May 25, 2012

I'M HOME!!  After 34 1/2 hours of travel time, I made it. I slept a little, ate a little, shopped a little and read a little. But the time seemed to drag. That's not fun all by yourself! But it's nice to be back home. Saturday night we took Carie and her mom to a very nice Italian restaurant called Pendolascos. I think it was owned by a Filipino. We all ordered something different and decided that Yan's pumpkin gnocchi was the best.

Then we went to a bar called Yoko with a Vietnamese band but they played all American rock n' roll. It was so much fun!

Sunday was a day of packing up all the stuff I've accumulated over the past 4 months. Then we went to Carie's for lunch. Of course it was spectacular with a fabulous soup, spring rolls and cold lotus soup for dessert.

This family has been so important to us since I've been here. They have opened up their doors and hearts to us and I couldn't thank them enough.  I don't know what we would have done without their gracious love and support.

In fact Carie's aunt (who doesn't speak much English and hardly knows me) gave me a present to wish me a safe trip home.

When we got to the airport, my return flight was all screwed up and to make a very long story short, they wouldn't give me any boarding passes except one from HCMC to Tokyo. Then I had to pay $150 for my extra bag (I had 3 checked bags and 1 carry-on). So Ron had to call Cheap Tickets when he got back to the apartment and they fixed me up and I got my boarding passes with no problem. I flew from HCMC to Tokyo, then to LA, then to Denver, then to Lubbock.

After all those layovers (8 hours in Tokyo!) I finally landed in the USA. My friend Anna and her husband picked me up at the airport at 10:30 PM on Monday night. I wasn't really tired when I got home, so I unpacked some, got re-acquainted with my cat Buster, and played tennis the next morning!

So my journey has ended. It went so fast when I look back on it. We talked about what my expectations were before I arrived in Vietnam and how they were realized. First, I thought I'd meet other American women, I thought they would play tennis with me, and go shopping with me, I thought I could go out for a walk by myself any time I wanted, I thought I'd get sick a lot, I thought I'd get really homesick and none of those things happened. There were things I missed:
#1. Hamburgers
#2. Mexican food
#3. My washer and dryer
#4. My kitchen
#5. Downy fabric softener
#6. My cat (when he doesn't bite me)
#7. My car
#8. Charmin Ultra.
But I missed my friends most of all.

I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to live in such a wonderful country where the people are friendly to Americans. Where they like to practice their English with us and where they welcomed us with opened arms. I am so grateful to the Fulbright organization who allowed us to utilize Ron's talents in teaching and give him the opportunity him to share his knowledge with his Vietnamese students. I am so grateful to the Nguyen family for being so kind, gracious and helpful. They will never know how dependent we were on them and could not have managed without them all. And I am so grateful to my smart, loving husband who made these weeks so meaningful and special. He was so supportive when I had my accident, when I had trouble with money, (once I accidentally tipped a girl 10 cents instead of $1), when I couldn't cook a decent meal because I couldn't find the right ingredients, when I'd go shopping and he'd have me call him when I got back to the apartment just to make sure I made it, and when he'd hold my hand whenever we crossed the street! This entire experience was the most important and eye-opening trip of a lifetime, and I will hold these memories forever!

May 20, 2012

The Lonely Planet said Cambodia was "compulsive and repulsive" and I couldn't have said it better myself. Our first city was Phnom Penh. This was where the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, took over a high school and transformed the classrooms into torture chambers. It was called the Tuol Sleng Prison. There are haunting pictures of all of the victims because they took pictures of each and every one.

Then after they tortured them they drove them out to Choeung Ek and executed them. Choeung Ek is a peaceful area and it's hard to believe how brutally the people were killed. In order to save bullets, women and children were bludgeoned to death. There is a stupa with more than 8,000 skulls and bits of their ragged clothes. The Khmer Rouge wanted to eliminate anyone that was educated, wealthy, and smart and start over with just workers starting with Day 1. Choeung Ek is one of hundreds of "killing fields" in Cambodia where over 2 million people were killed.

What bothered me the most was that this all happened from 1975 to 1979...in my life time! There were only 7 prisoners who survived, and one of them was there that day.

That night we went to a bar by the name of The Heart of Darkness of all things. We got there at around 9:00 and by 11:00 it was was crowded and loud.

An Angkor beer tasted pretty good after such a depressing day.

The next day Ron had an appointment at the American Embassy which was right across the street from our hotel. He was the Public Affairs Officer and he gave us some contact names when Ron returns to Cambodia next month doing research on his next book. He i a great person to know and I think he'll be very helpful.
In the afternoon we just went walking around the city where we found a beautiful temple, a girl selling birds (you buy them from her and let them go while you make a wish), and even people doing aerobics.

My bird bit me! I hope that's not bad luck!

The mode of transportation in this country is the Tuk-tuk, and it's a great way to see the sights instead of a taxi.

The next day we flew north to Siem Reap. The taxi driver from the airport asked us what our plans were and then said he had a Tuk-tuk and would pick us up and take us wherever we wanted to go. Our first stop was Ta Prohm built in 1186 but covered in jungle and only recently rediscovered. It's definitely in the jungle and huge roots of trees protrude over the temple. This was where scenes from Tomb Raider were shot with Angelina Jolie. A lot of the areas are impassable, but it was fascinating to climb around this Buddhist temple.

That evening we had a great buffet and saw a traditional Khmer show. The food was really quite good and we had a fun evening.

The next day was busy. We first took our Tuk-tuk to Angkor Thom. This was a city built by an Angkorian King in around 1180 and has statues of gods and demons everywhere. It was very fascinating.

Entrance to Angkor Thom

It's impossible to describe how huge these temples are. This one goes behind description.

Back on the tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat which is the biggest attraction in all of Cambodia. It's the largest religious structure in the world! Bigger that the Vatican. They are always doing renovation on this place because it's crumbling from the elements. It's surrounded by a moat and the carvings on the walls are unbelievable.

We had to buy T-shirts to cover our shoulders when we climbed to the top.

I think this is the largest place I've ever seen. It just goes on for miles and miles.

It's hard to see the whole thing at once, but we tried! When we got back to the hotel I got a traditional Khmer massage. It was strange. No soft music, or oils or lotions. In fact she had me wear a pair of baggy long pants and a baggy shirt. It was more kneading and twisting rather than a massage, but if that's tradition, then that's the way it is!

The Cambodian people are very friendly and warm and even the tuk-tuk driver was accommodating and pleasant.

Our last evening in Siem Reap was spent on Pub Street. We found a Mexican restaurant of all things, and had a night cap at The Temple Bar.

The next morning our last stop on the way to the airport was (of course) a War Museum. This one had every kind of weapon you can imagine, plus tanks, mines, booby-traps, and it was in a jungle setting.

Our guide was shot up 9 times, even loosing part of his leg during the war. He was a veteran of eleven years in the Cambodian army and spent most of his time in various hospitals and showed us through the grounds.

I could see up close and personal all of the weapons that Ron writes about and was even able to hold an M16A1 in my hands.

Somehow the pink flowered outfit doesn't do it justice!

Our trip to Cambodia was a wonderful experience and now I must pack up my stuff because tonight I fly back to Lubbock.

May 14, 2012

A few years ago a Chinese student named Xiao Shao came to Texas Tech University to study the Chinese role in the Vietnam War at the Vietnam Archive. He attended every one of Ron's classes - not because he was getting any credit, but because he enjoyed Ron's subjects, and he learned English by sitting in on the classes. They became good friends, and when he left America he got a job at Jinan University in Guangzhou China. A few weeks after we arrived in Vietnam, Ron was invited to come to Guangzhou to speak to Xiao Shao's students and faculty. So we went to the Chinese Embassy 3 times to try to get a Visa to China. This was not a simple matter. The first time we were rejected because we needed a letter of invitation written in Chinese and we were too early. The second time we were actually interviewed and then rejected because the letter was not written by a high enough official at the university. We got that fixed and third time we went there we gave them our passports and were told to go to a bank 20 minutes away to pay $160 apiece and we had to wait 3 days for it all to be processed. Finally we were accepted and May 7 we flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Guangzhou China. Guangzhou is a city of 13 million people! It's hard to believe that the government in China still has the law of only 1 baby per couple. There are so many people in this country!!!

We were met at the airport by Xiao Shao and we took a taxi to our hotel which was right on campus.

He took us to dinner at a tea house, and he elaborately poured hot water into a tea pot, then into little glasses, then he put tea leaves into another pot and let it steep. Then he poured us little cups of tea. This procedure went on and on. He ordered dinner for us and we had so many dishes that I can't even remember them all. Some of them sweet, some not sweet.

The next day Ron gave his lecture on America's relationship with China in World War II.  They had posters up in the main area advertising his talk.

Then in the afternoon he gave another talk on Chinese Immigration to America and America's Response.

Both talks were well received and I was very proud of him.

The next day we were on our own. Our plan was to take a taxi to this museum that was recommended, but the front desk couldn't get a taxi for us, so we walked a long way to the main entrance of the college and couldn't find a taxi there either. We found a huge mall and after lunch we saw "The Avengers." It was in English with Chinese sub titles.

The next day we were met at our hotel again, and taken to another building where Ron did a Q&A for the History Department staff. He pretty much talked about how he started out in the education business, how he wrote his book, and how he got it published. He also touched on the current issues of Chinese/American relations.

Then they took us out to dinner at a restaurant right on campus. We were in a private room and the food was spectacular. Everything from duck, to sautéed pumpkin branches. They served us little, tiny glasses of wine and kept filling them up. Most of the staff spoke English too.



The next day we flew to Xí An. This is also a very huge city with millions of people. Here lie the Terra-Cotta Warriors which are the 8th Wonder of the World. In 1974 some farmers were digging a well and came across some pottery fragments and ancient bronze weapons and reported it to the local government.  With government approval, an archaeological team began digging and found thousands of statues of warriors and horses under the earth and they continue to dig up more and more. It seems that a Chinese Emperor had these statues built so they would protect him in the afterlife, but once they were built, he had them buried! They face east with their backs to his tomb and they served as guardians to protect the entrance to his burial. There are estimated that 8,000 life-size pottery warriors and horses are buried in this area, along with tons of weapons. This all happened 2,200 years ago! Most of them were found in pieces, and it's taking a long time to put them all back together.

An archer.

Xí An has lots of Pagodas and museums, but our favorite was the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. We walked there from our hotel and there was a huge water show taking place very similar to the one at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with extravagant music and lights. There are just so many people in China that it's goes beyond description! Hundreds of families lined the water and there were booths selling everything imaginable.

I had lots and lots more pictures of China but I seem to have lost my camera somewhere at our hotel in Xí An! I'm just sick about it.

Tomorrow we go to Cambodia.

May 6, 2012

This weekend was full of interesting events. Early Friday morning we attended Luan's graduation from Ton Duc Thang University. He received a BA degree in Business Administration along with thousands of others. The ceremony lasted 4 hours and he was one of the last names called.

It was quite different from the graduation ceremonies I've been to in the states. There was no cheering, whooping, clapping, or going crazy when each name was called. There was no goofing around of the students, or funny sayings written on their motor boards. The audience was respectful and quiet during the entire 4 hours. Luan looked very smart in his cap and gown, and his mother, sister, wife and son are very proud of him.

Especially his son Sushi!

We were very honored to have been given the chance to attend the ceremony. We all went back to their house afterward for a wonderful lunch of soup, beef, and vegetables.

And his aunt bought him a cake that says Congratulations!

Early Sunday morning we were picked up in a car, which the family hired, and drove to Vüng Tàu, which is on a peninsula  jutting into the South China Sea southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. When we got close, the driver stopped at a place where they sold crab, shrimp, clams, and squid and then cooked them up for us while we waited.

Vüng Tàu has a beautiful sandy beach with a long strip of beach houses, and we found a spot with shelter right on the waters edge. That's where we enjoyed our bar-b-qued lunch and boy, was it good!

The water was quite warm and we had a great day of food, sun, swimming, and celebrating the new graduate in the family.

When the day ended we stopped at a huge restaurant on the way home called Gành Hào that went on for about a mile! Of course we ate again. We had fried morning glories, fish and clams with cheese! The menu also had wild animals, but we decided against the sautéed wild boar with curry sauce till next time!

Today we joined Ron's graduate class for cafe su da at Highland Coffee, and then lunch at Tú Trì. This restaurant was right on the Saigon river and another one that went on for about a mile. Some of the places to eat here are so huge! The students ordered all of the food and we had many, many dishes including dove, goat, soup, rice, squid, and of course, fruit. Most of them spoke very good English, but they understood us way better than we understood them.

One student works for a vodka company and brought 2 bottles to share, so we had to have shots of vodka. When they toast they say "Mot, Hai, Ba, Yo!

Of course we also had Ba, Ba, Ba (333) beer to wash it all down.

They were very appreciative and thankful to Ron for being their professor this past semester and told us to make sure we keep in contact. The next time we visit Vietnam, they all want us to look them up!