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| Life - it's too fast! |
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN??
In the life of Education "years" end in June and begin in August. So, where did this year go???? How can 10 months go by so quickly? How can so much happen in 10 months?? When I think back of things we did last August and September, it seems like they were a lifetime ago! To think of where Graeme was developmentally last August compared to now is unfathomable. He went from not being able to use his Skuut bike because he was too short, to now adjusting the seat to its highest setting. From grasping his English vocabulary to now singing counting songs in perfect Vietnamese with our housekeeper (Erin and I are still struggling with hand signals just to get home in a taxi). I mean, just look at how much younger Graeme looks in this picture from September compared to now: |
| Tiny Tots Class September '13 |
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| Who, Us? May '14 |
THE LAST DANCE
Living a life in education it all comes down to the Graduation....Erin, being a High School Guidance Counselor, was entrenched in the development and execution of the ceremony. Nothing she could not handle, but there was one responsibility that had her worried - announcing the students names correctly as they were awarded their diploma's! Imagine - 46 students representing 17 countries, all of their extended families in the audience - and it is up to you to pronounce their name properly. No small feat mind you. Erin had their names on a sheet spelled out phonetically and studied it for over a month! Well, when the time came she knocked it out of the park! Here is the video of the ceremony - skip to about the 44 minute mark to hear Erin owning her students names! CLICK HEREI've written in the past about the merits of Saigon South International School and the honor Erin has of working there as well as the accomplishment she has achieved to do so. I've also written about how excited, proud and humble we are to have Graeme start his formal education there. So, where does it all lead? What does this fine institution produce? How about for starters the location of the Graduation Ceremony. It was in the Saigon Opera House. A french colonial building built in 1897. It has lasted 5 wars, held seats of assembly for governments, sheltered refugees, and also put on a few shows along the way. I am not sure about you, but I graduated on a sad excuse for a football field while sitting on metal bleachers.
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| Saigon Opera House |
The Senior Class had 48 students in it. They represented 17 different countries. 100% graduation rate. 100% acceptance rate to 4 year colleges and universities. This class was accepted to 146 colleges all told. Think about that one for a minute. I graduated with just over 300 students. The final number is tough to tell because as we rehearsed the ceremony the afternoon of the graduation they were still pulling students from their seats to let them know they did not make the cut. I am going to take a guess and say that out of the 300 graduating seniors in the class of 1990 at Lakeland Regional High School we may have not met the same statistic that SSIS's graduating class did (insert snicker). Do you know how there were a few students in your class who wore some sort of sash over their gown because of National Honor Society or some other extra curricular accomplishment they
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| When you are this smart, they let you throw your cap! |
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| Erin with Principal Paul Johnson |
GRAEME IS STARTING WHAT???
These are the types Graeme will start rubbing his elbows with next year. Wait, did I just say "next year"?? TRY IN 8 WEEKS!!! How did that happen?? All along we have been saying "next year" when referring to Graeme starting EC3 (Early Childhood Education) at SSIS. Well, about a week ago I had a minor anxiety attack when I realized that "next year" meant in about 2 months, immediately following our return from the USA. Gulp. How did this happen? What am I going to do without my little sidekick? He is already talking about how cool it will be to take the school bus to school, without me :( Erin and I had to go to a Parent meeting for an introduction to the program. I went to the school store to sort out his school uniforms. We need to say goodbye to all our friends at Kids Club. I take Graeme to the EC library every Friday to read and take out books. Today was the last day we did that as Father/Son. The next time he does it will be with his Teacher and Classmates. How did this all happen?? Too quickly, if you ask me.
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| We are officially parents of a student |
ONE LAST HOORAH
With no breaks in the school calendar since last April, we managed to sneak away for a weekend with some other families to Ho Tram. A stretch of beach with nothing around for miles that they decided to build a "Vegas Style" mega hotel, casino, golf resort at. It was an easy 2 hour liesure bus ride away and they were running really good rates so we went. The sand on the beach was too hot (dry season) so we hung hard in the pool. As a matter of fact, Graeme spent 9 hours straight in the pool the first day. His hair turned green from the chlorine and I don't think it was possible to have more fun than he did that day. While of zero cultural value, it did not suck. |
| His hair matched his goggles by days end |
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| Up Up and Away! |
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| This is hard work... |
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| Stealing a kiss at the swim-up bar |
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| Mot, Hai, Ba, YO! |
WEATHER REPORT (Hey, I am a Hawken!)
