that I can't be more than an hour away from the ship at any given time while in port. I'm on call for exactly half of all port days as I split the duties with the other counselor on the ship. Way back in May or June the other counselor and I started emailing about how we wanted to divide everything up. Jen and I had 2 ports we knew we wanted to be free: Malaysia and Morocco. Malaysia because that was the place we knew we wanted to be on the beach and stay in one spot and Morocco because Marrakech is one of our favorite places in the world and we are really excited to take the kids there. But things change and we have to stay flexible plus I was going to ultimately end up on call in China and Vietnam. So when we skipped China to extend time in Vietnam, my on call responsibilities shifted as well so I was on call for 9 out of our 12 days in port.

Good news: our port was a 15 minute walk to the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. The down side comes later, but not without a caveat that we are getting paid to be here and we are so grateful for the opportunity that this is for our family. I'm not complaining, but it explains why even though we were in Vietnam for almost 2 weeks, we have not seen 85% of the country. So many people have given us suggestions of places to go and waxed poetically about the north, and Hanoi, and Hoi An and the lantern festival. And practically everyone else on the ship has gone away to explore other cities and more rural areas. Again, not complaining, and we know that this is a country we would love to come back to. So, so, so much more to see and experience. We ended up getting to know Ho Chi Minh city pretty well. The kids and I had the same taxi driver several times that he and I were on a first name basis and haggling for ride was more fun and funny that it normally was. But the truth is, the kids and I were not sad to be moving on from Ho Chi Minh City. The pollution was significant, it was hotter than blazes most days (we found an oasis high class shopping mall that we went to 3 days in a row and sometimes twice a day just to cool off), and there weren't that many things at the kids' level for fun. Jen had a 3 day trip to Cambodia with students that helped give her a break from city life. We certainly learned that our family can do city tourism, but we prefer green spaces, hiking, and rural areas. (Possibly its the stuff that makes Jen happiest and when mom's happy she can carry the grouchiness of 10 families, but truthfully we all just do better outside.)

As s side note, the one thing we were warned about most in Vietnam, more than the pollution, crime, and getting sick was crossing the street. Traffic lights are barely suggestions and cross walks are just for decoration. The flow of traffic is constant. Buses, trucks, and cars for sure, but mostly motor scooters. The Vietnamese joke that there are 2 motor scooters for every person in Ho Chi Minh and it seems like it. People were terrified of crossing the street, but the JL's took it in stride. Once we figured out that no one actually wants to hit you and that they will happily avoid you if they can we felt way better. We started to see the motor scooters like a school of fish. Have you ever tried to touch a school of fish underwater? Impossible. So then all you had to do was watch for the big things avoid those. Easy enough most of the time. All you had to do then was step off the curb and keep moving in a very predictable fashion and you'll make it to the other side. I tried to make a video, but it took a lot of concentration.   

You'll get to see the pictures so you'll get a sense of our day to day in another post. 

Vietnam is an absolutely fascinating country. Part of it is that we have lectures by multiple people before we even get to the port so when we're in country we can see at a deeper level. Knowing how these people have fought off multiple imperialist countries and other invaders gives you an appreciation for the strength and resiliency of the citizens. It's also the first Communist country I have ever been to. Not that it was noticeable. Everyone is hustling in one way or another and it feels way more capitalist to the average tourist than anything else. In conversations with Vietnamese folks, they all feel very aligned with Communism even though many privately own their businesses.

There is a tailor in Ho Chi Minh that came highly rec commended by SAS folks and finding clothes that fit a gigantisaurus like myself ain't easy to begin with. So of course I went to see Tricia and Verona. We got to know the two sisters and Tricia's little boy Anthony pretty well over the two weeks we were there. Tricia is an entrepreneur that would make ol' Dave Johnson proud. She owns the spa next door, a factory that makes uniforms for the Watergate Hotel in D.C., and several other small businesses. She told us that she has to pay taxes on her businesses, but she also has to stay off the radar screen or the government will come after her, either to take more tax money or take her business contracts. We had many, many conversations with Vietnamese people in our time there and this kind of learning and connecting was our favorite part.

Well, that and the food. The food was really built up before we got to Vietnam and it certainly delivered. We ate noodles, Bahn Mi, Pho, spring rolls, and stuff we didn't know the names for. The kids were a little more conservative, especially Guthrie, but Rigs and especially Wally were willing to try a ton of different things. They actually liked much of what we tried. Seeing them continue to be adventurous around food is one of my biggest surprises so far.   

Vietnam is a pretty cool place. History, food, culture, adventure, beauty, wonderful people. We will definitely be back.