Things I like about Vietnam

Steven left his passport at the post office when he picked up a package the other day and asked me to go back to the post office this afternoon to pick it up. I had the paperwork he had recieved from the post office when he picked up the package, but I could not seem to find an address for the post office on the paperwork. I decided to ask the xe om driver to see if he could find the address.

I went down stairs and handed the paper to a driver outside our building (our regular guys weren't there). I pointed to the word for post office and said, "where?" He looked at me and shook his head and walked over to consult with another driver a few feet away, who spoke English. I explained that I needed to go back to that specific post office, but I couldn't find an address on the paperwork. As we looked over the papers, a woman from a nearby stall came over. A few seconds later we were joined buy two people from the shop behind us. They all began discussing the situation and passing the paper around. The driver who spoke English pulled out a map and I told him that I remembered that it was in Cholon near the market because Steven had told me how he had enjoyed the fragrance of the streets near the spice market. Looking at the map, we found the marker for a post office. He then showed the driver how to get to the post office as another man with the paper, handed it back to me and pointed at a stamp that showed it had, indeed, been stamped in District 5, Cholon.

Once my driver was sure of the location, I thanked everyone and they went back to their respective posts. Consequently, the driver took me to the post office, through the nice smelling streets of Cholon's spice market, and I was able to retrieve Steven's passport.

This was just one example of something I like about living in Vietnam. Not that there aren't other places of the world, including many places in the states, with friendly people, but the Vietnamese people seem to be, as a people curious and friendly and always willing to help if they see someone in need. Something we've experienced more than a few times since being here.

This inspired me to make a list of the things I like about living in Vietnam for those days when I miss my friends and the freedom of running in Grant Park. And I hope to continue to add to this list throughout my time here.

Things I like about living in Vietnam:

1. Nonverbal Conversations that end in complete comprehension on both sides.
2. Smiling elderly Vietnamese women in Vietnamese pajamas and conical hats.
3. Similing elderly Vietnamese men.
4. Friendly hello's on the street.
5. Xe om rides through the city.
6. Streetside seafood restaurants.
7. Learning Vietnamese with Phuc (Phooo) and Phuc in general.
8. Shopping in little street markets.
9. Friendly Vietnamese people.
10. Rice donuts with mystery red filling from Tour Les Jours Bakery.
11. The park near Diamond Plaza.
12. The open streets, huge trees and wide sidewalks of Ho Chi Minh City.
13. Cool refreshing afternoon breezes.
14. Refreshing afternoon thunderstorms.
15. Having an apartment to ourselves (even though we do miss Steve and Radka!)
16. Hanging laundry on the porch.
17. Sleeping in an airconditioned room.
18. Our open "Asian-style" bathroom.
19. Ridiculously cheap vegetables.
20. Ridiculously cheap seafood.
21. Cooking with rice noodles.
22. Tiger beer (it has grown on me...)
23. Our family-run neighborhood convenience store.
24. Having lunch with Steven at his yummy Vegetarian Restaurant.
25. Practicing my rudimentary Vietnamese on the street.
26. Planning weekend getaways.
27. Talking to my Mom and Dad on Skype (even though in person would be better!)
28. All of the challenges I've yet to overcome, like learning to order a variety of dishes at a street restaurant with no menus and riding a motorscooter in HCMC traffic.
29. Rice fields.
30. Beaches on the South China Sea.
31. Coconut canndy from the Mekong.
32. Impromptu conversations with local Vietnamese (over a beer and shellfish the other day).
33. Becoming a regular face in our neighborhood.
34. Xe om drivers who seem to appreicate a friendly no thank you and a smile.
35. The crazy things people strap to the back of their motorbikes (like numerious cartons of eggs).
36. The variety of vehicles on the roads from bicycles, motorcyles, cars and buses to cyclos, half a motorcycle attached to a large metal crate, and three-wheeled contraptions that move with a pump of the handlebars.
37. Three dollar massages.
38. One dollar manicures.
39. Indian commercials.
40. BBC World News.
41. Eating with chopsticks.
42. Writing my blog.
43. Crossing the street through a sea of vehicles with confidence.
44. $.75 bootleg DVDs.
45. New friends.
46. Walking to the movies through the park.
47. The elevation of micro-wave popcorn to delicacy level.
48. The sense of accomplishment for small things.
49. Bags of orange sticky rice.
50. Eathing chicken pho at a market restaurant watching the pouring rain.