We have papers...and Erin goes to Thailand while Graeme keeps busy...

Papers please....

With the cards pictured left, we now have residency in Vietnam!  Something else to carry along with our passports and worry about losing, misplacing or getting stolen.

In a bit of Laurel & Hardy comedy mixed with some "wait till the last minute to get the most important thing you will need here" it was a process (as usual) to actually get these.

She holds the magic "stamp"

  It's a long-ish story so I will spare you, but to keep it short, in order to get these as well as re-register with the police in our district it took 3 weeks.  3 weeks to get a few stamps on a few pieces of paper.  Unbelievable.  Graeme and I took a ride to the police station with our realtor (his first scooter ride!) to register and got to see first hand why things take so long.  Nothing is automated at all and when the person with the magic stamp feels like using it then that is when you will get your paperwork!

Working it!

When Erin got back it was her turn to go to the police station to register. We showed up to the realtor wearing shorts and t-shirt.  Shorts on women are a no-no in a government building.  The realtor just so happened to have a spare wrap around skirt for her to borrow.  Personally I think she looks great in floral!  How about you?

Erin had the amazing opportunity to chaperone 62 Freshman students on a trip to Thailand!  It is part of the "Week Without Walls" program they have (Soph's, Jr.'s and Sr.'s went to Honk Kong, Bali, Sumatra, Philippines).  It's about visiting somewhere new, getting out of comfort zone, learning about new cultures, team building, finding oneself, yada, yada yada.  When I was in middle school we went to Stokes Forest in New Jersey and basically slept in a cabin, starved and watched someone try to make a fire by rubbing two sticks together.  These kids went to freaking Northern Thailand!  They were at a resort called the Maekok River Village (www.mrvproject.com) that has and educational facility tied to it just outside of Chang Rai.  It's in the Golden Triangle - bordering Myramar (aka Burma), Laos and Thailand.

Can I borrow your towel?  My car just hit a Water Buffalo.

 
The area is rife with temples, hillside villages cut off from most civilization and scenery that needs to be seen to be believed.  The kids were put to the test going on mega 3 hr mountain bike rides, having to build rafts and use them to get down the river, learn how to teach English then actually teach it to hillside village kids, spend the night outdoors camping in tents, plus many other activities.

The interesting thing is that these kids have grown up very privileged.  Privileged as in they have always had a nanny, housekeeper, cook, driver, tutor, etc. in their lives to do just about everything for them.  Aside from getting good grades, they have never had to lift a finger for themselves.

Guessing that isn't the NY Times...

She came back with many stories of them adapting and persevering.  They even had a student take a digger on the mountain bike and end up with 5 stitches in her chin as well as massive black eye and super puffy cheek - only to continue the trip and participate in all the activities!  (BTW - Erin went to the hospital with her - Emergency Room, stitches, cleaned up, meds - the works...all added up to $11usd.  Graeme ended up in the Emergency Room once in San Rafael with a pom-pom shoved up his nose and for us to walk in the door and have a doctor look up his nose, and not do anything about it, cost us $1,200usd!).






While Erin was gone, Graeme and I were left to our own devices.  One day we cruised downtown to hit the Ben Thanh Market and a playground.   Well,  two steps into the market Graeme was swarmed on by the female merchants.  Took some heat off of me getting hassled to buy things but it sent him running for my arms the rest of our visit!  I guess not too many blonde, blue eyed, 2 footers roll through there very often.

What size you need?  Buy! Buy!

This is the type of market where they sell it all.  Taking up a few city blocks you can get your knock-off True Religion, Levi's, Abercrombie, J Crew - you name it.

Roots.  Take your pick.

Salmon looked really good

Squid-licious!

All shapes and sizes.

Flowers and carcass.  Good mix!

Graeme was clinging for life to my neck so I was a bit limited in taking pictures.  There was a really huge "food court" section with vendors mixing up the goods to eat on the spot.






I've been to a few markets like this and am used to the constant hawking of goods.  This one wasn't too bad but we were there during a slow time of day and really not interested in buying anything so it was easy not to show interest and keep moving.

Can't get enuff of the prints

Some heart?

The trick is, to cut them way up high!

The meat and seafood area's always fascinate me.  I've been to markets where the stench and amount of flies will make you wretch.  Not so here.  Everything was very clean, well displayed and seemingly fresh.  Not that I'd go for a pig heart or cow's intestine as an entree.  You can definitely tell that no part goes wasted in these parts!

 From here we hit the local playground and made some new friends.  It's amazing how kids don't speak the same languages but can manage to play just fine together!  Oh, what we can learn as adults from children...if only we took the time.

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It was mid-week so the park was pretty empty (these places are crazy busy on weekends, filled with literally hundreds - if not thousands - of kids) but we managed to find a few other toddlers and make a fun few hours out of it.

Who's driving this thing?

Shake bro!

Um...now what?

My highlight was taking Graeme down to our 3rd floor promenade and getting on our skateboards!  The place would make a killer skate spot and I am sure if I was 17 and didn't have my name on a lease we'd be kicked out of the building already because of skate-inflicted damage I would have caused!  Really nice planters, gardens, benches...and some great views of the Phu My Bridge.

Shred ready...

I got him all geared up and he was styling with his skateboard from Purple Skunk in SF (Aunt Lizzie got this for him when he turned 1...just now starting to be able to use it properly - thanks Aunt Lizzie!).

We have butt-boarded a bit in the garage in California and he's ridden tandem with me a few times as well.  This was his first real session.  He had a blast!  We were both super stoked.

  
                                                          He got to learn his first trick.


So daycare has kicked in and really helped our schedule and routine along.  Last week they had a Parents Day where we could go and hang out for a bit while the kids played.  They have so many toys and playthings there..it's amazing they are able to get them all because you know they had to fly all that stuff here over time.  Incredible.

Stirring it up...

Before Erin left we celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival (aka Moon Festival).  We didn't realize what a big deal it was until that night.  Since our arrival there were stands on the streets everywhere selling "Moon Cakes".  Imagine the stands on the roads that sell fireworks for 4th or July and replace the explosives with these ornate boxes filled with round cakes about 4 inches in diameter.  Expats have dubbed them the "Fruitcake of Vietnam".  Each cake has a different filling and it's pretty much anyone's guess what you are getting.  You are supposed to bring them as gifts to people when you visit their homes.  The boxes they come in are incredibly detailed and probably are more valuable then the cakes.  Overall, the cakes are very expensive.  Some in the $40usd plus range..

It has turned into a huge deal for kids.  They make lanterns (Graeme made his at daycare) and there is all sorts of festivals and gatherings all over the city.  The kids light the lanterns to help a man who is stuck on the moon and needs guidance back to earth.  The mall by our house had a huge deal with thousands of kids showing up.  Very loud, busy and crazy.  Graeme was over it in about 2 minutes but he digs his lantern and his traditional Non La (conical hat) that he made, proudly showing them off to everyone.



Things here should be fairly chill and routine the next 2 weeks or so...then we head to Cambodia for a week's vacation.  Hoping everyone is well and enjoying the change in seasons over there.  Still hot and a bit rainy here, so enjoy the leaf-peeping, Santa Ana's and sunshine for us!


Hòa Bình,

The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme