Sept. 6, 2004
Hi Bob,
Sept. 2 is Independence Day for the Communist government and a holiday. Yum decided it would be nice to take our teacher/farmer friend Hein and his family on a picnic with her family after we made a trip to his home to see the calf and cow and went by a beautiful Falls that has been developed for tourism.
We arranged for a 15-passenger van and loaded up in the early morning with about 12 of Yum's family. We unloaded everybody at the Falls (Yang Bay, pronounced Young Bay) and then Yum and I set off with the driver to pick up the Heins. He decided he should share his good fortune with his neighbor so he brought along the mother and two children as well as his four children and his wife so we had about 20 people there. It was the first time Hein's wife and children and the neighbors had ever been in a car and it was their first visit to the Falls although it is only about 30 kilometers from their home.
We had invited two Danish girls who have been making a documentary film on entrepreneurship in Vietnam but they decided at the last minute that they better work on finishing their film. Consequently, I was the only western face among thousands of Vietnamese picnicers. We had a great time and took some good pictures. I'll try to send you a couple via snailmail. Yum's family is just fantastic. They are so warm and loving and so happy for the two of us. She is the oldest so they all look up to her.
Yum has told the members of her church that we are engaged so now she sits with me at church. The down side is that I have to sit through the whole service including the sermon. Oh well! Last night we had dinner with the Danish girls who left Nha Trang this morning. I am anxious to see their film. They built their storyline around a darling little postcard boy, 13-year-old Tu, who looks all of 9, that we found for them. We had a nice dinner and Yum's younger sister Tuyet (Tweet) came and brought her two daughters. Tuyet had visited the little town in Denmark where one of the girls comes from so they have been great chums. They frequented Tuyet's Silk Shop for their shopping.
Tu and his mother, who sells cigarettes and candy on the street, also came by.
I'm sitting here typing this and looking at a grouping of pictures promoting tours run by the young Vietnamese businessman, Hoa, (pronounced Wha) who owns the Internet service. Hoa is also a friend. I attended his 23rd birthday party several months ago. In the pictures are elephants, waterfalls, thatch houses and rope bridges. These things are all just a couple of hours out of Nha Trang. Coming here was such a great move. I hope I can stay healthy to get our house built and do some serious traveling.
Guess that's enough for now. I hope I'll be in the U.S. when you have the 55th Reunion.
Dick
Sept. 29, 2004
Hi Bob,
This past month has flown by with a number of big family activities on the calendar.
Yum's brother's daughter Lanh was engaged to a young Vietnamese man
who lives in Houston, Texas and we had his mother and aunt and uncle staying in our spare rooms. All three of Yum's sisters who live in Saigon were here so we had all six Ho girls together for the first time since I have been here.
In addition to the engagement party, which was more like a wedding, a friend of mine was opening a new hotel in Nha Trang of which he is the General Manager. He invited Yum and me to the opening party which was an extravaganza. The Sunrise Resort is the most luxurious hotel in the area and he went all out with a fashion show, dancing girls, musical performers and, of
course, speeches. Everything went off without a hitch. At the end of the evening we all got gift bags with a tasteful golf shirt with the hotel logo and a good leather wallet.
However, the next evening, I decided to take the sisters and brother and their spouses and children to the hotel for a dessert treat. We did a tour of the
hotel and then attempted to get dessert. With four restaurants and a coffee shop there was no dessert to be had. I called my friend Patrick on his cell phone and
he said of course there was dessert and came to the coffee shop where the staff informed him that the beautiful pastries and cakes in the cooler cabinet were locked up and they didn't have keys. Turned out he didn't either. No dessert but $100 worth of free entertainment for the children exploring the spacious new building. So we adjourned to a less expensive cafe that I frequent and had a lovely dessert.
***
One of the concerns I've had is that my friend Haien, the English teaching farmer and owner of the cow (now cows) does not earn enough to take care of his family. As a former soldier in the South, he is denied access to much employment. When I was at the Sunrise I observed that few of the staff could speak English as
well as Haien. The next night I was having a drink with Patrick and I mentioned this to him. He said to
send him over and he would try to use him.
The next day, after class, I loaned him my Sunrise logo shirt and sent him 'round and Patrick hired him for marketing but now we may not have an English
teacher for the street kids. (Yum and I will fill in for awhile to see what shakes out!)
***
Yesterday, as we were in class (at the back patio of the bar, on the pool table) a child ran in and said that a little girl's bicycle had been stolen. The thief was long gone by the time we got to the
front and she was devastated. Just then Yum arrived and I told her to tell the child that I would replace the bike. Yum went into one of her pouts so I knew I had done something wrong. Unfortunately, it is like pulling teeth to get her to tell me what it is.Turned out that when the children heard me say this, they were abuzz with chatter that if their bike was to be "stolen" Dick would get them a new one. I already have two little boys that plague me for hats, shoes, ice cream, etc. every time they see me and I am breaking them of this. I decided to stop any idea that I would be a source of bicycles but I felt so sorry for Hue. I was going to get her a used bike but it turned out a brand new one was only $18. Just as I am writing this, one of the boys I mentioned came into the internet shop and informed me his bike was gone. I told him that was too bad and wished him luck finding it.
It is so difficult to say no to them, especially when you get to know them well and realize how desperately
poor they all are; but, you can't do individual charity work that way in a country that needs so much. Yum is
trying to teach me Vietnamese ways but I'm a slow learner.
***
Last night was Mid-Autumn Night and the streets were full of dragon dancers and revelers with lanterns and candles. It is a Chinese Holiday that the Vietnamese adopted during the Chinese rule and it's stuck. One of the delicacies is moon cake which has a strange list of ingredients, including chicken and pork; but, it is actually very tasty, almost like our Christmas fruit cake.
***
The rainy season has started and at 5 a.m. I awoke to the sound of water rushing down my stairs. The drain on the third-floor balcony was blocked and the
water was running down two flights of stairs into the living room. Fortunately everything is tile and cement so no real damage was done; however, it was startling to wake up to.
Best, Dick