As of 4 days ago, rainy season has arrived. What a pleasure. What a relief! We can now count on a massive thunderstorm every afternoon and enough breeze and cloud cover throughout the day to make being outside possible again. The past 2 months have been indescribable in terms of quality of life outdoors. We are once again creatures that can be active outdoors. All I can say is Thank You to the Rain Gods!In just under 2 weeks we head back to the USA for a summer break stint. About 6 weeks all told. We will spend the first 3 weeks in Nor Cal, 2 weeks in NJ then the remaining back in Nor Cal. We are all very excited! It will be interesting for sure. Even though we are not moving back and just visiting, there will be some repatrioting to be done I am sure. There are new routines, daily expectations and an overall general quirkiness that we have become accustomed to. There will be things we miss for sure. Like seeing the most amazing things that can fit on a motorbike, each morning watching fisherman from our balcony fishing as they have for hundreds of years on old wooden boats with nets and their hands, watching the most unbelievable sunsets from every window in our apartment (reference past blogs headline photo's for proof), eating new foods almost daily that we not only have no idea what they are called but usually no idea what they are, communicating with our hands versus our words, getting morning coffee off of ladies on motorbikes for 33cents, drinking 50cent beers (and complaining when a restaurant tries to charge over $1usd for a beer!), having our laundry done for us and everything being ironed daily (yes, even our underwear).
Some things we will have to reacquaint ourselves with:
- driving a car - Erin nor I have driven a car since September
- wearing closed toe footwear. At this point we cannot even keep sandals on Graeme and I cannot stand the thought of wearing a proper "shoe"
- organization - form a line (aka a "queue") at any establishment (especially an airport), drive in a lane, drive on the correct side of the road, drive on the road (not the sidewalk). These things will be foreign to us.
- Travel without worrying about ferry times, train times, bribing border agents for visa's, when the pick-up truck leaves/returns, etc.
- Going more than 2 km to do something and not riding our bike there. The idea of getting in a car to go run an errand seems daunting to us right now. We do have cruiser bikes in Lodi so hopefully we can utilize them properly.
- Car Seats for Graeme. He has been freewheeling it since we got here. Hope he likes the idea of restraints!
- Being able to order food (and get what you ordered), ask a question, go to a bank and it is not out of money, mani/pedi's that cost more than $5usd, massages that cost more than $10usd (what, you don't get massages weekly??), a manly haircut/pedicure/facial/full body massage/shampoo/ear cleaning/straight razor shave for $7usd....good thing we are only home for 6 wks and we can do these things right before we leave and be ready for the next session when we return ;)
The other day I was shopping for some gifts to bring back home and in a
market I saw a T-Shirt that really says it all: "VIETNAM IS NOT A WAR,
IT IS A COUNTRY". I'd take it even one step further and say that it is a
"PEOPLE". Such an amazing place, such an amazing culture, such amazing
people. We would love nothing better than to share it with you, just
get here and we will do the rest
A beer, pizza or coffee to the first person to tell me whats wrong in this picture (answer in comments below) Hint: it's not the amount of people on the scooter. 
Got a flat? 
Need a ream? 
Peace, Love, and Who The Hell is Driving????
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| Yes, I ate it. So what? I still won't eat cheese. |
Why are we looking forward to coming home? Simple answer. Because of YOU. We want to see YOU. As many places as we visit here. As many new experiences as we have. As many new friendships we forge, we still are missing YOU. "YOU" are our Family, our Dearest Friends. We will be home only a short time so please help us in making our time there efficient and meaningful. Hopefully relationships pick right up where they left off as if we were never gone (we are sure you do not want to sit through 10 months of slide shows??). If we haven't been in touch, or you haven't been in touch - now is a great time to reach out. While 6 weeks seems like a long time, it is not. Make a plan now or forever hold your peace....Email, Facebook, Skype, Whatsapp, Kik are all best. If you are using our old US cell #'s you are out of luck.
Oh, and we really, really, really, really, really, really want to see SIENNA!!!!!
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| Miss Sienna Puppy we are coming to see YOU! |
The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme
