Haze's CRBA Appointment Comes...and Goes

When we initially learned of our pregnancy back in September, we looked up all of the steps we’d have to take to have the baby’s birth registered abroad and to bring her back to the US with us in the summer. As I’ve posted before, all of the paperwork and timing involved seemed quite daunting and we began to prepare early.

According the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) webpage, all appointments must be made three months in advance and passports should be applied for at the same time, a second process which would take about 3 to 5 weeks to complete. Due to these constraints we made an appointment for May 20, 2010, giving us three days after what we were told was the last day the baby would be allowed to remain in gestation before being induced and a month before we hoped to leave Viet Nam, arguably a tight stretch on either end, but the best we could do given our constraints.

Hazel's Baby Shower

On Sunday, April 18th, our good friends Marjie and Katherine threw a baby shower for us at the Castle (their five story house in District 1). The invitation initially included our friends of the male persuasion, but after some subtle hints from Steven, and some not-so-subtle hints from other friends, that baby showers were just not events men attended, it was revised to a female only group.

Reflections on being Pregnant in Viet Nam

My most common response to the now frequently asked, "How are you feeling?" by well meaning friends and acquaintances alike is "HOT!" April and May in Viet Nam (and presumably, June, July, August, etc.) are hot. Not just hot, but the stifling, perspiration soaked, still hot after four daily showers, heat that pervades every moment spent outside of an air conditioned room or taxi-cab. I attribute this somewhat to pregnancy, but practically speaking, I realize that everyone else is suffering in this same heat, I just find it a bit less bearable in the confines of the few outfits I have left that actually fit my now 167 pound frame.

Either an Original Document or a Certified Copy and One Hysterical Pregnant Woman

Because we hope to leave Viet Nam sometime in late June and we have so much to do in terms of paperwork and documentation before we can leave, I started gathering documents early on, or rather Kevin did, as all of our documents are in his attic. So by December of last year, all of our necessary documents traveled from Kevin's attic, to our parent's home in Lake Worth, to our house here in Viet Nam, or so I thought...

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!