Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon

Yesterday, April 30, 2010 was the 35th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, the day the North Vietnamese troops stormed the South Vietnamese headquarters and claimed control of the city, ultimately reunifying the country under the Communist government of the north. For the past week, we have watched as parade barricades have been erected, huge doves surrounded in lights, along with flowers, stars and other luminous decorations began to adorn the major streets in the central business district and traffic built up in anticipation of this momentous day. In initially I was intrigued and looking forward to being here on this historical day, but the more I thought about it and the more I talked about it with others, I realized that for many, this is not a day to be celebrated, but more a day to remember those that lost their lives, both American and Vietnamese, and the countless Vietnamese whose lives where forever altered that day in the midst of the chaos, pandemonium and terror of the ending of a war. So as the city celebrated with an early morning parade, I decided to steer clear of the jubilant crowds and wondered how many in Saigon, like myself, were doing more reflecting than celebrating on the anniversary 35 anniversary of the end of the war in Viet Nam.

(A Doctor in Atlanta remembers the Fall of Saigon)

Labor was supposed to be the hard part....

.. but when you have a baby abroad, what happens afterward, can cause you just as much pain...

Because our child will be born in Vietnam, as opposed to the US, where you just get a birth certificate from the hospital, or in the mail, or from a stork, or some other presumably easy process; our process is going to be a bit more difficult. Instead of just a birth certificate we will need the following:

House Construction

Our neighborhood is in a great location, right on the borders of three of the city's districts, including District 1, the city's financial and upscale tourist district, and the constant state of demolition and construction since we've lived here reflects its popularity. As in much of the city, the houses in our neighborhood are mostly of the high, narrow variety, most a mere 12 feet or less across and anywhere from one to six stories high. The one story variety are becoming somewhat of an endangered species as their owners either convert their property or sell to investors who tear down the original structures and build five or six story giants in their place. Such a transformation is taking place in our little alley with the house two houses down and across, under construction and the couple just across the street in the process of moving out in anticipation of their house being torn down in the very near future.

Mui Ne

After five or six weekends in a row staying in the city, Steven and I decided that it was time for a mini-getaway. Saigon is huge, but after you've seen the tourist sites, it really just becomes the city you live in, one with limited options for entertainment - gym, pool, shopping, movies, and going out to eat - all of which get old like anything else. So we made the 5 and a half hour journey north to Mui Ne where we met up with friends and spent an enjoyable weekend at the beach.

Morning Errands

Last night I tripped over my phone wire and ripped it out of the socket, so I had to buy a new wire this morning. Luckily since we've had other wire issues, I knew right where to go. There is a man that has a fix-it shop (along a row of other fix-it shops on fix-it shop street), near our house, who we have had fix a computer wire and the remote for our dvd player. This morning, after my morning walk, I walked down to his shop and showed him the broken phone wire and asked if he could make me a new one, twice the size of my old one.

Blogger Blocked in Viet Nam

Along with Facebook, it seems that the Vietnamese government is blocking access to Blogger as well. I'm going to try to enter posts when it is up and running, but my access is sporadic. Hopefully the Honduran government won't be so involved and I'll be able to keep the stories coming!

Honduras

Since we are planning a move to this Central American country, I thought I should do a little research. Having never visited Honduras and given my tendency not to know much about other countries until I actually visit them, I am quite ignorant of all things Honduran. My pre-research knowledge consisted the following facts:

Western Hemisphere, Here We Come (Back)!

After two successful, adventure filled years in Viet Nam, Steven and I are planning to pack our bags and head back west this summer. We've both been offered positions at an international school in San Pedro Sula, Honduras for the 2010 - 2011 school year. I say "we," because in order to make the move, we will both need to work to support our family; not that the cost of living in Honduras is high - quite the opposite - but because as Americans educated in America, we both have student loan debt that needs to be paid off every month and adds quite a bit to our living expenses.

2010 Saigon Cyclo Challenge

 Last Sunday, Steven and I attended our second annual Saigon Cyclo Challenge to benefit Saigon Children's Charity. I was there as a spectator and Steven, as a part of the American International School Cyclo Team. Since he had driven a cyclo last year, he agreed to play a game instead - the race consisting of cyclo's racing around the track in-between "check-points" where team members play games to move their team ahead. 

Unvited Guests in our Ceiling

A few weeks ago I began to hear scratching on the tiles of our ceiling upstairs. A previous ferret-owner for almost 10 years, I immediately associated the scratching with rodents. Cats don't scratch like that, I thought. Every day over the next week or so, I heard the scratching again, like something trying to come through the ceiling.