tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76055162004333122752024-03-19T19:18:43.396+07:00When I was in 'Nam...Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-14863608240425417882010-06-28T17:49:00.000+07:002010-06-28T17:49:34.775+07:00Things I'm going to miss: Ordinary life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c4pfAs0QfBcKUm3PTvFyR4_AcXoKU63E7s4GE6tOlKEg1YbUxZhy0xPE0S_UlGF2aYX0NOfuVXGexLNYh235aTzY49TGt68-oowV7xT9y66Q1Wy2A0q9k3l8DMgNemQWGIDhG5Jx5iY/s1600/IMG_3555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4c4pfAs0QfBcKUm3PTvFyR4_AcXoKU63E7s4GE6tOlKEg1YbUxZhy0xPE0S_UlGF2aYX0NOfuVXGexLNYh235aTzY49TGt68-oowV7xT9y66Q1Wy2A0q9k3l8DMgNemQWGIDhG5Jx5iY/s320/IMG_3555.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Them's my undies. I wash them every Saturday by hand, and it's a completely normal part of my routine, but it will end when I become a grad student with access to a washing machine and a very tight schedule. (Though now that I have discovered the wonders of presoaking there's no going back.)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-large;">1.7</span></div><br />
This is the average number of books I read per month. That's nearly one book every two weeks! One of the things I will miss most is the easy pace of life in Vietnam, which has allowed me to rediscover reading for fun, rather than for class.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BQMH802II4LSMzXClWKV2jlaLdbDo7R7ZdavSAJgCDD3_2Xg2PAQVpe5u6hoGLwY-qPr3y9lTeOGlBAMfevOx6axjRIaNi0_e8C9PbyUNhAAof4KDoj9yn3P1MZLO3FnFaf-eDf3FeM/s1600/IMG_1081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BQMH802II4LSMzXClWKV2jlaLdbDo7R7ZdavSAJgCDD3_2Xg2PAQVpe5u6hoGLwY-qPr3y9lTeOGlBAMfevOx6axjRIaNi0_e8C9PbyUNhAAof4KDoj9yn3P1MZLO3FnFaf-eDf3FeM/s320/IMG_1081.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>See food? It's seafood! (clams)</i></span></div><br />
Eating with chopsticks. It's just so civilized.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhHYIkmSBpgyIAf6wAiylVqbFn_TifKeXxqWxMuYM7MAdm9xa8Pbf5fJ-h0oZf0Akh3ut7LF24LWUw5jYzOdp_AIaCfnm7KGN0XXxbo1ak9hpsupeesqwQZKYdNqRgjuPUjFgPYzBW3w/s1600/IMG_4559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhHYIkmSBpgyIAf6wAiylVqbFn_TifKeXxqWxMuYM7MAdm9xa8Pbf5fJ-h0oZf0Akh3ut7LF24LWUw5jYzOdp_AIaCfnm7KGN0XXxbo1ak9hpsupeesqwQZKYdNqRgjuPUjFgPYzBW3w/s320/IMG_4559.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Street life. It's going to be so isolating to go back to temperate climes, where everybody keeps their business inside. How can I be nosy anymore?Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-77247809780891607322010-06-25T10:35:00.000+07:002010-06-25T10:35:59.773+07:00Things I'm going to miss: What-in-the-world moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjOC2XJ8cggnen47NLLFe_Am2f-g6xEHkAMGNHhz3gvwIU71I6hyphenhyphenWp9pEIA9TqlB1N5M0bJ4y53_-HC6kOjzAibmzfC2ZIqR8f1m6De_SBYnfbUAt77BsSPS44p2NKkyLHQS1sFnhIdU/s1600/IMG_2923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjOC2XJ8cggnen47NLLFe_Am2f-g6xEHkAMGNHhz3gvwIU71I6hyphenhyphenWp9pEIA9TqlB1N5M0bJ4y53_-HC6kOjzAibmzfC2ZIqR8f1m6De_SBYnfbUAt77BsSPS44p2NKkyLHQS1sFnhIdU/s200/IMG_2923.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>If you leave your country, chances are there are going to be a lot of things that take you by surprise--no, that are veritable jaw-droppers. Like the first time you see a family of five sharing a single motorbike. Or when your sweet little host grandma digs around in her nose with her finger while you are talking to her as if it is no problem (it is, in fact, no problem). Or four people on two bicycles pedalling serenely down the road, <i>all holding hands</i>. Or when your extended host family offers you raw pork blood at a party. Or when you first realize that if it ever became necessary, you could indeed buy live bunnies and snakes by the side of the road. Or pussycats.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiU_wDD4-4_mcktyINBY6rEs5tXT2je-l-EB5ws6Kqw7DrR9ap-lQ0QKZHn4muMwiDw6kegsqe55I6TPlQLPCLkugYzBsn_Ld3m86M1e8CpiRK8n4MbSit3RDgAiG2NDEjQZSNqgpiD4/s1600/IMG_2884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiU_wDD4-4_mcktyINBY6rEs5tXT2je-l-EB5ws6Kqw7DrR9ap-lQ0QKZHn4muMwiDw6kegsqe55I6TPlQLPCLkugYzBsn_Ld3m86M1e8CpiRK8n4MbSit3RDgAiG2NDEjQZSNqgpiD4/s320/IMG_2884.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
With a regular supply of such moments, I've become rather addicted, and I predict serious withdrawal when I return to the States.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy830CJoRQVmV-j05YYHLp8Lb8VrB9aDU4mo8L3NoMJz2RK5uyHhfD-e9LR0hyRO5X_4q8vvoeUo-f74gCfxvWn0HWKCe9KJZC5JlowxsLYKJ1GTPZuFFYFFlzOnXfJ2v4BEWl3OGprw0/s1600/Vietnam+339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy830CJoRQVmV-j05YYHLp8Lb8VrB9aDU4mo8L3NoMJz2RK5uyHhfD-e9LR0hyRO5X_4q8vvoeUo-f74gCfxvWn0HWKCe9KJZC5JlowxsLYKJ1GTPZuFFYFFlzOnXfJ2v4BEWl3OGprw0/s200/Vietnam+339.jpg" width="150" /></a>I made a facebook album, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2075477&id=15302590&l=eaa10e426b">"Visual metaphors for culture shock"</a> in an attempt to evoke some of the feelings such moments provoke. Unfortunately, these moments are difficult to capture with stills, but I was lucky enough to find a lovely video that sums it up perfectly.<br />
<br />
<br />
I now present to you the finest in Vietnamese advertising. Vinamilk: It's not just milk. It's Happiness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttr2X2aCpco&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttr2X2aCpco&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
I suggest you watch this with sound if at all possible. (This video can also be found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttr2X2aCpco">here</a>.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnX4ffaq8LpLXT9f8PiYnIBnfV0em4N7cAX8eLNrwQcfBE-5rkiqpwpII17CFtK2RZb6wdfBtBGtg7HOOvWehPzmHXriHezETL7WStmRwhkB2ocAlVTbrEHc3R2A9sQfiYKDEePZIlKos/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnX4ffaq8LpLXT9f8PiYnIBnfV0em4N7cAX8eLNrwQcfBE-5rkiqpwpII17CFtK2RZb6wdfBtBGtg7HOOvWehPzmHXriHezETL7WStmRwhkB2ocAlVTbrEHc3R2A9sQfiYKDEePZIlKos/s320/IMG_0338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-58035266897186999432010-06-22T17:38:00.001+07:002010-06-22T17:47:52.248+07:00We interrupt this series to bring you something totally randomThinking about all the people/places/things I'm going to miss from Vietnam made me really depressed. So I decided to cheer myself up by thinking about one of the most ubiquitously available sources of joy and happiness: random words.<br />
<br />
One of the best sources of random words is, of course, the good ole' American boy <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/">Daniel Webster</a>. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/DanielWebster_ca1847_Whipple_2403624668-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/DanielWebster_ca1847_Whipple_2403624668-crop.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>The only thing more American than baseball and hotdogs is spelling it "color" and "theater." Take that, Brits! </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>And a large picture of my head.</i></span></div><br />
But I am about to reveal to you the secret location of an <b>even better source of even randomer</b> words and word combinations. It is simple. It is free. It is my gift to all you Shakers and word-lovers and word-loving Shakers out there. You ready?<br />
<br />
The answer is: comment on this blog.<br />
<br />
No! Really! For serious. Because when you comment on this blog you are required to go through a security procedure in which you read and type out a distorted word or phrase that has been generated by your machine to be 100% random and 99% AWESOME. (1% of the time you get a dud. But it's no worse a failure rate than condoms, and the consequences are way less life-changing.)<br />
<br />
Here are some of my favorites*:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">used pasteur</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">│</span></span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>repult<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">│</span></span></span></i></span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">PAPAL ASYLUM</span></span></span></b>│<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">stermen</span></span>│<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">WRONG POCKS</span></span></b>**│<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>shnilly</b></span></i>│<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">office truce</span></b></span>**│<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;"><b>last vander</b></span> ***<br />
<br />
*One hundred points to whoever illustrates of one of these.<br />
**Pretty sure I suffered from this in middle school.<br />
***I think we should call one of those.<br />
****Similar to the last of the Mohicans, can be found at Calvin College.<br />
<br />
Also, you can go to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">facebook</a> and post a link or picture anywhere and it will give you the same thing. Don't like what you get? Try again! Here, copy and post this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wmht.org/images/uploads/images/1224007583_edpodcast_wordonstreet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wmht.org/images/uploads/images/1224007583_edpodcast_wordonstreet.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Knock yourselves out, wordophiles!Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-26030899264904879012010-06-18T12:16:00.001+07:002010-06-22T09:24:58.265+07:00Things I'm going to miss: My coworkersHere's a nice GRE-worthy word for you: esprit de corps. Here is a definition:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvvOh6sIbJXv9rMDtl5xMMIBLM_aF0z4V0qtm2xlahvWy6znC6CaYvS696I5LJnlwQ9V1fZl_vXOpXq6F56pA5mBA7gjnM8w9RXHoHl0xGXdaIDT_heDOsMmGFD365zJA87IhpUnD0UY/s1600/DSC02271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvvOh6sIbJXv9rMDtl5xMMIBLM_aF0z4V0qtm2xlahvWy6znC6CaYvS696I5LJnlwQ9V1fZl_vXOpXq6F56pA5mBA7gjnM8w9RXHoHl0xGXdaIDT_heDOsMmGFD365zJA87IhpUnD0UY/s400/DSC02271.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Synonyms include going to the beach together,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflucJyitt0x6N7ruDJvNfK5OI2zPPcxyCcJSLVfK4UH78DEm9th4-sTU0y7Cf1-Zpd1477TMuajyhDb1K6fnBSOhsIPNpBZoHeNN24bBaoZC-gZNE1pfP4t-Z2C3-2rYH02ByBddzKBw/s1600/DSC00218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflucJyitt0x6N7ruDJvNfK5OI2zPPcxyCcJSLVfK4UH78DEm9th4-sTU0y7Cf1-Zpd1477TMuajyhDb1K6fnBSOhsIPNpBZoHeNN24bBaoZC-gZNE1pfP4t-Z2C3-2rYH02ByBddzKBw/s320/DSC00218.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hannah and chị Giang </i></div><i><br />
</i><br />
eating lunch together every day,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSD0Flsq4gu1Zor_UFLYCSXS9jCbej6Xs6XfYM-LC41i-dQueO8y3KCBQ55zkQg1OcVm_Rim0HbUO_J_f5rqsAQGRjyaz3BG1yFB1sTAiwYKFQjhgsyLVyMB0CgRuMBsLOujoyJo7mDY/s1600/My_daily_life_in_Vietnam_049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSD0Flsq4gu1Zor_UFLYCSXS9jCbej6Xs6XfYM-LC41i-dQueO8y3KCBQ55zkQg1OcVm_Rim0HbUO_J_f5rqsAQGRjyaz3BG1yFB1sTAiwYKFQjhgsyLVyMB0CgRuMBsLOujoyJo7mDY/s320/My_daily_life_in_Vietnam_049.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Anh Khoa, chị Mai Anh, chị Hằng</i></div><br />
studying English together (or goofing off as the case may be),<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKprVNPBBaaJ7M3Q0egzaDWJWpMRCu1LywSgxXhExg04z5Npqrv_8QqhX6WpsJQCf86-S0CRdQQehj2krI-f3j29ecbJPZ7HX0Bz8WUCBSNJ5bOu_m4SgkmqDrLnNZNkE-8QL968fn74/s1600/My_daily_life_in_Vietnam_048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKprVNPBBaaJ7M3Q0egzaDWJWpMRCu1LywSgxXhExg04z5Npqrv_8QqhX6WpsJQCf86-S0CRdQQehj2krI-f3j29ecbJPZ7HX0Bz8WUCBSNJ5bOu_m4SgkmqDrLnNZNkE-8QL968fn74/s320/My_daily_life_in_Vietnam_048.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Anh Long, cô Hannah, chị Mai Anh, chị Phượng, anh Khoa, </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>bác Chung, chị Ngọc, chú Bình </i></div><br />
celebrating International Children's Day together,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B_-Uh3RiOxc6Rdo8KgEgIlefclQlbeDb4zIJMsSEL3zkGIZmHCgv-D5W4itFNDxfNLVtRriP2ZTcGo1hThkFCcoSk0ZKW7BZXGOHzCB_EPHlZjGvol5ptnhqMUllwrQy6R1Q0MSjiNo/s1600/IMGP6190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B_-Uh3RiOxc6Rdo8KgEgIlefclQlbeDb4zIJMsSEL3zkGIZmHCgv-D5W4itFNDxfNLVtRriP2ZTcGo1hThkFCcoSk0ZKW7BZXGOHzCB_EPHlZjGvol5ptnhqMUllwrQy6R1Q0MSjiNo/s320/IMGP6190.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Anh Lâm (editor in chief) and children of Thế Giới Employees</i></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">celebrating each other's weddings,</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IY9NNVUiDke5rHMkKkD5KGHswPCwYxOzUJVwWSsIvhrBn6811t3irHK9mNiA9XOMLdiao2xGfanRIfDhqX_2YQJ5IE2IbJTy9vtOubm2mG4pseuRg5cGKIhjBrPTQFB8t_GKS6UZaWI/s1600/IMG_2558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1IY9NNVUiDke5rHMkKkD5KGHswPCwYxOzUJVwWSsIvhrBn6811t3irHK9mNiA9XOMLdiao2xGfanRIfDhqX_2YQJ5IE2IbJTy9vtOubm2mG4pseuRg5cGKIhjBrPTQFB8t_GKS6UZaWI/s320/IMG_2558.JPG" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>Mr. Long (accounting department) and his bride.</i></div><div><br />
</div><br />
visiting each other's homes at Tết,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMg8AMAB2mhqRSC5y96IqnBuWe10BGMGRLqr6UZrkC6g3FZHCPOCEkTJCOv_ySTgNewkiDkLoPgLLsdYwcf4qDIdN-cv7k5UF2-pfT1W7x68074cLoYTdmAK9ZKKe_rt-IpS0gL7kPYY/s1600/Tet+2009+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMg8AMAB2mhqRSC5y96IqnBuWe10BGMGRLqr6UZrkC6g3FZHCPOCEkTJCOv_ySTgNewkiDkLoPgLLsdYwcf4qDIdN-cv7k5UF2-pfT1W7x68074cLoYTdmAK9ZKKe_rt-IpS0gL7kPYY/s320/Tet+2009+021.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Chị Thuận and family (and me)</i></div><br />
going out to fancy restaurants at Tết together,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA26s31nspJ58jN3UhIhaf3fQmK5xetzbmaQYcDA_kNdv2r3ExZvTMzvN4wKkLhjwGa8c5GNdqQdRbN8VkbVgeDEwu58eXiHpLTjJPa-NKcXvjPTFmkNJ0V8rkT7niN9MgoWm4ZjZ8Pw/s1600/IMG_4191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA26s31nspJ58jN3UhIhaf3fQmK5xetzbmaQYcDA_kNdv2r3ExZvTMzvN4wKkLhjwGa8c5GNdqQdRbN8VkbVgeDEwu58eXiHpLTjJPa-NKcXvjPTFmkNJ0V8rkT7niN9MgoWm4ZjZ8Pw/s320/IMG_4191.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Chị Hạnh (also my host mom), chị Thuận</i></div><br />
partying hard at Tết together,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqE0zLE1XnQbIEmzHZ25KKGachUo3pFdJ1k5bC0-ZYfF7gEqjk6Zg0RwS3Nwr_RbE-_9wMpWFxY1yKAQE6-LiS0P-5GJFTX0_z2x6YkaBQwTKNagGHS0Va0vCcTJgKeYYv1itwYGmp9Q8/s1600/Vietnam+390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqE0zLE1XnQbIEmzHZ25KKGachUo3pFdJ1k5bC0-ZYfF7gEqjk6Zg0RwS3Nwr_RbE-_9wMpWFxY1yKAQE6-LiS0P-5GJFTX0_z2x6YkaBQwTKNagGHS0Va0vCcTJgKeYYv1itwYGmp9Q8/s320/Vietnam+390.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Bác Chung</i></div><br />
going to pagodas together,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDkshfsH8ybxurdZA0r1E-hQsAgBv0LVjQyFsFy6K-sM538WFOiAlqbnk0COMJ_DiXHkKpHuY4fv9AnEOfnk93CQrQfv2uVW2d8QgyekRcncnkSzi3jhvM2haa3ajfthSD29NqHuNji8/s1600/Trip+to+Ninh+Binh+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDkshfsH8ybxurdZA0r1E-hQsAgBv0LVjQyFsFy6K-sM538WFOiAlqbnk0COMJ_DiXHkKpHuY4fv9AnEOfnk93CQrQfv2uVW2d8QgyekRcncnkSzi3jhvM2haa3ajfthSD29NqHuNji8/s320/Trip+to+Ninh+Binh+051.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Em Diệp and chị Thu</i></div><br />
learning each other's languages,<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF34_0T0ezy3QUmRFLlF3KZEH03JKsl2fKX3Dbr-YH9MF1ykLjiCcOCa9nr6MK2t0zfSJ7EsqRjg6dq8Kkc-If8X7X2I8J7fbQIX8Mksh6x5TY8NSMpL7C2a1BS9YV615sY-Y2tpzjpJY/s1600/goodbye+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF34_0T0ezy3QUmRFLlF3KZEH03JKsl2fKX3Dbr-YH9MF1ykLjiCcOCa9nr6MK2t0zfSJ7EsqRjg6dq8Kkc-If8X7X2I8J7fbQIX8Mksh6x5TY8NSMpL7C2a1BS9YV615sY-Y2tpzjpJY/s320/goodbye+017.jpg" /></a></div><i>Anh Long (my boss) reading El Vocero Hispano Newspaper.</i><br />
<br />
and occasionally even getting some work done.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_pIEqUXEsRaIBW03h7hufu1kClRw30Z6OhxaWeJrtYQV22IuU7-dAaHN4ksSkSo0iBXHVQ401LlWzbyriwwe2kU-Ls4HFpm_VOdZ6AK2Nqt7qqLqbOeASZSZraJUhnGoUMBHhMaPoYM/s1600/DSC03752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_pIEqUXEsRaIBW03h7hufu1kClRw30Z6OhxaWeJrtYQV22IuU7-dAaHN4ksSkSo0iBXHVQ401LlWzbyriwwe2kU-Ls4HFpm_VOdZ6AK2Nqt7qqLqbOeASZSZraJUhnGoUMBHhMaPoYM/s320/DSC03752.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Employees of Thế Giới Publishers, how I will miss you all!Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-24475012408182068632010-06-15T14:31:00.000+07:002010-06-15T14:31:09.293+07:00Things I'm Going to Miss: My Host FamilyThe time is fast approaching when I must return to the motherland. And like many people who absolutely detest change, I don't like to think about it. So before I think about what lies ahead, let's think some about what lies in the here and now. Let's think about all the people, places, and things that have brought me so much happiness here.<br />
<br />
Let's start with people. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXm5D5CcSe9edA_dZu5g6vK1oTRCj9vclz6NtT9zxmZDeJTTGw-Uz1Zm8dlrYchC2Lc9hB-VHHmYgCbWk7oZVJ3VvHZ9WyYV9O8gSvr2aQzEhBA7EvvAcivyunSIYENor6LDMq7q7y8e0/s1600/IMG_4229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXm5D5CcSe9edA_dZu5g6vK1oTRCj9vclz6NtT9zxmZDeJTTGw-Uz1Zm8dlrYchC2Lc9hB-VHHmYgCbWk7oZVJ3VvHZ9WyYV9O8gSvr2aQzEhBA7EvvAcivyunSIYENor6LDMq7q7y8e0/s400/IMG_4229.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">em Hiếu</span></i></div><br />
As you can tell, Hiếu has a lot of charisma. For an 11-year-old, he is incredibly confident. He does not shy away from chocolate sundaes that are almost as big as his head. I will miss him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCsQtPpECSKzu9yaItJgqG-lymKuURb6Fk6aFOFwNA7WWg3H5iKAwzMdOW5iv88rxiHaJ-MkqzoDaO0-K97GUVUQEUpz7oK-FxAitQQBZtONlyWnn7dpxZVe7ympKfpI6lZG5dWrZhSE/s1600/IMG_4204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCsQtPpECSKzu9yaItJgqG-lymKuURb6Fk6aFOFwNA7WWg3H5iKAwzMdOW5iv88rxiHaJ-MkqzoDaO0-K97GUVUQEUpz7oK-FxAitQQBZtONlyWnn7dpxZVe7ympKfpI6lZG5dWrZhSE/s400/IMG_4204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>chị Hạnh</i></span></div><br />
This picture was taken when chị Hạnh and I went just the two of us to pay our pre-Tet dues at the neighborhood pagoda Chùa Hà (popularly credited as the Pagoda of Love). In Vietnam you don't tend to tell people how much you like them even if you think they are great; it's just too personal and awkward. So instead you spend a quiet moment together. Maybe light some incense. So this was our version of saying "I think I feel comfortable with you now." I will miss her.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w7fnBjJiDsN3S6awCRNFTB61DzF7YgX64-Z17E7saFNMppt8NLy64vx2jmsv4Lz_UVhl0mWAYmirIg0zZH5KhhQhA8t_7L_0u0_zrzsxVgr5UaBA_5BH_BpXKnDZ2AFSgif33p2MR6Y/s1600/IMG_3523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w7fnBjJiDsN3S6awCRNFTB61DzF7YgX64-Z17E7saFNMppt8NLy64vx2jmsv4Lz_UVhl0mWAYmirIg0zZH5KhhQhA8t_7L_0u0_zrzsxVgr5UaBA_5BH_BpXKnDZ2AFSgif33p2MR6Y/s400/IMG_3523.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>em Hiếu and anh Tám at Cafe Mobilette</i></span> </div><br />
Anh Tám doesn't talk much. Not to me, not to anyone. But he still likes to sit with you at a coffee shop, and if you are patient, and if you study your Vietnamese, and if you persist in asking him lots of questions, he will open up. I will miss him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq39QRZf1yUHfiexrcIzpLPu_RnevVkqiVRBsE-9BWV0cc5M5LuJAzxBIo3SXMdQci-tm4NEQb9_6Uj2D4NGkoIfNSvUhGFTN-_SyNfleL_pde0BCg_RJMAPD0wkSXFKJZmf-7-ywqn2g/s1600/new+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq39QRZf1yUHfiexrcIzpLPu_RnevVkqiVRBsE-9BWV0cc5M5LuJAzxBIo3SXMdQci-tm4NEQb9_6Uj2D4NGkoIfNSvUhGFTN-_SyNfleL_pde0BCg_RJMAPD0wkSXFKJZmf-7-ywqn2g/s400/new+011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>bác Hồng making pig's feet</i></span> </div><br />
This is the most typical angle from which I see bác Hồng. Most of my memories of her involve some recipe or another. The best one, and the one she is making in this picture, is pig's feet. I will miss her and pig's feet.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1EkLcOZ1BOpea8BdgGo4qVUKjU5EKR_TGXuYrFHb8snCDY51hD-O6hfLCs8o4Oq2xQMC6grFsjEp8wJKBK_oSZ9KxjdEyDhgHIWfuhtCmwzuQ0SadHTeFqc2Ai0hDbjz9bxywISDumk/s1600/IMG_3543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1EkLcOZ1BOpea8BdgGo4qVUKjU5EKR_TGXuYrFHb8snCDY51hD-O6hfLCs8o4Oq2xQMC6grFsjEp8wJKBK_oSZ9KxjdEyDhgHIWfuhtCmwzuQ0SadHTeFqc2Ai0hDbjz9bxywISDumk/s320/IMG_3543.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJmAbD7ygevbum-hrNVuOf2lYI8-WquVc8FfkIYE4uppyDyrHSassOOTbvyQqTMwSpe5hskrZA3pJeTSEK-Nd6pzjRPSGz1m4lRX-Rtkccqd4fPTZ76H3QxAJufw_-iVWyXJcRnMDPWU/s1600/Home+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJmAbD7ygevbum-hrNVuOf2lYI8-WquVc8FfkIYE4uppyDyrHSassOOTbvyQqTMwSpe5hskrZA3pJeTSEK-Nd6pzjRPSGz1m4lRX-Rtkccqd4fPTZ76H3QxAJufw_-iVWyXJcRnMDPWU/s400/Home+016.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>bác Huỳnh</i></span> </div><br />
This is bác Huỳnh interpreting a Chinese poem for me. Most of my memories of him involve him teaching me poems with risque double entendres. He is also the sponsor of my trip to Laos (and Thailand for an afternoon). I will miss him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjqFilNcZZ3TDv2aSiDM7IlokpfY6OMkT-CcE-u3NkKcCQVgTMm_Lo_LWfH_tyCz1Pqb3Nx8kcAes04JAkvji8pxViX62UAnJNy5bMiBUfQSUKH8HcUp6f4d_CgjjgSadycsyddElKsU/s1600/IMG_4017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjqFilNcZZ3TDv2aSiDM7IlokpfY6OMkT-CcE-u3NkKcCQVgTMm_Lo_LWfH_tyCz1Pqb3Nx8kcAes04JAkvji8pxViX62UAnJNy5bMiBUfQSUKH8HcUp6f4d_CgjjgSadycsyddElKsU/s320/IMG_4017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bác Huỳnh is very social and holds his liquor extremely well. This I discovered in Laos.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I know I said it already, but...I will miss them.</div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-19324946726422143022010-06-10T12:15:00.000+07:002010-06-10T12:15:09.070+07:00And the winner is......Nina!<br />
<br />
Congratulations to Nina Forsythe, winner of the HOLY MOLA giveaway, for being so lucky. I know you tried really hard; your work has finally paid off.<br />
<br />
Scout's honor, this is not a case of nepotism. She is my mother, and obviously I would have chosen her if it were up to me, but it was <a href="http://www.random.org/lists/">random.org</a> who chose her. If you want to improve your chances at the next giveaway, head on over to: <br />
<ul><li><b style="color: #274e13;">Thurs June 10</b> Sandra's Book Club <a href="http://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com/">http://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com/</a></li>
<li><b style="color: #274e13;">Fri June 11</b> Sententia Vera <a href="http://sententiavera.com/">http://sententiavera.com/</a></li>
<li><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Mon June 14</span></b> The Tranquilo Traveler <a href="http://blog.joshuaberman.net/">http://blog.joshuaberman.net/</a></li>
<li><b style="color: #274e13;">Wed June 16</b> The Book Nook <a href="http://booknook516.blogspot.com/">http://booknook516.blogspot.com/</a></li>
<li><b style="color: #274e13;">Thur June 17</b> Pisti Totol-Black Bird <a href="http://pistitotol.wordpress.com/">http://pistitotol.wordpress.com/</a></li>
<li><b style="color: #274e13;">Fri June 18</b> Musings <a href="http://nilkibenitez.blogspot.com/">http://nilkibenitez.blogspot.com/</a></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qjHDxo0rtwzmO3cxhoSx47d0v9aAZvjN-aCULZTvWIUH9UXuwqE5djtioHOVeQYFYY6z0rfiEmmHsMOxyGgxHbQsvlvARDfR5qKSSkJLFkBMeSB5cLBUHsJ8PtyTwlbnR-RNQKnaBHk/s1600/silvio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qjHDxo0rtwzmO3cxhoSx47d0v9aAZvjN-aCULZTvWIUH9UXuwqE5djtioHOVeQYFYY6z0rfiEmmHsMOxyGgxHbQsvlvARDfR5qKSSkJLFkBMeSB5cLBUHsJ8PtyTwlbnR-RNQKnaBHk/s400/silvio.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Please note that if you would like to ask Silvio what the heck he is doing spying on this bathing bull, you can ask him this <b>Friday, June 11 7-8pm Eastern Time</b> or <b>Friday, June 18</b> same time at the live chat here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://condorbooktours.com/index.php?pr=Author_Chat_Salon">Live chat with Silvio at the author chat salon at Condor Books</a><br />
<br />
Feel free to ask him about his book, too.<br />
<br />
Finally, here are some links of interest:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.silviosirias.com/">Silvio's website</a><br />
<a href="http://ssirias.blogspot.com/">Silvio's blog </a>which, personally, I find much more interesting<br />
<a href="http://condorbooktours.com/">Condor Book Tours</a> in case you have a book you need promoted, too.<br />
