Back in Saigon

Hi from Anne. Well, things are better and more settled now. The nanny situation has improved a lot; in fact, we're now thinking of brining Thang with us next month on a beach vacation to Phuo Quac Island so Mark and I can actually go out at night instead of being sequestered in by 8 pm. Part of the problem is just cultural--things take time, and we're all learning together how to do everything. Last time when Thang came, she brought a friend who has a three year old, so the kids all played and it was much better. Lily is back to being potty trained once I lied to her and told her we didn't have any diapers. We were also told that you have to write every thing down for the nanny that you want her to do, as in really spell it out. I feel confident it will be okay with time. I've also found a spot where I go to write, and have begun a new writing project, Viet*Mom (Mark gave me this title in jest and I am running with it), which feels good. The place is called Hop Pho, and it's an air-conditioned wifi place down by the riverfront and they give me this cozy little nook by a window where I can plug in my laptop, drink strawberry-banana smoothies, and eat any number of good healhy lunches. I plan to write 3 days a week, and use the other 2 nanny days for exploring and shopping and just dorking around.

Oh! We actually came across a menu here in Saigon last night that had bat on the menu. Yummmmm. Also field mouse. Also lots of snake, turtle, frog, and eel on almost any menu anywhere.

Mark is at an all-day Fulbright thing today, leaving me in Saigon with the kids for the day. Hmm. What to do? The city streets are so choked with scooter/bus/cyclo traffic that I stood for almost 15 minutes yesterday trying to cross. So whatever we do, we will do it by taxi. Our hotel is pretty nice but modest and doesn't have a pool, so I'm thinking of taking us to the Caravelle Hotel, a very fancy place with a deluxe pool and poolside restaurant that you can pay to use. As I write, the kids have torn the mattresses off the beds and are playing that Hudson is captain of the boat and Lily has to dance while H. flashes the lights on and off. Hudson is using the remote control as a microphone and says they are on their way to Africa and Vietnam and to please put on your seatbelts. It's a pretty complex operation.

We had a really fun social weekend before we left. One of our neighbor's relatives brought us to this great little tucked away resort just outside of Can Tho called My Khanh. They have a kiddie pool, a big regular pool, monkeys, a bear, alligator fishing (you pay to dangle a huge hunk of fish above alligators and the whole crowd gasps as it snatches it off the pole), rice paper making, a poolside restaurant, and air-conditioned bungalows you can rent for $25/night. It was great finding out about the place. We had sweet and sour corn and shrimp with fried rice (and here sweet and sour is nothing like the bright red sweet sauce at home but a nice piquant soy, ginger chili sauce) and spring rolls, plus French fries for the kids. There are actually lots of fun things for kids to do in our town. We look forward to getting back there after Saigon. Seems much more manageable to get around than here.

The kids also had several kids stop by to play, and they were exchanging songs in English and Vietnamese and Hudson seems to have found his Vietnamese soulmate in Ha, a neighbor girl who knows all the English language Christmas carols. They were both really belting them out. There was lots of singing and playing and visiting with people, and it felt good, especially to be sitting outside in our courtyard and realizing a) that the semester has started and we are not responsible for any of that and b) that it's about 10 degrees in New York.

One of our new favorite drinks is soda chanh, which is soda water with little limes in it and sugar all mixed up. Even Lily asks for it now. It's so refreshing. Hudson is also starting to absorb the language and refers to our house as "Mot Hai Ba" which is Vietnamese for 123, the address of our house. It's pretty cool to see them both learn.

So that's it for now; not to worry. We are okay, and know there will be ups and downs, and we certainly are glad to be here, despite the hardships. We keep telling the kids: that's why people travel! To experience a different life. Sometimes we forgot that we have only been here for a short time and since we both suffer from OCS (Over Competency Sydrome), we tend to expect perfection out of ourselves and our situations a bit too quickly. So we are working on being slackers a bit more. A good goal, huh?

Love to all.