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| Chúc Mừng Năm Mới |
Tet
Within days of arriving here, co-workers and newly found friends warned us that we had better book travel plans ASAP for Tet Holiday (Jan 29 - Feb 5) as flights, trains, buses all fill up. We didn't fully understand it. We eventually got around to planning a trip to Bangkok, Thailand (more on that trip later in the blog) with little problems.
So what is Tet? Tet is the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. Most are probably familiar with Chinese New Year? That is what the Chinese celebrate for the new lunar year. While at the same time, Tet is a bit different then the Chinese version, and with 10 times as many Chinese in the world compared to Vietnamese that would explain why most have heard of one over the other.
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| Happy New Year! |
But what does that mean? How can we relate? Well...several months prior to Tet plans go into action to turn certain streets into carnivals of flowers and street vendors. Entire parks, malls, open spaces, etc. get transformed into impeccably beautifully manicured displays of flowers and traditional Vietnamese lifestyles. In the week or so leading up to Tet everyone cleans their house like never before. You want all old, "unlucky" dust, dirt and spirits to go away. You throw away any dying or old plants and flowers. You throw (or give) away old tattered clothing. You start to smile and say "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" (Happy New Year!) to complete strangers as well as those who typically scowl at you during your daily routines.
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Part of Tet is all about starting new with the new year and new luck....new outfits, new plants (always Yellow and Red signifying good luck), and new money. You go around handing our Red Envelopes with "Lucky Money" in them - usually low denonimations handed to kids or workers/helpers how you come into contact with often. You provide your housekeeping help with an extra month's salary in one of the envelopes as well. The bills need to be brand spanking new and crisp as Peking Duck. Going to the bank a week or more prior to Tet is a must or you may be left out to dry. The money that they hand out is all brand new, the lines are long and the money doesn't last forever.
The other part of Tet involves going home and visiting and staying with your family. "Home" as in where your heritage is. The village or area your relatives are still living in. It is a week of eating and drinking non-stop while visiting with family. Imagine Thanksgiving that lasts 7 days straight! With that said, cities like Ho Chi Minh City become ghost towns (no one is "from" HCMC). Stores, restaurants, everything shuts down. It's funny because you cannot get a straight answer out of any of them as to exactly which day the will close or re-open; it's all up to whenever the staff return and for Tet the workers have the say and come back to work whenever they please (hey, it's pretty much their only time off all year!).
For example, when we got back from Thailand I ran to the small supermarket in our building. They are part of a larger chain so they were open, but, there was not one thing stocked in the cold section. The tables usually stuffed with vegetables and fruits were bare and the beer pyramid, usually way overhead, was down to 2 boxes. It took about 3 or 4 days for most stores and restaurants to get back online and in form prior to Tet.
Graeme's daycare had the Lucky Dragons come by and perform a dance. Graeme thought it best to observe from inside behind a glass window while everyone else was outside with the dragons. They also had a really cute parade (video is HERE ) where all the kids and staff dressed in their best áo dài (pronounced "A Oh Eye") - we were lucky to find one for Graeme at the local market for $2usd. Graeme fared better with the parade and was super hyped that his Mommy was able to sneak away from work to check it out.
ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK......
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| 1991 all over again! |
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| Americana.... |
It was a great visit. Little League games with the kids, dinner at home, leisurely trips to the mall. An "adventure-less" travel adventure, if you will. Catching up on old times, reacquainting and watching Graeme tear into toys that have not been touched in years (their kids are 12 and 9). Graeme loved hanging, or at least trying, to hang with the older kids. They have an incredible set up in an ex-pat compound with the kids friends freewheeling it about all over the neighborhood. We managed one evening in Bangkok proper, dinner and some drinks at a network function for Dave's work, but this trip was more about grounding down versus grinding it out.
We bounced the last few days and took a drive south for a few hours to a resort area called Hua Hin. The "Jersey Shore" of Bangkok kind of. It's where those with a few extra bucks in their pockets can get away for a weekend, stay at a nice resort and get good beach and pool time in.
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| Swank |
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| The Jersey Shore of Thailand... |
Meanwhile, back on the ranch....
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I am not quite sure how this happened. I figured we could dodge the "soccer-parent" stigma by moving to SE Asia. Maybe get him into đá cầu. Apparently if you are USA born you are obligated as a parent to get sucked into the vortex that is Kids Soccer no matter where you live. On Saturday mornings the Elementary Assistant Principle puts on a soccer practice for the EC and Kindergarteners....Graeme got invited because his son is also Graeme's age and thought they could keep each other occupied while the older kids ran drills. Turns out, Graeme likes drills! He is super engaged when having to listen to the coach, stand in line to wait his turn, and then let it rip. However, his skill does not quite match his enthusiasm. Here is a video clip of his first ever soccer drill (best in Full Screen):
Gotta love the hustle though! He has since gotten better.
One of the cuter things ever witnessed was when Graeme and his buddy went missing into the playhouse while the older kids ran 2-on-2 games. When it came time for their turn we all yelled for them and the two of them came running out of the playhouse with helmets on. The other team never knew what hit them (literally because these two rug rats never got going in the right direction!).
It's a great weekly routine, the coach does an incredible job with the kids and we usually end up across the street for smoothie's afterwards, so there isn't much to complain about! Even if it gets me in closed-toed shoes more then I'd like to be, it is impossible to deny that Graeme and the kids have a blast running around outside.
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| Pele look out! |
So now we own a soccer ball and spend many afternoons during the week practicing for Saturday morning. I dred the day when he is old enough that I will actually have to run around to keep up with his soccer skills. My soccer career as a youth lasted about 1 season before I realized running is not my thing....unless spinning red lights are close behind.
After Thailand we have a 6 week stint before the next big break, but we did find a weekend in late February to join Erin at a conference in Bangkok and Graeme and I are going to sneak back into Thailand for a few days with her. We also have Erin's parents arriving mid March. Our first visitors!!!
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| Please stay awake Graeme! |
So we've been keeping busy doing the usual stuff most do anywhere. Playdates, running errands, cruising on our Skoot bike, going to 5 grocery stores in one day to get what you need, etc., etc.
It's been kind of nice having a routine the past few weeks and looking forward to the same in the next several. Christmas and Tet vacations were nearly back-to-back and even though travel is a main motivator for our time here it's nice to explore a bit near home and get a bit grounded.
Glad to hear our family and friends have finally seen some rain and snow in California (although not enough!) and feeling for our family and friends on the East Coast getting more winter then usual....more incentive to just come visit us! It's been gorgeous with low humidity and blue skies and temps topping out in the high 80's to low 90's. We did have a 3 week run of the coldest temperatures recorded here in decades where we had a few mornings as low as 68 degrees and afternoons only in the low 80's. The thought! Don't laugh, upcountry (a bit higher elevation so cooler temps) people actually died! We are back on track though and able to spend way more time outside then before, thanks to the lower humidity. So great to be able to hang out outside.
Again, we are always lurking on Skype, Whatsapp, Viber, Kik, Google Chat, etc...feel free to hit us up and say Hi!
Thanks to everyone for reading and your kind words of encouragement. If you need help finding flights to visit please don't hesitate to ask! Your bedroom awaits and it has the best sunsets views free of charge!
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The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme
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