<a href="http://www.dulcebreadandbookshop.com/condor-book-tours/">Dulce Bread and Book Shop</a>* where you can buy <u>Bernardo and the Virgin</u><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">*Note that they will donate 100% of their commissions to <a href="https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Ecommerce/97869677?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=2601&store_id=4221"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Unicef's Storybook Gift</span></a> project. This project sends culturally appropriate storybooks to children in need throughout the world.<a href="https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Ecommerce/97869677?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=2601&store_id=4221"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></a></span></span></span>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-17778842447269867482010-06-09T16:20:00.013+07:002010-06-09T17:16:39.863+07:00It all started with a true story...FYI: This story is brought to you by <a href="http://condorbooktours.com/">Condor Book Tours</a>. Find out more during a <a href="http://condorbooktours.com/index.php?pr=Author_Chat_Salon">live chat with the author</a> this <b>Friday</b>,<b> June 11</b>,<b> 7-8pm EST </b>and<b> Friday</b>,<b> June 18</b>, same time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn-zn5TQ39mdJaBIM3XuCjvU9hsFD4yKsBYJzBAs6O8svMNIrvS92hRfFwNIKwi-Sb66N4AmD0ynw3URT1nqfzilSIMvieZW1dXcOzaUNr35yZnPHxVXxoU5w821opcY7HBNGA2RfryY/s1600/IMG_4824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn-zn5TQ39mdJaBIM3XuCjvU9hsFD4yKsBYJzBAs6O8svMNIrvS92hRfFwNIKwi-Sb66N4AmD0ynw3URT1nqfzilSIMvieZW1dXcOzaUNr35yZnPHxVXxoU5w821opcY7HBNGA2RfryY/s200/IMG_4824.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>One thing Vietnam and Nicaragua have in common besides bananas, frangipani trees, and me, is war. Specifically, guerilla war. Specifically, dirt poor communist guerrillas fighting the United States of America.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAeIFPqxeECeRXm2bVa29hcHv9gdX4t0HbM4Z8zjUSDK8zEl7iQDHFEcTkYxLzKzVU5AHqxCNtk_Lid_L-B01PgqK14oX-jElyQfjiY1WkSyef63IxXajHeZ1LhrjFTR5YLpzFtf9TZk/s1600/vietnam-map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAeIFPqxeECeRXm2bVa29hcHv9gdX4t0HbM4Z8zjUSDK8zEl7iQDHFEcTkYxLzKzVU5AHqxCNtk_Lid_L-B01PgqK14oX-jElyQfjiY1WkSyef63IxXajHeZ1LhrjFTR5YLpzFtf9TZk/s200/vietnam-map.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJX9SjbRAkAs9T6ak1Q00I1NfebjhqedYCYGrtPYfE4yW-zbHGP5lyHgO0jhlkNx00tvcqc9mx1idC7ZKEyblzPX45DSVnTqTEVBPEAR0TQU5yDSAVur19WW0498jAxEejGY40HuOv4M/s1600/map_of_nicaragua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJX9SjbRAkAs9T6ak1Q00I1NfebjhqedYCYGrtPYfE4yW-zbHGP5lyHgO0jhlkNx00tvcqc9mx1idC7ZKEyblzPX45DSVnTqTEVBPEAR0TQU5yDSAVur19WW0498jAxEejGY40HuOv4M/s200/map_of_nicaragua.jpg" width="200" /></a><i>basically the same.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Except different. Because in Vietnam they were called the Viet Minh, and later the Viet Cong, and later the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Freedom-Independence-Happiness because they won. In Nicaragua, the situation was far less clear, so today they are still just called the Sandinistas.<br />
<br />
The Sandinista revolution is the setting for <u>Bernardo and the Virgin</u>, and it goes something like this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">1979:</span> </b>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandinista_National_Liberation_Front">Sandinistas</a> overthrow the oppressive dictatorship of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasio_Somoza_Debayle">Anastasio Somoza Debayle</a>.</li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">1979:</span></b> The U.S. decides it doesn't like communists in its backyard and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_War">things get complicated</a>.</li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">1979:</span></b> The Nicaraguan people discover that the Sandinistas aren't so perfect themselves.</li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">1980:</span></b> The Virgin Mary decides to appear to a sacristan named Bernardo in the humble rural town of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_de_Cuapa">Cuapa</a>, bringing the following message:</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKpatRcnITpS9g_8WuwjSf1LIBFuAnpPDviqIlHzErcdeM7Fclkp-r-CovggbsBU1Pnqgn_2Oyt8MlvWZiZ_5Ht-dr23LbCqvsyzO58lQGVmu52H20Z323G-Kt-LIGTmn1NMvAhanzvY/s1600/virgen+de+cuapa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKpatRcnITpS9g_8WuwjSf1LIBFuAnpPDviqIlHzErcdeM7Fclkp-r-CovggbsBU1Pnqgn_2Oyt8MlvWZiZ_5Ht-dr23LbCqvsyzO58lQGVmu52H20Z323G-Kt-LIGTmn1NMvAhanzvY/s200/virgen+de+cuapa.jpg" width="155" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">"Make peace. Don't ask Our Lord for peace because, if you do not make it, there will be no peace."</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;"><b><br />
</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Pretty straightforward message, hey? And what's more, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i>all of this is true</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Until, that is, my friend Silvio got his hands on the tale and turned it into a novel. Then all sorts of lies started being told about the whole situation. But as is the way with fiction, they were lies that were somehow still true. The following is an interview my mom did with Silvio to find out just what possessed him to do such a dastardly thing. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Feel free to read and post your own questions, today, Wednesday, June 6, and Silvio will answer!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvEDDIwapokdFUg5AX8r_f6X83cqo2iRIa1kEEDVNC5QWPeyL2MIKTGAsaiS7NECtbW2IUJKMH2nImQ3i0WisAweHS3_EDvA7adi4SucYHOuJY5c2OF3NOhcxl5q_ebx8BSTsqY0QuBQ/s1600/nina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvEDDIwapokdFUg5AX8r_f6X83cqo2iRIa1kEEDVNC5QWPeyL2MIKTGAsaiS7NECtbW2IUJKMH2nImQ3i0WisAweHS3_EDvA7adi4SucYHOuJY5c2OF3NOhcxl5q_ebx8BSTsqY0QuBQ/s320/nina.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;">Nina Forsythe</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;">: <i><b>Why fiction? Why not a biography?</b></i><br />
<br />
<b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhgDD78cFeNOI0R6aBge2GF7R1LC6YrMYEurevV1eill2avhPBu23QQaOUS9Pxies7zfqHr0eXbYu1TQrhyt8VaWmlHJd0NKqgdDGiN1B9KQPlUdu6H_aZlRSqg1bev8r7ys4zELh4QI/s1600/silvio03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhgDD78cFeNOI0R6aBge2GF7R1LC6YrMYEurevV1eill2avhPBu23QQaOUS9Pxies7zfqHr0eXbYu1TQrhyt8VaWmlHJd0NKqgdDGiN1B9KQPlUdu6H_aZlRSqg1bev8r7ys4zELh4QI/s320/silvio03.jpg" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><b>Silvio Sirias</b>: I love reading biographies; however, they appeal mostly to the intellect. Fiction, though, aims straight for the reader’s heart, and that was my target. In addition, a novel allows us to suspend disbelief. That lets me say to the reader: “Sit back a spell to enjoy this incredible story I came across while in Nicaragua.”<br />
<br />
<b>N.F.</b>: <i><b>How close to the truth did you stick to portraying Bernardo, who was, after all, a real person?</b></i><br />
<br />
<b>S.S.</b>: The only times in the novel in which Bernardo’s character narrates is when he describes the apparitions. At these times I stay very close to his version of events because of a promise I made to him while he was still alive. But outside of that I had considerable creative license. That’s why I chose to tell the rest of his story through other characters. However, I always sought to stay true to the essence of the man and to the defining moments of his life.<br />
<br />
<b>N.F.</b>: <i><b>You seemed to have a lot of fun with the other characters. There’s the Nicaraguan émigré who constantly botches English expressions, the priest who’s nostalgic for the Inquisition, and—my favorite—the literary theorist who’s so impressed with himself. Were the secondary characters created out of whole cloth?</b></i><br />
<br />
<b>S.S.</b>: Well, Nina, while living in Nicaragua and conducting research I had many delightfully surreal experiences, and I met many interesting folk who ended up—vastly exaggerated, of course—in the novel. To give you one example, toward the novel’s end there’s a Spanish priest who shoots fish with an AK-47. This actually happened. He invited me and an English friend (also in the novel) to go “hunting” with him. He drove us to a nearby river, told us to hide behind a fallen tree trunk because the bullets might ricochet, fired his weapon three times into the water, jumped in fully clothed, and came out holding three large fish that we ate for lunch while he told bawdy jokes about bull testicles. And that’s just one of many incidents.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzK2tXu-Ca72A9qnxd-4kr9ZGPDbymh6xs3j9HnoiVbsHJWgZv8T6_n4HFGZu6u1VnL4eVISMKPQNxZsAUaI64T3Uhyaeffp66_Bsi4zfUEu_DBCHJEsJnwD_tTztKEYPFqWAwoPqNaQ/s1600/Virgin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><br />
<b>N.F.</b>: <i><b>Do you have a favorite character</b></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><i><b>? </b></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeZpO-8_MgEAIDu-weO4YMNZ1rPz730v-QurcuE2dZhNE3R2ehLfDKbt_8WpItPg4gOqIHqBVD9NY4YQBybnvRFM642iZ5EM7xENoo_FN7St7Yn4Zdcsxmd5TcmZsPjfGjuSFbxu5-uk/s1600/Virgin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeZpO-8_MgEAIDu-weO4YMNZ1rPz730v-QurcuE2dZhNE3R2ehLfDKbt_8WpItPg4gOqIHqBVD9NY4YQBybnvRFM642iZ5EM7xENoo_FN7St7Yn4Zdcsxmd5TcmZsPjfGjuSFbxu5-uk/s200/Virgin.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"> <b>S.S.</b>: They’re all my creations, and I’m terribly fond of each one. I do confess, though, a preference for the ones who make me laugh out loud. In my favorite chapter, they all come together during a mass pilgrimage to the apparition site. I still enjoy reading that chapter—for me it’s like attending a fun and touching family reunion.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;">N.F.: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><i><b>Is there anything you learned in writing Bernardo and the Virgin that has helped you in working on your subsequent books?</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;">S.S.:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 114%;"> Writing Bernardo, above all, gave me the confidence I needed to continue writing fiction. I also learned to enjoy the art of revising, and I learned the importance of selecting a good structure for the story I have to tell. I’m convinced that the success of most novels hinges on the structure a writer chooses.<br />
<br />
<b>N.F.</b>: <i><b>Is one of your goals to change the way Americans think about Nicaragua?</b></i><br />
<br />
<b>S.S.</b>: Definitely. Throughout the 1980s, the decade of the Contra War, Nicaragua was in the news every day. I think Americans got sick of hearing about Nicaragua every evening while they were eating dinner. Although the war ended twenty years ago, it left a lasting impression that Nicaraguans are hopelessly violent people, and because of this the country has been placed in the drawer of things Americans would prefer to forget. But you lived in Nicaragua for several years and you’ve seen that most Nicaraguans are gentle, caring people with incredibly generous spirits. That’s a great part of what I wish to convey in <i>Bernardo and the Virgin</i>.</span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Okay guys, now it's your turn. Ask away!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Note that if you <a href="http://condorbooktours.com/index.php?pr=Products"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">buy his book from Condor Book Tours</span></a>, they will donate 100% of their commissions to <a href="https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Ecommerce/97869677?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=2601&store_id=4221"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Unicef's Storybook Gift</span></a> project. This project sends culturally appropriate storybooks to children in need throughout the world (more info<a href="https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Ecommerce/97869677?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=2601&store_id=4221"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">here</span></a>).</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-28172886701662724942010-06-07T17:44:00.003+07:002010-06-07T17:51:18.206+07:00Some things don't have to failSo my family's planned trip to Vietnam was an epic fail. Because of a technicality involving passport expiration dates, they didn't even get on the plane. Here is a picture of me missing them like all get-out but still trying to make the best of things at karaoke:<br />
<div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4T-ScenZC1aAiSX7iRSlD4MLRjWBkzQO3wcmLhM9PEVxVCJf0nswFvuFWE_FS0_p1zTwF7a8KFzcvGiv1ErrNBkXw1csHlhVVHluAnWKGHdAFlXbjw-gt72qoFNhNr1Le-ikVHBFwlHA/s1600/SAM_0843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4T-ScenZC1aAiSX7iRSlD4MLRjWBkzQO3wcmLhM9PEVxVCJf0nswFvuFWE_FS0_p1zTwF7a8KFzcvGiv1ErrNBkXw1csHlhVVHluAnWKGHdAFlXbjw-gt72qoFNhNr1Le-ikVHBFwlHA/s320/SAM_0843.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>What is that thing floating above my head? Is it a ray of hope?!? I think it is!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div>Because life goes on. And that brings me to Bernardo and the Virgin, and the man who brought them to literary life, <a href="http://www.silviosirias.com/">Silvio Sirias</a> (that's him up top). Being literary characters, Bernardo and the Virgin are unencumbered by such things as visas and embassies and nasty-mean-uncaring immigration officials that make life difficult for mere mortals like us. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-aGa5qhqtYyEGRPyp5XJ_ZFXKaHPYjfNl6PlGLY6VMCEntlTcZrFsngoWH854hyphenhyphenZmnu9BAgy0tCU2au5tCHD8SoGiHxb-esPL6eJ4y9Uj_wLVyhnerT88E-YJM2jw9Q15Kse8foxq42A/s1600/Virgin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-aGa5qhqtYyEGRPyp5XJ_ZFXKaHPYjfNl6PlGLY6VMCEntlTcZrFsngoWH854hyphenhyphenZmnu9BAgy0tCU2au5tCHD8SoGiHxb-esPL6eJ4y9Uj_wLVyhnerT88E-YJM2jw9Q15Kse8foxq42A/s320/Virgin.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>insouciance personified</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>So they are going to drop by 'Nam the day after tomorrow for <b>a little Q&A on Wednesday, June 9</b>. Check it out! Here is a schedule (involving a free <a href="http://www.panart.com/molainfo.htm">mola</a> giveaway!!!):</div><div><br />
</div><div><ol><li>I will post questions and Silvio will answer them. Please feel free to comment and ask your own questions, too. As an author, he will be required by the rules of the universe to TELL ALL. (It's like virtual truth or dare! Except only truth.)</li>
<li>Silvio will stop by and answer your questions and then you will ask more.</li>
<li>You all will be so taken by his wit and wisdom that you will immediately<a href="http://condorbooktours.com/index.php?pr=Products"> buy his book from Condor Book Tours</a> and they will donate 100% of their commissions to <a href="https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Ecommerce/97869677?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=2601&store_id=4221">Unicef's Storybook Gift</a> project. This is a project that sends culturally appropriate storybooks to children in need throughout the world (more info <a href="https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Ecommerce/97869677?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=2601&store_id=4221">here</a>).</li>
<li>I will choose one commenter at random to receive a free <a href="http://www.panart.com/molainfo.htm">mola</a>. </li>
<li>A live chat will go down <a href="http://condorbooktours.com/index.php?pr=Author_Chat_Salon">at the Condor Book site</a> on <b>Friday, June 11th 7-8pm EST</b> and <b>Friday, June 18th 7-8 pm EST</b></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Children will be helped, molas will be given, Bernardo and the Virgin will be promoted, and world peace will ensue.</span></b></li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTs6r-gov2WyGI2CfyJ72zBKhQJnGv00CNMR8WwCKyT0MQy7REU7D0EkEo_p2vtf5jCddezYQc4bf_ASpwGZuW7CY4Jb12J3-7cOozdqn4-JzZe2AIyi3MK-aVHWaE9-5JjB7NBdUB3dM/s1600/mola1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTs6r-gov2WyGI2CfyJ72zBKhQJnGv00CNMR8WwCKyT0MQy7REU7D0EkEo_p2vtf5jCddezYQc4bf_ASpwGZuW7CY4Jb12J3-7cOozdqn4-JzZe2AIyi3MK-aVHWaE9-5JjB7NBdUB3dM/s200/mola1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Holy mola! This could be yours!</i></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hope to see you there.</div><div style="text-align: left;">love,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Hannah</div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-13026006000919356902010-05-20T15:23:00.001+07:002010-05-20T15:27:29.590+07:00Things that are making me happy today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4kMtDVV1fXkspl0vKnP3ePexTtDTb4PWOyh1xHgCzZL-gDbLKPJMDSZQ1Ed15IEvTNtJTSISw920Lj6RZM4AlrJdInQF-OvOZA5HywYQqlt1duIozFZLOvmeJnNSoP8x3W79CK0rVQc/s1600/DSC00201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4kMtDVV1fXkspl0vKnP3ePexTtDTb4PWOyh1xHgCzZL-gDbLKPJMDSZQ1Ed15IEvTNtJTSISw920Lj6RZM4AlrJdInQF-OvOZA5HywYQqlt1duIozFZLOvmeJnNSoP8x3W79CK0rVQc/s320/DSC00201.JPG" /></a></div>I have been accused of being a blog perfectionist. And I was challenged to write an impromptu post about things that make me happy. No prior preparation. No camera on hand. Just old photos, the internet, and my wits.<br />
<br />
I am not going to disagree with that accusation per se...in fact I am going to prove it true. Because not only did I meet the challenge, but all of my items start with "B" and that's cool because it's called alliteration. So here you go, things that are making me happy today, even if none of the photos were taken today:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>Books: There should be a law against reading more than one brain-bending book at a time because of the following principle that I have discovered:</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhX11AYtqSZEKFX4pNn79ZK9jSVqEws-bI5SzHTtYQX6lcio1vmqN-Pv55-4N1Jg54RH2COA1mBlB1kkcPRaThmzFOafXoqIc3iGeu5A7HtQxwY2mGWxafZuQWvYegdDu-RPYD_91mLo/s1600/Pilgrim-at-Tinker-Creek.jpg1_.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhX11AYtqSZEKFX4pNn79ZK9jSVqEws-bI5SzHTtYQX6lcio1vmqN-Pv55-4N1Jg54RH2COA1mBlB1kkcPRaThmzFOafXoqIc3iGeu5A7HtQxwY2mGWxafZuQWvYegdDu-RPYD_91mLo/s200/Pilgrim-at-Tinker-Creek.jpg1_.gif" width="138" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span style="font-size: x-large;">+</span></b></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJRI9HxiXJy0qAhOZ3bjqhP5rQtrb__imvEwEEQqHJU3ZPjMdPfW6ijM_pZrC33fAQRGH455D6k37HaU1CwdGxWHCAn_1ocBxkrQB42J02105cb_XAPsxseaSq7Tz4i1raljhglMfcRI/s1600/a+brief+history+of+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJRI9HxiXJy0qAhOZ3bjqhP5rQtrb__imvEwEEQqHJU3ZPjMdPfW6ijM_pZrC33fAQRGH455D6k37HaU1CwdGxWHCAn_1ocBxkrQB42J02105cb_XAPsxseaSq7Tz4i1raljhglMfcRI/s200/a+brief+history+of+time.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>= BRAIN EXPLOSION</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">(but a happy one)</span><b> </b></span></div><br />
<ul><li>Bicycles: Specifically my bicycle, specifically riding it around Hanoi, specifically when I pass through the gaps between large, shiny SUVs who can't penetrate the traffic jam but I can and I go "Ha! I am cleaner, greener, AND faster than you!" as I speed past and feel righteous.</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ywk3gVJgPYKvxLTb2D8BVXXDF_jer6hO1KCP8ANZQZrJ3XmANilUma5ZNwsmE0ExPL_t4BV4uQMR6tHu1-mAzjk725onVYw6H3m7HPJWAOaTvhF19n8XeOwoz3iXh79Zw5I5G8-M64s/s1600/My_daily_life_in_Vietnam_013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ywk3gVJgPYKvxLTb2D8BVXXDF_jer6hO1KCP8ANZQZrJ3XmANilUma5ZNwsmE0ExPL_t4BV4uQMR6tHu1-mAzjk725onVYw6H3m7HPJWAOaTvhF19n8XeOwoz3iXh79Zw5I5G8-M64s/s320/My_daily_life_in_Vietnam_013.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCMAkyoZoxSjmvL1Z7-ipI296qzBAwUbOEqjvdcYNpwIArVaBrXu7541QfqwCPGycB-vr_C2ztUw92OLLB676oZ6bbPLyQs_jJUIOH3O17cwqtG8XiU0jHZQ4Z-7Kn9sv5Mg6z4SI3EA/s1600/bluegrass.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCMAkyoZoxSjmvL1Z7-ipI296qzBAwUbOEqjvdcYNpwIArVaBrXu7541QfqwCPGycB-vr_C2ztUw92OLLB676oZ6bbPLyQs_jJUIOH3O17cwqtG8XiU0jHZQ4Z-7Kn9sv5Mg6z4SI3EA/s200/bluegrass.gif" width="179" /></a>Bluegrass: Lately I've been rather obsessed with a cover of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsnpbldAcsI">Float On</a> by Iron Horse (thanks Asa). Bluegrass is just so silly with a tinge of sadness at its core. Now why on earth did I ever hate it? Anyways, I'm cured.</div><ul></ul><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Birds: The Audubon Society of California has the following message for you: "<a href="http://ca.audubon.org/">Birds matter</a>." Do you know the difference between a <a href="http://10000birds.com/cedar-waxwing-vs-bohemian-waxwing.htm/">Cedar Waxwing and a Bohemian Waxwing</a>? Does anybody else besides me find this every bit as interesting as the difference between a Republican and a Democrat? </li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquJ_wgrVUHSYGZCX_fOxyDN5gxnXvQu9jwSZAtiI9Lu36JqLx43ouxqkiQqU2xiig2JOL4QRqwLfzKDzww3TPS2Jf06oOckNq2P6q9Zgqn9HUqHByoZG15Q6oduj3dIuqmz8MEsrBdiQ/s1600/H%E1%BA%A3i+ph%C3%B2ng+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquJ_wgrVUHSYGZCX_fOxyDN5gxnXvQu9jwSZAtiI9Lu36JqLx43ouxqkiQqU2xiig2JOL4QRqwLfzKDzww3TPS2Jf06oOckNq2P6q9Zgqn9HUqHByoZG15Q6oduj3dIuqmz8MEsrBdiQ/s320/H%E1%BA%A3i+ph%C3%B2ng+054.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<ul><li>Blogging: Because <a href="http://aliciamtemple.blogspot.com/">Ali</a> and <a href="http://calahintranslation.blogspot.com/">Calah</a> are also writing posts on the same subject. Check it out!</li>
</ul>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-22288445296254993832010-05-15T14:41:00.004+07:002010-05-24T11:32:59.307+07:00If you're looking for a fresh perspective on Vietnam...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...then try these books. </span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">After the blood and rage and tortured patriotism of </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B_kGSNGhSqc8w73ZZvIM7HhA2-c35HQrSTHef7f4AIvAaF7fmlsi1gq4H4-F1AX45ojC50FPwpDmRVxvW2UBfUKVMfGaOS5gUexBCZBaNJstMOBzFZoq_VOyNGgwr3mlZ2-p8i4GvtQ/s1600/hollywood_vietnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0B_kGSNGhSqc8w73ZZvIM7HhA2-c35HQrSTHef7f4AIvAaF7fmlsi1gq4H4-F1AX45ojC50FPwpDmRVxvW2UBfUKVMfGaOS5gUexBCZBaNJstMOBzFZoq_VOyNGgwr3mlZ2-p8i4GvtQ/s320/hollywood_vietnam.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(which, let's face it, wasn't really about Vietnam at all, but about Americans facing up to their own brutality in Vietnam) the following books are a welcome reality check.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>On Vietnamese culture in general:</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdowixSfKQ9IysdZjC97orOMxriAMcgJzMlLwWa23xB9Xli_9Iiix84Kt7tv795RXTkGKa6tCZ6ksVnArPAV1nsyYe0moISIOd5d2tCjO3fwf3GodAB5R9GZGposNL_ZEs-x47iCfl2Nk/s1600/Wandering+through+Vietnamese+Culture+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdowixSfKQ9IysdZjC97orOMxriAMcgJzMlLwWa23xB9Xli_9Iiix84Kt7tv795RXTkGKa6tCZ6ksVnArPAV1nsyYe0moISIOd5d2tCjO3fwf3GodAB5R9GZGposNL_ZEs-x47iCfl2Nk/s320/Wandering+through+Vietnamese+Culture+(1).jpg" /></a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wandering-Through-Vietnamese-Culture-Ngoc/dp/B000WXX1Q0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272526611&sr=1-1">Wandering Through Vietnamese Culture</a></i>: Published by Thế Giới Publishers (that's where I work!!!) this massive tome by 90-year-old cultural scholar Hữu Ngọc is a rather random collection of cultural tidbits gathered under such lyrical titles as "Mr. Lam Lives on Bonsai and Acquarium Fish" and "The Cicada and the Flamboyant."</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>From Inside Post-War Vietnam:</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqIp1kXmdjBiHdzAwWMd170LZr5KSmJkkoiiS8lI6mqkp3Bw-ZbKd1taxaytI71Fadei7DcHu6M_VlfNcAZe_wVpexM8RykNyuvtf4Z_689vf5EmhJ6c5QSKUYAjKbkmQWXzpVxGgMOs/s1600/After+Sorrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqIp1kXmdjBiHdzAwWMd170LZr5KSmJkkoiiS8lI6mqkp3Bw-ZbKd1taxaytI71Fadei7DcHu6M_VlfNcAZe_wVpexM8RykNyuvtf4Z_689vf5EmhJ6c5QSKUYAjKbkmQWXzpVxGgMOs/s200/After+Sorrow.jpg" width="132" /></a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/After-Sorrow-American-Vietnamese-Kodansha/dp/1568361610/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272522266&sr=1-1">After Sorrow</a> </i>is brought to us by Lady Borton, a friend of mine--oh yeah, and also the foremost expert on Vietnamese-American cultural exchange. She was the first American to return to Vietnam after 1975, offering us a rare glimpse into the world of pre-free market Vietnam.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbke-jEt7nYF8P3YuRCeJ3Y4X6epJXVlqYVz8rd36aVonlUvyQiUqBNwZItabvor4QFugWYbabEG4ME_nRGxGgq565NHptCYrQdy6GPvoj16gSGwNj5jzifwOyp8Bn0g0ZtUflerjUOI/s1600/reaching+the+other+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbke-jEt7nYF8P3YuRCeJ3Y4X6epJXVlqYVz8rd36aVonlUvyQiUqBNwZItabvor4QFugWYbabEG4ME_nRGxGgq565NHptCYrQdy6GPvoj16gSGwNj5jzifwOyp8Bn0g0ZtUflerjUOI/s200/reaching+the+other+side.jpg" width="139" /></a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reaching-other-side-American-transition/dp/0517533154/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272516869&sr=1-1">Reaching the Other Side</a></i>: Subtitled "The journal of an American who stayed to witness Vietnam's postwar transition," this book offers a similar glimpse into post-war Vietnam from a Mennonite perspective (represent!). Considering that I'm in Vietnam because of MCC and MCC is in Vietnam partly due to Earl Martin...I owe this guy a lot.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>And if you really must, on the Vietnam War (commonly known as the American War):</b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i></i></div><i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCmGR7RggfUWM8tmkVkB8mTKuUR3-xbbymQU9tM1_i8fAtIoY3e8MExcZxMKc4vdysvdH1ye4ZJ27JFMi8P9cKzH9dR8xYCsxvcWosXm7sEfz8RqouAFmapFdAuYy3k1LJBm0Z2LAY64/s1600/Vietnam+oral+history.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCmGR7RggfUWM8tmkVkB8mTKuUR3-xbbymQU9tM1_i8fAtIoY3e8MExcZxMKc4vdysvdH1ye4ZJ27JFMi8P9cKzH9dR8xYCsxvcWosXm7sEfz8RqouAFmapFdAuYy3k1LJBm0Z2LAY64/s200/Vietnam+oral+history.jpg" width="126" /></a></div></i><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vietnam-Definitive-Oral-History-Sides/dp/0091910129/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272526487&sr=1-1">Vietnam: The Definitive Oral History as Told from All Sides</a></i>: Don't be fooled by the cover, this book contains more than just veteran stories. It brings us voices of northern and southern Vietnamese soldiers and civillians alike, as well as peace protesters, policy makers, and the orphaned. It gives a proper sense of just how big and complicated the war was.<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipR1vPw4hg3BYEq7kamWGpLAt2IfON-C601Y5JN8FCP308f4TgGvp2BPfH4Z6ccftZk-1ZtXd8Wr5K45li37iPCWjFyXMpaIyTA6cEe_7mfctQmlrIL_mbRwlNOnG9CfnjWus1INtfyM/s1600/Last+night+i+dreamed+of+peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipR1vPw4hg3BYEq7kamWGpLAt2IfON-C601Y5JN8FCP308f4TgGvp2BPfH4Z6ccftZk-1ZtXd8Wr5K45li37iPCWjFyXMpaIyTA6cEe_7mfctQmlrIL_mbRwlNOnG9CfnjWus1INtfyM/s200/Last+night+i+dreamed+of+peace.jpg" width="131" /></a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-Dreamed-Peace-Diary/dp/0307347389/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272526551&sr=1-1">Last Night I Dreamed of Peace</a></i>: This diary written by the 24-year-old Viet Cong guerilla doctor Đặng Thùy Trâm has been called the Diary of Anne Frank of Vietnam. When it was found by an American soldier after her death, the Vietnamese interpreter told him, "Don't burn this one...It has fire in it already." The story of its rescue and the events it deals with are portrayed in the film "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1495738/">Đừng Đốt</a>" (Don't Burn It). </div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJKgu6C7p7ynA_QE7Q75FxLsVKEe-mjE_geWgDdRIK2wVw9b9nYwFIgJe1e5sgU35bqDNotGpFVKfuB986tBs8UIYEW1wk-fX87Lsy5ptM9ua7_Nux10TO8nS9TzmV8Xn8OjYI7MY8Tk/s1600/dung+dot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJKgu6C7p7ynA_QE7Q75FxLsVKEe-mjE_geWgDdRIK2wVw9b9nYwFIgJe1e5sgU35bqDNotGpFVKfuB986tBs8UIYEW1wk-fX87Lsy5ptM9ua7_Nux10TO8nS9TzmV8Xn8OjYI7MY8Tk/s400/dung+dot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-SkvBDRYN3mBrtgorZj0V_GYGscT7aKghsd_D_f1Hpnqp5mZRKUX-Rp3322tV_OgAqr1kaVBF0E_oPCZaelPJ4fqvAPqWPv7DStNChzQ1nNvUR1Ea0_y-eV_XrewVUj5CLnEA0sUSmI/s1600/dung+dot+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-SkvBDRYN3mBrtgorZj0V_GYGscT7aKghsd_D_f1Hpnqp5mZRKUX-Rp3322tV_OgAqr1kaVBF0E_oPCZaelPJ4fqvAPqWPv7DStNChzQ1nNvUR1Ea0_y-eV_XrewVUj5CLnEA0sUSmI/s1600/dung+dot+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-SkvBDRYN3mBrtgorZj0V_GYGscT7aKghsd_D_f1Hpnqp5mZRKUX-Rp3322tV_OgAqr1kaVBF0E_oPCZaelPJ4fqvAPqWPv7DStNChzQ1nNvUR1Ea0_y-eV_XrewVUj5CLnEA0sUSmI/s320/dung+dot+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Not the best acting on the part of the American actors, but really a lovely and moving film. Not yet available on DVD (to my knowledge) but you can download pirated copies.</div><br />
<br />
<div><br />
</div></div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-12420754767685937842010-05-10T10:54:00.001+07:002010-05-10T10:54:00.285+07:00Special guests soon to be appearing in 'Nam...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66e2MHnyKTxul6NXeu-badpM_6kOmy3SvNSUcEqEqgu0qAH0gMO5paTBvTeO61sfiixaE5SdD-LzIcaj10seYKJoEIMEomJNA7kJDotYP-ur9BpGHm6Lo6QSwRa_NPmJSYKngAAKTLpY/s1600/silvio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66e2MHnyKTxul6NXeu-badpM_6kOmy3SvNSUcEqEqgu0qAH0gMO5paTBvTeO61sfiixaE5SdD-LzIcaj10seYKJoEIMEomJNA7kJDotYP-ur9BpGHm6Lo6QSwRa_NPmJSYKngAAKTLpY/s200/silvio.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>You may or may not have heard of the award-winning Latino writer <a href="http://silviosirias.com/">Silvio Sirias</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0810122405/qid=1121453428/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/002-9296656-0204803?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">Bernardo and the Virgin</a>, a novel about a Nicaraguan priest, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558855920?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393189&tag=silviosirias-20">Meet Me Under the Ceiba</a>, a novel about a Nicaraguan lesbian (read the <a href="http://silviosirias.com/books.php">synopses here</a>).<br />
<br />
I happen to know him because he is my friend. I met him in 2000 in Nicaragua, and by 2003 I had also met <u>Bernardo and the Virgin</u> (the Virgin being Our Lady, not Bernardo's girlfriend). I first met the pair in draft form, one chapter at a time, read out loud by the author, in the company of said author's friends, lounging of a tropical evening on said author's porch. I am now very pleased to introduce them to you, here, in a very different (though still tropical) setting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTkCfDnfF-GqkjtRtqDu4e6gZWmERriA-sP6JQiP6wF1LSmLU4kHc5bK6ZXLRXn4VDp-yBnlSfFSWH_ZwT-5c3ssBz1ZETdBK4kRk-Cig4-LL25_9Lldy596jjbAD8sci4C71VB7DddI/s1600/bernardo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTkCfDnfF-GqkjtRtqDu4e6gZWmERriA-sP6JQiP6wF1LSmLU4kHc5bK6ZXLRXn4VDp-yBnlSfFSWH_ZwT-5c3ssBz1ZETdBK4kRk-Cig4-LL25_9Lldy596jjbAD8sci4C71VB7DddI/s320/bernardo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">That's right, </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Bernardo and the Virgin</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"> are comin' to 'Nam!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeeNLrtdRL4moB07bxv9IQZdJty6ovlqojNyjXKBJp2uwN35ofxDwcPK_nN7WQ3FTBEVShtnJZhcJKTwG02E4A634GyDgVY5YwoYBjMXTkaBX_vsqSUcaYxAhbBTgIq10wontY8DXpVI/s1600/halong+bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeeNLrtdRL4moB07bxv9IQZdJty6ovlqojNyjXKBJp2uwN35ofxDwcPK_nN7WQ3FTBEVShtnJZhcJKTwG02E4A634GyDgVY5YwoYBjMXTkaBX_vsqSUcaYxAhbBTgIq10wontY8DXpVI/s200/halong+bay.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As part of a <a href="http://nilkibenitez.blogspot.com/2010/04/bernardo-and-virgin-by-silvio-sirias.html">virtual book tour</a> the first two weeks of June, <u>Bernardo and the Virgin</u> will be holding a Q&A session hosted by yours truly, as well as visiting exciting spots like Ha Long Bay and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Stay tuned for pictures.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
They will be escorted by my family:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuPNOtwQbwN1552E0Hd_yH5pa8iEYTsnUjfAAVXHUfygBu53ZyvSHM7KsWMHfv3T6tMbEjMQGgwt2bY6J0YbtRzxzYnz9Lx_E_9lybXP7NfJN6deMy3jA3eZBsZxm4JnVhZrnqaroLJE/s1600/all+four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuPNOtwQbwN1552E0Hd_yH5pa8iEYTsnUjfAAVXHUfygBu53ZyvSHM7KsWMHfv3T6tMbEjMQGgwt2bY6J0YbtRzxzYnz9Lx_E_9lybXP7NfJN6deMy3jA3eZBsZxm4JnVhZrnqaroLJE/s400/all+four.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Okay, maybe that picture's a little misleading. Take two. They will be escorted by my family:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJsu0M48O_4ZZM7bDavPe6ME3McDcOB9-3ulTEzzcYsZ-wS06lqCCMrSKpu5_20C7HMQfDxg08zyiwUbVVyYvRH6phe4UNi0NDcA4_xk2win0avl_IpT6ozcCzLjgmHoslVdnYMj080c/s1600/daddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJsu0M48O_4ZZM7bDavPe6ME3McDcOB9-3ulTEzzcYsZ-wS06lqCCMrSKpu5_20C7HMQfDxg08zyiwUbVVyYvRH6phe4UNi0NDcA4_xk2win0avl_IpT6ozcCzLjgmHoslVdnYMj080c/s200/daddy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Robert Forsythe, Ph.D. Mathematics<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvWmtoP_JPj_gE4cZPQR7Ua4zHXA7yxJzTkbpwawwwqLaKjWVjibq3mT7AP433smB4RnYGJlo-YOJF10IE4gm2081_NWDP0KOrLh6eDJ5wNPudNXEpnQRu1-tFJqa3U43lGH_Y_zNiWY/s1600/mommy+daddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOvWmtoP_JPj_gE4cZPQR7Ua4zHXA7yxJzTkbpwawwwqLaKjWVjibq3mT7AP433smB4RnYGJlo-YOJF10IE4gm2081_NWDP0KOrLh6eDJ5wNPudNXEpnQRu1-tFJqa3U43lGH_Y_zNiWY/s200/mommy+daddy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Nina Forsythe, MFA, Poetry<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0izu8BfcnsKTTj1oAnSPVz542kf52k3LOswLPLabm93Zb73PbwFz5B0QT5fqoAVQ06RpOJXrLcHOCKmC8NzrgXtCtoL_B88IVCiTP9AEuOv9D9AymZguCpdOG5ELVKhlC2V-hzJbVxc/s1600/asa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0izu8BfcnsKTTj1oAnSPVz542kf52k3LOswLPLabm93Zb73PbwFz5B0QT5fqoAVQ06RpOJXrLcHOCKmC8NzrgXtCtoL_B88IVCiTP9AEuOv9D9AymZguCpdOG5ELVKhlC2V-hzJbVxc/s200/asa.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
Asa Forsythe, sooon-to-be BA, Philosophy<br />
<br />
You can tell I come from the finest stock that the world of goofballs has to offer. I think <u>Bernardo and the Virgin</u> are in for the ride of their literary lives.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned to join the adventure.Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-42122240664962210972010-04-30T16:20:00.004+07:002010-04-30T16:20:00.225+07:00How to have the Ultimate Italian Gelato Experience<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">What you do is you take a Starbucks model:</div><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxo_GOUR-u5ZXYe82ll75XXP2K1IDw-2XZY4skedv2Y_3cCX9bUxF0s70xuUN7JBp6RJ8KuYitUUgyevRjZar5aE_UW5cNlnOe0fl2l0iCb_o84mKduUqiD5lTRvYdS-oPSz4eECBSQs/s1600/IMG_4564.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxo_GOUR-u5ZXYe82ll75XXP2K1IDw-2XZY4skedv2Y_3cCX9bUxF0s70xuUN7JBp6RJ8KuYitUUgyevRjZar5aE_UW5cNlnOe0fl2l0iCb_o84mKduUqiD5lTRvYdS-oPSz4eECBSQs/s320/IMG_4564.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">And bring her to HaMy Sophie Ice Cream From Europe at 1A Tràng Tiền St., hotline: 04.35149253. Then buy her one scoop of Ice Cream From Europe (preferably vanilla flavored, price $0.50) and plop it into her coffee. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Voila! You have just created the</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVPFydPk_7lqMdyQPjkRwXSYVdPX7e3iCF9HpL9qqCDevwFoOuDijsW-dCuC6y6Kt0GgM7s_K74f_hhu6rFdikYsSrhMUEOgL5I2tQkJoJjCiZWBXV1nzFnajWWnhNofBDE8FC0zwM5I/s1600/IMG_4560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVPFydPk_7lqMdyQPjkRwXSYVdPX7e3iCF9HpL9qqCDevwFoOuDijsW-dCuC6y6Kt0GgM7s_K74f_hhu6rFdikYsSrhMUEOgL5I2tQkJoJjCiZWBXV1nzFnajWWnhNofBDE8FC0zwM5I/s320/IMG_4560.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a profound thought here, actually, and it is this: So much of advertising strives to make your life look boring and incomplete and so, by way of contrast, make the product look exciting and fulfilling. But what if we turned this concept on its head? What if we went about "advertising" our own lives instead? What if we chose to see the little things in our lives as exciting and fulfilling and so, by way of contentment, make much of the commercial advertising around us utterly superfluous? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What if a simple combination of coffee, vanilla ice cream, and a friend was all you needed to have the Ultimate Italian Gelato Experience?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-63081145617193132562010-04-28T11:12:00.007+07:002010-04-28T12:43:11.253+07:00For the sake of thoroughness, here y'all go.The resident perfectionist who dwells inside my brain has dictated that I include links on my blog to my facebook albums. Considering that it has been a while since I last did that, I've got a large batch for your perusal. Browse and enjoy!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kjvvX1LVego/SceMRYJtysI/AAAAAAAAA1c/grXJbNfLDRc/s1600/IMG_2341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kjvvX1LVego/SceMRYJtysI/AAAAAAAAA1c/grXJbNfLDRc/s200/IMG_2341.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
Long overdue photos from my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2071231&id=15302590&l=2e3e5f8105">host sister's birthday celebrated in Hai Phong</a> last year.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUowOuqH7Fi79IAM1oMcqbCan1zYOcs607ESPaHsgLecyX_cGMx14JnoyIE-Qh7QRfj3Kz7QDlm9VNkHhZ7SUaIgH4G8GUkZJS1IuKU8VULhmp5-RoajTuNAgT7v0vR2brP0zFnlv54o/s1600/Lim+Festival+090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUowOuqH7Fi79IAM1oMcqbCan1zYOcs607ESPaHsgLecyX_cGMx14JnoyIE-Qh7QRfj3Kz7QDlm9VNkHhZ7SUaIgH4G8GUkZJS1IuKU8VULhmp5-RoajTuNAgT7v0vR2brP0zFnlv54o/s200/Lim+Festival+090.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090879&id=15302590&l=8bc674f73f">Lim Festival</a>, with an <a href="http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=15302590&k=ZZF32252666A6G1BUA4VPVVQWWFD3X&oid=1119510643452">enlightening article</a> published in Vietnam Cultural Window, edited by yours truly.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG2mg4oAmanU4qoBpLPapAm6zl1RQz0Krso_-M7mYlP45ZhIGE7Vqza8yq-HP4LIrpfZsuQcCngRza5qD7vnVwAHdFuYcWfi3UFl57DLaR2oxdVsZcnf8pnmrptTQF_roIiwH_UpP9po/s1600/IMG_4370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG2mg4oAmanU4qoBpLPapAm6zl1RQz0Krso_-M7mYlP45ZhIGE7Vqza8yq-HP4LIrpfZsuQcCngRza5qD7vnVwAHdFuYcWfi3UFl57DLaR2oxdVsZcnf8pnmrptTQF_roIiwH_UpP9po/s200/IMG_4370.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
An excursion to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090899&id=15302590&l=b375b4f1b7">Ba Vi Mountain</a> where Uncle Ho hung out a lot during the war and where pollution remains blessedly absent.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFVLN6KB8dujRQQEL_uGInDL21C295KYVheB0DZc7Nt8eW4GRaqW1Yzqlz_Uyg8uFoj9pEoRJf4IBQbsAa2HWSsGLqLcQxezg6Hz5se4iEpZon-JelEVLid-V3PzU-ZrHsrMSPRn2rK8/s1600/IMGP0698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFVLN6KB8dujRQQEL_uGInDL21C295KYVheB0DZc7Nt8eW4GRaqW1Yzqlz_Uyg8uFoj9pEoRJf4IBQbsAa2HWSsGLqLcQxezg6Hz5se4iEpZon-JelEVLid-V3PzU-ZrHsrMSPRn2rK8/s200/IMGP0698.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFVLN6KB8dujRQQEL_uGInDL21C295KYVheB0DZc7Nt8eW4GRaqW1Yzqlz_Uyg8uFoj9pEoRJf4IBQbsAa2HWSsGLqLcQxezg6Hz5se4iEpZon-JelEVLid-V3PzU-ZrHsrMSPRn2rK8/s1600/IMGP0698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<br />
Thế Giới Publisher's latest field trip: a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2091591&id=15302590&l=9712ef5ae3">triple spiritual site sampler</a>, in which Hannah learns the difference between a shrine, a temple, and a pagoda.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kjvvX1LVego/S9ezp9_sbPI/AAAAAAAABsA/VTqwAkOS_Cc/s1600/IMG_4057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kjvvX1LVego/S9ezp9_sbPI/AAAAAAAABsA/VTqwAkOS_Cc/s200/IMG_4057.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
And my personal favorite, an illustrated <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093450&id=15302590&l=27faf6b544">step-by-step guide</a> to bringing the Lunar New Year to your own home.Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-87860147197854397882010-04-19T16:15:00.003+07:002010-04-29T12:04:51.799+07:00I ♥ English PronunciationThis is my host brother Hiếu (pronounced kind of like "Hue").<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZW_7L0hmD_dmVGqjzDLkwT_xRGVjQ4b9p_G958-bgCz0qBHf4G1oKQAokH_W92I5EZ8M-S5ct45FcLX40s0zr51sWUlq2dO1R_Wi8bPw0cIiocoOJklHGuIoV0GTX-Ju0Ua7-OEI09A/s1600/IMG_4541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZW_7L0hmD_dmVGqjzDLkwT_xRGVjQ4b9p_G958-bgCz0qBHf4G1oKQAokH_W92I5EZ8M-S5ct45FcLX40s0zr51sWUlq2dO1R_Wi8bPw0cIiocoOJklHGuIoV0GTX-Ju0Ua7-OEI09A/s320/IMG_4541.JPG" /></a></div><br />
This <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">is a closeup of the patch sew</span>n onto Hiếu's pants.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0c1w5-CK47CQSxsePrSY8UO6HFiVQ4azd7U0nkeeA3t_Lt1EHDrTo34BHTQwtTDY1zZ7X6BuZV0JhkzkcnaNQ8MVNMR83LWCVD48wfW9fZ5tigVjFq4FSd90JkzRO9cZkIija3a5VMk/s1600/IMG_4542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0c1w5-CK47CQSxsePrSY8UO6HFiVQ4azd7U0nkeeA3t_Lt1EHDrTo34BHTQwtTDY1zZ7X6BuZV0JhkzkcnaNQ8MVNMR83LWCVD48wfW9fZ5tigVjFq4FSd90JkzRO9cZkIija3a5VMk/s320/IMG_4542.JPG" /></a></div><br />
This is what Hiếu and I do most weekday nights.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAko5IXkIcCPWJspCQZbdGP5v-IBfM1WzsCnaPocnIDRHYevkZxH2I9VOU1s3cwbJpPdegNjFbLwttKPddmSe6-PuJ55V-GLS_8uRjq9Yu1q5ifN4y7RR5o2W_L_gCJiWSf-ObU4b_Rs0/s1600/IMG_4545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAko5IXkIcCPWJspCQZbdGP5v-IBfM1WzsCnaPocnIDRHYevkZxH2I9VOU1s3cwbJpPdegNjFbLwttKPddmSe6-PuJ55V-GLS_8uRjq9Yu1q5ifN4y7RR5o2W_L_gCJiWSf-ObU4b_Rs0/s320/IMG_4545.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Hint: we are studying English. This is how a typical pronunciation review goes:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Okay, Hi</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">ế</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">u, I want you to read the first word in this list.</span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Pro-nun-ci-a-tion."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"No, no, no, that's the title of the list. Read the first word<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>in</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>the list."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Veter...veterniratiry."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"No, it's<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>veterinarian</i>."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Ve-te-ri-na-ti-ry."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Repeat after me: ve"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"ve"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"ter"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"ter"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"in"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"in"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"ar"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"ar"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"ian"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"ian"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Ve-ter-in-ar-ian."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Ve-ter-in-ar-ian."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Great job! Read it again."</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"Ver-ti-ni-raian. Tr</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">ờ</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">i </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">ơ</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">i, khó quá!</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">"</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-89812010045728906022010-03-31T16:47:00.001+07:002010-04-29T12:04:04.688+07:00You know you've lived in Hanoi too long if...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have lived in Hanoi for 1 year, 7 months, and 2 weeks. And though I am far from being "just like a Vietnamese person" as many people attempt to praise me, I nevertheless have reached a degree of assimilation. Here are some of the indications that you've lived in Hanoi long enough for things to sink in:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<ul><li>You casually say things like "Today I was riding my xe đạp and decided to stop at this one tea stand in my ngõ and got lots of xinh đẹps from the lady there. Then a xe máy almost ran into me." (credit: Calah Schlabach)</li>
</ul><ul><li>You can cross a shoe checkpoint without even breaking stride. </li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy7Hxa8o79x7WsyU4he8-Z7SlFzAXRMM7d7qfpRYs_Rx7eOcMR5CvlV95Y95YGRERbLNkoBenFEmmPyaJEVjppfAFsX4K8Alwn7qRO9g91_G83HRx2tNzYNg5R4edI-z3MvpKniFAaCs/s1600-h/new+141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy7Hxa8o79x7WsyU4he8-Z7SlFzAXRMM7d7qfpRYs_Rx7eOcMR5CvlV95Y95YGRERbLNkoBenFEmmPyaJEVjppfAFsX4K8Alwn7qRO9g91_G83HRx2tNzYNg5R4edI-z3MvpKniFAaCs/s200/new+141.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<ul><li>An alarming proportion of your personal items are decorated with chubby animals, and/or something monstrous is dangling from your cell phone.</li>
</ul><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx6ZZZVBZdNJKAdGOKjtw0ZZIJCM0ydFdpy0mPZFJeyV4rUXd2emSLSoigiliJN7Vj4z-JKFdz3Z6OUeQtjZcs-dEiHpzcffsGo8A9hLc-kvYKp31oFrtP0O87UmxlrLphVTWV8E7NPA/s1600/IMG_4433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx6ZZZVBZdNJKAdGOKjtw0ZZIJCM0ydFdpy0mPZFJeyV4rUXd2emSLSoigiliJN7Vj4z-JKFdz3Z6OUeQtjZcs-dEiHpzcffsGo8A9hLc-kvYKp31oFrtP0O87UmxlrLphVTWV8E7NPA/s200/IMG_4433.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtjIp4YxJr9W-BrR5L873CVhgxzl1U9KuNl-Nx1mOVYnp8-MC9K9XBdfumHGXq6kBJTaJbu_bFQwH7rpqr51GIVmIAMshso2ty5G0VdhjdlwxSoBZOU0V3cxapJAeeyvOiEjR11NE13g/s1600-h/new+139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtjIp4YxJr9W-BrR5L873CVhgxzl1U9KuNl-Nx1mOVYnp8-MC9K9XBdfumHGXq6kBJTaJbu_bFQwH7rpqr51GIVmIAMshso2ty5G0VdhjdlwxSoBZOU0V3cxapJAeeyvOiEjR11NE13g/s200/new+139.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Fu female"</span></div></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;">20-degree weather causes you to dress like this (because you know those cement walls and floors were not designed to keep you warm).</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj8WOhfj8E9oiXGmwNVJJ-hG79ufy3sr0LoZf07apDXcAOCfHptTGekgdwEZJeeoTgm2VBCGZj1eiuen4wgdTuNVbhdDMH0UX0u3hrqlyfy0_babJgY0l5AzVPgvySiivIWEp8iFg_rk/s1600-h/new+133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj8WOhfj8E9oiXGmwNVJJ-hG79ufy3sr0LoZf07apDXcAOCfHptTGekgdwEZJeeoTgm2VBCGZj1eiuen4wgdTuNVbhdDMH0UX0u3hrqlyfy0_babJgY0l5AzVPgvySiivIWEp8iFg_rk/s320/new+133.jpg" /></a></div><ul><li>"The Lake" means Hoàn Kiếm Lake.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNA0FhZYAV_ykjwFlJtQrOdDqSQMTO5sKX0405BCZwgda4PjP9U-Py-U9hG-Pzn3JgCjs9w1AATd8cJBCLFEqkE_g_fQlJY4H9Ni_x-z2S63mbxZjU6vnoKfxxcYpAOLG0NfTxUrBoq0/s1600-h/thelake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNA0FhZYAV_ykjwFlJtQrOdDqSQMTO5sKX0405BCZwgda4PjP9U-Py-U9hG-Pzn3JgCjs9w1AATd8cJBCLFEqkE_g_fQlJY4H9Ni_x-z2S63mbxZjU6vnoKfxxcYpAOLG0NfTxUrBoq0/s320/thelake.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<ul><li>When you go out to eat, you look for the smallest plastic chairs possible (because everyone knows the size of the chairs is inversely proportionate to the deliciousness of the food).</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIxvQYn6IOZAIQRsd86DHjE7LaV5x6WHfiavdw3UFja0tttEsd8dCJTC1sIodV2XCN3cknoKV7KsjOmLGCwP9CdM8aC4zkN37A2vPca8kXefkAv0MGK-OVmKFt_mpeOg952ZxJhemays/s1600/IMG_4507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIxvQYn6IOZAIQRsd86DHjE7LaV5x6WHfiavdw3UFja0tttEsd8dCJTC1sIodV2XCN3cknoKV7KsjOmLGCwP9CdM8aC4zkN37A2vPca8kXefkAv0MGK-OVmKFt_mpeOg952ZxJhemays/s200/IMG_4507.JPG" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkF0JjPUIsa0upZ3OcsNZIgjT_oN6ogXRiJs0exBlNT4PZGzJEIoS_WobaAsHtRxMKt_RqpUGY2YUYvDPPuJjFFD0OTRhWCtM394InAJ4cgtd0DtpEc_lihq47QvXknD94NSnDz1wu18/s1600/IMG_4510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkF0JjPUIsa0upZ3OcsNZIgjT_oN6ogXRiJs0exBlNT4PZGzJEIoS_WobaAsHtRxMKt_RqpUGY2YUYvDPPuJjFFD0OTRhWCtM394InAJ4cgtd0DtpEc_lihq47QvXknD94NSnDz1wu18/s200/IMG_4510.JPG" width="150" /></a> </div><ul><li style="text-align: left;">Alternately, you choose your restaurant solely based on how funny the name sounds. </li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKll2bbmN3ife2BxlOQKUwSoYsa7LW5RP3rvs5U_tLwdCx7boq0BTubnPK8GQwyPYaXNQ_WQcbr9w8hK38FGb0RWU0sg_v-9AKe8bp7PTS8axjq5K5qo7xWBhX2Ukj5OItJW2zm6RzC4/s1600/IMG_2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKll2bbmN3ife2BxlOQKUwSoYsa7LW5RP3rvs5U_tLwdCx7boq0BTubnPK8GQwyPYaXNQ_WQcbr9w8hK38FGb0RWU0sg_v-9AKe8bp7PTS8axjq5K5qo7xWBhX2Ukj5OItJW2zm6RzC4/s320/IMG_2868.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Highschool Restaurant Teeny Pizza </i>actually sells teeny pizzas!!!!</span></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;">You find yourself asking things like "How old are you?" "Are you married?" "How much did you pay for that?" of people you only just met.</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-76457963639042353952010-03-16T17:26:00.007+07:002010-04-29T12:05:19.777+07:00What do I do all day anyways?This is a good question for me to ask myself, too. I may live 12 time zones away from my nearest blood relatives, but I still work a nine-to-five, and it helps to remind myself what I actually do with all that time. When I'm not writing blog posts, mostly I am editing articles that have been translated from Vietnamese into English. For example, an artist profile for a book on contemporary Vietnamese art, that starts like this:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lê Quảng Hà was born in 1963 in </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hanoi</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span> </b></span></blockquote>This is the only sentence in the entire document that I did not change. The rest of the first paragraph goes like this:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His skinny and spare-face showed his strong personality, naughty and activeness with sharp eyes widely opening to stare at everythings as if they were looking for the inside natures, never take his eyes off anything. Keen on drawing since he was young, Ha started his drawing class in children’s club when he was only 7. When grown up, he once tried to shift to </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Irrigational</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><st1:placetype w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">University</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> but he could not be happy nor could find his position there. There was sometime when he even tried as a worker but it was not all right at all. Ha sat for an entrance exam in </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">University</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of </span><st1:placename w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fine Arts</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> again. Painting seemed to be his fate that was unavoidable. His first three school years was in Ho Chi Minh city University of Fine Arts (1986- 1989), and the next three years was in Hanoi Industrial Arts University (1989- 1992), and expescially under the instruction of femal painter Kim Bach, to whom he paid so much respect to, Lê Quảng Hà has become mature gained a lot of painting knowledge and experiences.</span></blockquote>And this is what I turn it into, with a little luck, a little skill, and a lot of help from my amazingly patient boss, Mr. Long.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His thin face, with its wide eyes that seemed to pierce every object he looked at to their core, revealed a strong personality, both active and mischievous. Fond of drawing since he was young, Ha enrolled in a drawing class at his children’s club when he was only seven. When he was older, he tried to transfer to the Water Resources University but was unhappy and unable to find his place there. There was even a time when he tried his hand at manual labor, but he did not feel right about it. So he sat a second time for the entrance exam to the University of Fine Arts. Painting seemed to be his fate. His first three years of study were passed at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts (1986-1989), and the next three years at the Hanoi School of Industrial Art (1989-1992), primarily under the instruction of the painter Kim Bach, to whom he owes great respect for giving him the knowledge and experience that would later help him become a mature painter.</span></blockquote>Polished prose. Isn't it a beautiful thing?<br />
Sometimes my job seems so tedious. Sometimes it is downright scary.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAuUTM0thS35Z1kVZ-gkNaK-mHt00ZICsCioiNI4sR33o1oZYTd8wigkYfSYsq8bycf_cEif15Vyfo6xzGpDwTK-tzeTtihUoHZrRTYCiRVJ1MjJKx0zGdS_9PMDy5QMR-geAml1xCsw/s1600-h/IMG_2679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAuUTM0thS35Z1kVZ-gkNaK-mHt00ZICsCioiNI4sR33o1oZYTd8wigkYfSYsq8bycf_cEif15Vyfo6xzGpDwTK-tzeTtihUoHZrRTYCiRVJ1MjJKx0zGdS_9PMDy5QMR-geAml1xCsw/s320/IMG_2679.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But right now, looking at the finished result, I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. And I have to admit there are times when my job is highly entertaining. Take these delightful examples from the<i> The Gioi Publishers </i>blooper reel, for instance:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>I first knew the strange impressive and unforgettable light fragrance, the smell of straw bended with the good smell of village girl’s hair, which made one on a cloud nine.</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></blockquote>Someone sure knows their American idioms from 20 years ago!<br />
<blockquote><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They put the dó plaints in a mortal and smash them by a cylinder hummer until it turns into a platform.</span></b></blockquote>[see below for clarification]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs109.snc3/15713_1375000502558_1458191603_1019512_1771245_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs109.snc3/15713_1375000502558_1458191603_1019512_1771245_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>credit: my totally awesome brother, Asa Forsythe</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Through the side windows, we can know how many women in the family get married. </b></span></blockquote>This one actually makes sense in context. One room with a window is added for each daughter that gets married. But you gotta appreciate the Freudian slip!<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Cascadeur students act not only simple performances but also very dangerous ones such as jumping off a building, speeding on a motor, falling off an abyss, etc.</b></span></blockquote>Wow! Makes my job seem like a piece of cake.<br />
And the grand finale:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>U Minh forest used to be a battlefield and a place to cover top leaders in the Southern Resistance, such a valuable forest of humankind should have been a culturally attractive address for tourism such as biology tourism, history tourism, especially for young generation. It’s so regretful it’s burnt and destroyed. Even the scene is also nothing more than concrete blocks and the forest is overexploited for commercial purposes. The difference between the rich and the poor here is taking place more drastically than ever. This is a hindrance to organising tourism industry structures but still keeping native distinctive cultural features? I dare to think that it’s time to put what’s modern or what’s traditional or what’s natural on the right place so as to keep the natural beauty, abundance and uniqueness... That’s how tourism can attract more tourists. It’s local authorirties’ reponsibilities to distinguish what belongs to distinctive tradition, what’s cuturally unique to maintain for offsprings, both physical and non-physical culture. To the end, the hardest-to-solve problem is human resources. From higher managers to staff, they all need traning very basically and the Government should generate favourable conditions by reasonable policies so that they can live on their jobs. Only by that could the non-smoke industry develop. Last but not less, the waterways gardens tourism will stand firm with a sound bandmaster.</b></span></blockquote>And rightly so, in my opinion!<br />
<br />
Peace.Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-3954357669518862492010-03-03T14:50:00.009+07:002016-06-28T22:16:40.282+07:00Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-55289861375413159952010-03-03T14:50:00.008+07:002016-06-28T22:14:31.741+07:00Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-2669119052268624242010-03-03T14:50:00.007+07:002016-06-28T22:12:21.049+07:00Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-90627156374314247362010-03-03T14:50:00.006+07:002016-06-28T22:16:35.656+07:00They weren't any better than usFor Vietnamese New Year, Calah, Alicia, and I went to the great, the awe-inspiring, the one and only tourist-ridden Angkor Wat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhb23uJY9KKe_VzZCSHrWAq-UmXO3P5mAEjB_O_FOlrf8_dpFAEBkKrxvC99vjPPON_zcn30ZrjkAzXxQ68bYtR-9tLdfKvBVtuTserZ-eG87LSZ5-pLSj3xMxdFHAAzAp7Hiemduy00/s1600-h/IMG_4178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhb23uJY9KKe_VzZCSHrWAq-UmXO3P5mAEjB_O_FOlrf8_dpFAEBkKrxvC99vjPPON_zcn30ZrjkAzXxQ68bYtR-9tLdfKvBVtuTserZ-eG87LSZ5-pLSj3xMxdFHAAzAp7Hiemduy00/s400/IMG_4178.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
On the first day we decided we'd watch the sunset from atop one of the temple-mountains. Climbing up that old, old rock face, I could hardly help but have a few thoughts. First thought: Ancient Angkorians were obviously very fit.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCE9CVEZtFtg6AscjHUJ6zmVuclK_fQ3d8ZimDqVmcdkorMXt6mKw4FimpO0quyyqU1kY8GqcoCJzTXtj5Hbugv8qkyzzpQr0WH6Uk21Nahx2Vf7d3B3eSAXEfv-djY791PePDzju7vc/s1600-h/new+078.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440980804518377666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCE9CVEZtFtg6AscjHUJ6zmVuclK_fQ3d8ZimDqVmcdkorMXt6mKw4FimpO0quyyqU1kY8GqcoCJzTXtj5Hbugv8qkyzzpQr0WH6Uk21Nahx2Vf7d3B3eSAXEfv-djY791PePDzju7vc/s400/new+078.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="300" /></a>And upon reaching the top, second thought: Holy cow that's a lot of tourists. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMatrj8buMPoXJP5-XFH5G0Jc_INaLC2WxIWakLvwKSHJXEIrHBmsRp8cdY68ePraznmRQwl7vwOn5zhkHHYJE7V4SycgjTwZR19bFGDWdm17ZoDRDgUI11qfe2YtucamGRLalPfBPLEg/s1600-h/new+056.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440984463717268018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMatrj8buMPoXJP5-XFH5G0Jc_INaLC2WxIWakLvwKSHJXEIrHBmsRp8cdY68ePraznmRQwl7vwOn5zhkHHYJE7V4SycgjTwZR19bFGDWdm17ZoDRDgUI11qfe2YtucamGRLalPfBPLEg/s400/new+056.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="300" /></a><br />
How am I supposed to have my epic Angkor Wat sunset experience with all these people here cramping my style? How am I supposed to take pictures of exotic landscapes with modern people in the way?<br />
<br />
And it happened like that all week until it started to seem a little ridiculous. People were constantly stepping into each others' photos and then apologizing, like if Grandma saw your pictures from vacation and there was anybody in the picture she didn't know she would cut you out of her will. Or if your friends found out that there were actual tourists at Angkor Wat (never mind that you yourself are one) suddenly they would recognize you for the Lame Poser you really are.<br />
<br />
So then I had a third thought to chew on for the rest of the week: Why do we love to pretend that we are the only tourists here?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG57ygNHnJEtKdZEy44teN5QYkv0Ttesqh1G4FhvSw-Ai48htTEfX7wBc6w6DkOS4gcU9ukP0G_b_u4PlHpbzvHsPaWkdZdjCqeP9KBHI5-1q5L-Hf5HmjWIq7QI-0Bymt2OIhj5UugJg/s1600-h/IMG_4157-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG57ygNHnJEtKdZEy44teN5QYkv0Ttesqh1G4FhvSw-Ai48htTEfX7wBc6w6DkOS4gcU9ukP0G_b_u4PlHpbzvHsPaWkdZdjCqeP9KBHI5-1q5L-Hf5HmjWIq7QI-0Bymt2OIhj5UugJg/s400/IMG_4157-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I think part of it comes from Western individualism. We like to think of ourselves as independent, as pioneers. We don't like to be reminded that we are not the first, and definitely not the last, and most certainly not the most important individuals ever to see this amazing place.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag66yHjgfD0T8b8yt8whf7xAoTDtkJpY5Yh6A3bpEBeOgtX4QEOUzJKa2qUnaL8Ck6mbnl9deNWWz68-7qETPJ2mk7sEau6bAgnprMubxouPuPd8bG1pvvOR_PSaIlvyXLGE4ucmf-9I/s1600-h/IMG_4211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag66yHjgfD0T8b8yt8whf7xAoTDtkJpY5Yh6A3bpEBeOgtX4QEOUzJKa2qUnaL8Ck6mbnl9deNWWz68-7qETPJ2mk7sEau6bAgnprMubxouPuPd8bG1pvvOR_PSaIlvyXLGE4ucmf-9I/s200/IMG_4211.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
And a (perhaps related) component is the desire for the exotic. We don't normally like to travel for long distances in cramped quarters only to see other people just like us. (Though of course, we do still want food that is palatable to us and hotels that are safe and clean and have pools like our hotels at home.)<br />
<br />
But I think the most powerful reason is the sneaking suspicion that ancient peoples were so much cooler than people like us. I mean, what's the modern American equivalent of Angkor Wat? The White House? Lame. The Mall of America? Ugh. Gag me with a spoon. And not only are modern structures not as cool, but they won't even last for half as long as Angkor already has<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">—</span>and they didn't even have the luxury of fork lifts back then! Yessiree, we tourists are major lame and ashamed of it.<br />
<br />
But while that may be true, there's probably another side to the story. Looking at the heavy slabs of stone I was struck by the sheer amount of manpower required to build just one of the hundreds of monuments that populate the ancient capital of the Angkor kingdom. Who provided all that labor? Probably slaves, or serfs who were as good as slaves. Who could command such a great effort from his people? Only a despot.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLfTrnobiABbj3xFuIvwedWTVSiBH3qX4mo-DHMWVvWgVk749LweMB7IrCNH64gw8XNjjGzShbogMU6QqULqDsUIyPRJ7IDrdshlz-DVsEs9FrcYSGKEboDgXnK8xKMtiYZx0-IsOJEE/s1600-h/450px-Guimet_IMG_6009_Jayavarman7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLfTrnobiABbj3xFuIvwedWTVSiBH3qX4mo-DHMWVvWgVk749LweMB7IrCNH64gw8XNjjGzShbogMU6QqULqDsUIyPRJ7IDrdshlz-DVsEs9FrcYSGKEboDgXnK8xKMtiYZx0-IsOJEE/s200/450px-Guimet_IMG_6009_Jayavarman7.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">King Jayawarman VII, despot extraordinaire</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And even if their monuments are still standing, the fact remains that their empire eventually collapsed, just like every other empire since the invention of history. Just like modern Western hegemony will someday also kick the bucket. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The urge to romanticize the ancient peoples of foreign lands is completely understandable. Life in the 21st century just feels so ordinary. But even if ancient Angkorians <i>were</i> really cool, I don't think that it means they were necessarily any better than us. They probably would have had a few things to teach us, for sure, but it's not like history has made zero progress since they disappeared from the stage. Things like women's rights and the 8-hour work day are only a few of the may perqs of being a modern-day human. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSIKZ-5ZH-_tk5mS259WQeERXQ_59iJssHsmQjwMDzJQ35o5WCc-2bjf6OWLsfM94ic0AsPx-xnm6CHW0qDZeCYVNqo4c4Yvq8nYnGI3bLYSu9K51Sbtz5twT83bBy-jNJ2zMKLEnwUY/s1600-h/IMG_4194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSIKZ-5ZH-_tk5mS259WQeERXQ_59iJssHsmQjwMDzJQ35o5WCc-2bjf6OWLsfM94ic0AsPx-xnm6CHW0qDZeCYVNqo4c4Yvq8nYnGI3bLYSu9K51Sbtz5twT83bBy-jNJ2zMKLEnwUY/s320/IMG_4194.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So the next time you feel guilty for being a WASP or a suburbanite or some other totally lame, over-privileged segment of the population, just remember Angkor and realize that, the way history works, someone is always gaining power at the expense of others, and the only thing you have control over is what you do with the position you have been given in this mess. History is not your game to play, it's your own life that's yours to play.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">So peace out!</span></div>
</div>
Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-47876456179707114062010-03-03T14:50:00.005+07:002016-06-28T22:11:13.594+07:00They weren't any better than usFor Vietnamese New Year, Calah, Alicia, and I went to the great, the awe-inspiring, the one and only tourist-ridden Angkor Wat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhb23uJY9KKe_VzZCSHrWAq-UmXO3P5mAEjB_O_FOlrf8_dpFAEBkKrxvC99vjPPON_zcn30ZrjkAzXxQ68bYtR-9tLdfKvBVtuTserZ-eG87LSZ5-pLSj3xMxdFHAAzAp7Hiemduy00/s1600-h/IMG_4178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhb23uJY9KKe_VzZCSHrWAq-UmXO3P5mAEjB_O_FOlrf8_dpFAEBkKrxvC99vjPPON_zcn30ZrjkAzXxQ68bYtR-9tLdfKvBVtuTserZ-eG87LSZ5-pLSj3xMxdFHAAzAp7Hiemduy00/s200/IMG_4178.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
On the first day we decided we'd watch the sunset from atop one of the temple-mountains. Climbing up that old, old rock face, I could hardly help but have a few thoughts. First thought: Ancient Angkorians were obviously very fit.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCE9CVEZtFtg6AscjHUJ6zmVuclK_fQ3d8ZimDqVmcdkorMXt6mKw4FimpO0quyyqU1kY8GqcoCJzTXtj5Hbugv8qkyzzpQr0WH6Uk21Nahx2Vf7d3B3eSAXEfv-djY791PePDzju7vc/s1600-h/new+078.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440980804518377666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCE9CVEZtFtg6AscjHUJ6zmVuclK_fQ3d8ZimDqVmcdkorMXt6mKw4FimpO0quyyqU1kY8GqcoCJzTXtj5Hbugv8qkyzzpQr0WH6Uk21Nahx2Vf7d3B3eSAXEfv-djY791PePDzju7vc/s320/new+078.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a>And upon reaching the top, second thought: Holy cow that's a lot of tourists. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMatrj8buMPoXJP5-XFH5G0Jc_INaLC2WxIWakLvwKSHJXEIrHBmsRp8cdY68ePraznmRQwl7vwOn5zhkHHYJE7V4SycgjTwZR19bFGDWdm17ZoDRDgUI11qfe2YtucamGRLalPfBPLEg/s1600-h/new+056.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440984463717268018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMatrj8buMPoXJP5-XFH5G0Jc_INaLC2WxIWakLvwKSHJXEIrHBmsRp8cdY68ePraznmRQwl7vwOn5zhkHHYJE7V4SycgjTwZR19bFGDWdm17ZoDRDgUI11qfe2YtucamGRLalPfBPLEg/s320/new+056.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
How am I supposed to have my epic Angkor Wat sunset experience with all these people here cramping my style? How am I supposed to take pictures of exotic landscapes with other white people who look just like me in the way?<br />
<br />
And it happened like that all week until it started to seem a little ridiculous. People were constantly stepping into each others' photos and then apologizing, like if Grandma saw your pictures from vacation and there was anybody in the picture she didn't know she would cut you out of her will. Or if your friends found out that there were actual tourists at Angkor Wat (never mind that you yourself are one) suddenly they would recognize you for the Lame Poser you really are.<br />
<br />
So then I had a third thought to chew on for the rest of the week: Why do we love to pretend that we are the only tourists here?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG57ygNHnJEtKdZEy44teN5QYkv0Ttesqh1G4FhvSw-Ai48htTEfX7wBc6w6DkOS4gcU9ukP0G_b_u4PlHpbzvHsPaWkdZdjCqeP9KBHI5-1q5L-Hf5HmjWIq7QI-0Bymt2OIhj5UugJg/s1600-h/IMG_4157-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG57ygNHnJEtKdZEy44teN5QYkv0Ttesqh1G4FhvSw-Ai48htTEfX7wBc6w6DkOS4gcU9ukP0G_b_u4PlHpbzvHsPaWkdZdjCqeP9KBHI5-1q5L-Hf5HmjWIq7QI-0Bymt2OIhj5UugJg/s400/IMG_4157-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I think part of it comes from Western individualism. We like to think of ourselves as independent, as pioneers. We don't like to be reminded that we are not the first, and definitely not the last, and most certainly not the most important individuals ever to see this amazing place.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag66yHjgfD0T8b8yt8whf7xAoTDtkJpY5Yh6A3bpEBeOgtX4QEOUzJKa2qUnaL8Ck6mbnl9deNWWz68-7qETPJ2mk7sEau6bAgnprMubxouPuPd8bG1pvvOR_PSaIlvyXLGE4ucmf-9I/s1600-h/IMG_4211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiag66yHjgfD0T8b8yt8whf7xAoTDtkJpY5Yh6A3bpEBeOgtX4QEOUzJKa2qUnaL8Ck6mbnl9deNWWz68-7qETPJ2mk7sEau6bAgnprMubxouPuPd8bG1pvvOR_PSaIlvyXLGE4ucmf-9I/s200/IMG_4211.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
And a (perhaps related) component is the desire for the exotic. We don't normally like to travel for long distances in cramped quarters only to see other people just like us. (Though of course, we do still want food that is palatable to us and hotels that are safe and clean and have pools like our hotels at home.)<br />
<br />
But I think the most powerful reason is the sneaking suspicion that ancient peoples were so much cooler than people like us. I mean, what's the modern American equivalent of Angkor Wat? The White House? Lame. The Mall of America? Ugh. Gag me with a spoon. And not only are modern structures not as cool, but they won't even last for half as long as Angkor already has<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">—</span>and they didn't even have the luxury of fork lifts back then! Yessiree, we tourists are major lame and ashamed of it.<br />
<br />
But while that may be true, there's probably another side to the story. Looking at the heavy slabs of stone I was struck by the sheer amount of manpower required to build just one of the hundreds of monuments that populate the ancient capital of the Angkor kingdom. Who provided all that labor? Probably slaves, or serfs who were as good as slaves. Who could command such a great effort from his people? Only a despot.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLfTrnobiABbj3xFuIvwedWTVSiBH3qX4mo-DHMWVvWgVk749LweMB7IrCNH64gw8XNjjGzShbogMU6QqULqDsUIyPRJ7IDrdshlz-DVsEs9FrcYSGKEboDgXnK8xKMtiYZx0-IsOJEE/s1600-h/450px-Guimet_IMG_6009_Jayavarman7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLfTrnobiABbj3xFuIvwedWTVSiBH3qX4mo-DHMWVvWgVk749LweMB7IrCNH64gw8XNjjGzShbogMU6QqULqDsUIyPRJ7IDrdshlz-DVsEs9FrcYSGKEboDgXnK8xKMtiYZx0-IsOJEE/s200/450px-Guimet_IMG_6009_Jayavarman7.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">King Jayawarman VII, despot extraordinaire</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And even if their monuments are still standing, the fact remains that their empire eventually collapsed, just like every other empire since the invention of history. Just like modern Western hegemony will someday also kick the bucket. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The urge to romanticize the ancient peoples of foreign lands is completely understandable. Life in the 21st century just feels so ordinary. But even if ancient Angkorians <i>were</i> really cool, I don't think that it means they were necessarily any better than us. They probably would have had a few things to teach us, for sure, but it's not like history has made zero progress since they disappeared from the stage. Things like women's rights and the 8-hour work day are only a few of the may perqs of being a modern-day human. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSIKZ-5ZH-_tk5mS259WQeERXQ_59iJssHsmQjwMDzJQ35o5WCc-2bjf6OWLsfM94ic0AsPx-xnm6CHW0qDZeCYVNqo4c4Yvq8nYnGI3bLYSu9K51Sbtz5twT83bBy-jNJ2zMKLEnwUY/s1600-h/IMG_4194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSIKZ-5ZH-_tk5mS259WQeERXQ_59iJssHsmQjwMDzJQ35o5WCc-2bjf6OWLsfM94ic0AsPx-xnm6CHW0qDZeCYVNqo4c4Yvq8nYnGI3bLYSu9K51Sbtz5twT83bBy-jNJ2zMKLEnwUY/s320/IMG_4194.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So the next time you feel guilty for being a WASP or a suburbanite or some other totally lame, over-privileged segment of the population, just remember Angkor and realize that, the way history works, someone is always gaining power at the expense of others, and the only thing you have control over is what you do with the position you have been given in this mess. History is not your game to play, it's your own life that's yours to play.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">So peace out!</span></div>
</div>
Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-50358813273670543292010-01-28T13:51:00.001+07:002010-04-29T12:02:54.230+07:00Holiday Photo ReportThis holiday season I made two trips. First, a trip down south to visit a longtime friend of my grandmother and see her hometown in Ben Tre and her current residence in Ho Chi Minh City. Second, a trip to Laos with my host uncle Hùynh and sister Hạnh that included a trip across the border to Thailand for an afternoon.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Click on the links for the detailed report:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx4B5qTMZY7QbXm85ao4XQBYKOshVxTpWZZK8CJmBT8ho4zPQ_3thJB4KwuV-Whyphenhyphen4mYdxuYl0WI4oOkCo5Ac7_yLp_8176Hxnyn4delXtzBCc04V6KimE-xRfNzMIQChOCNkSCSG1tv8/s1600-h/IMG_3866.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431696083699679458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx4B5qTMZY7QbXm85ao4XQBYKOshVxTpWZZK8CJmBT8ho4zPQ_3thJB4KwuV-Whyphenhyphen4mYdxuYl0WI4oOkCo5Ac7_yLp_8176Hxnyn4delXtzBCc04V6KimE-xRfNzMIQChOCNkSCSG1tv8/s200/IMG_3866.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2087693&id=15302590&l=72004e638b">Impressions of Saigonese Soups</a> (and other secondary things)<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431697047137101378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v0aHzyzEGPuSyPb9lg6lixuAhmRUMdqxPlJmWyfR3shPYnExFk0Jg7tSMTNqR16f6Vo677yv6Z5T19K1mh8369LnhL1MbcqZ5S_j8Dk0945DFjD-7dWnBbTpTLuX0p2CbKE9njHo4hw/s200/IMG_3785.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2087630&id=15302590&l=12375c8aa6">Visit to Ben Tre</a> including a snake farm, lots of coconuts, and heaps of fresh fruit.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431697873812810898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyhNeCtH1OgOmBRf8Qp9MssqKK6V29bK3RZHTNoQ0bn0oAu6YUTv7X0-AwS4QieS-pEuXJ_Yq0HzOyP2FRYbe6YQQ_TMna-cTTrRRaEnm1WstJJvY3jgp-wLz5_1Qm_oe_srAStiK-bc/s200/IMG_4036.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2088277&id=15302590&l=33cfd3b4bd">Trip to Laos </a>(and an afternoon in Thailand) at the invitation of my host family.</div></div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-72873571745002816872010-01-21T16:29:00.002+07:002010-04-29T12:09:12.212+07:00Slippery Green Leaves of Grace<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0MkSyYzxbq4D2R27A-4DnqPV5PQ7uOCjdM2VGe7-k0DMQqBe__0-H8IQd1vj3Z-_YqeRg1jQR_fUn5V3SWeuCVHdMOiDBiMH843n0UuguyF7Pf6RMRyPYCGtrcc4TwIzhql72FE2dCA/s1600-h/new+031.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429123311542059266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0MkSyYzxbq4D2R27A-4DnqPV5PQ7uOCjdM2VGe7-k0DMQqBe__0-H8IQd1vj3Z-_YqeRg1jQR_fUn5V3SWeuCVHdMOiDBiMH843n0UuguyF7Pf6RMRyPYCGtrcc4TwIzhql72FE2dCA/s320/new+031.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>The spring rain has begun. I heard it falling and splashing under motorcycle tires from my bed this morning. Naturally I was not looking forward to being wet and cold and most likely late for work because the buses are always overloaded on rainy days. But for some reason, when I left the house, umbrella in hand, what I noticed was not the mud in the gutters or the puddles or the dripping hem of my left shirtsleeve, but rather the way the rain made all the branches of the trees black and the leaves a slick and vivid green.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZOm_67rMb8azbGdUtdTSNXL8eE24ZhgaRVMoNOdy73tK-849HbFYRIxxPXxALTrcddOmvbUSrPBcwaglxfSdt15xIXy9FJQJ5-q-Crdu4uwroDVkBdDKVH3iOpZCPkrZ4_oZH_qJYk0/s1600-h/new+032.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429124217836425874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZOm_67rMb8azbGdUtdTSNXL8eE24ZhgaRVMoNOdy73tK-849HbFYRIxxPXxALTrcddOmvbUSrPBcwaglxfSdt15xIXy9FJQJ5-q-Crdu4uwroDVkBdDKVH3iOpZCPkrZ4_oZH_qJYk0/s320/new+032.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 240px;" /></a>The reason for this happy turn of events was that as I was walking to the bus stop I saw that the gate of Hà Pagoda was open and decided to step inside, buses and work be damned.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the fact that I've lived for a year and a half in a city of four million honking scooters has eroded my standards for quiet. Or perhaps there really is something about a walled garden, incense, a fishpond, and rain falling on a tiled courtyard that is more silent than silence. In either case, the effect was the same: I began to settle down. And since praying is what you do in a pagoda, I started to pray. And as I prayed, I was given a gift.<br />
<br />
As I watched the incense float heavily off into the wet air, the gift I received was the realization that this is not about me. Yesterday was not about me, or what I did, or how much fun I had with my friends last night. Today is not about me, or the long soggy commute to the office ahead of me, or the computer I will sit in front of when I finally get there. And tomorrow is most certainly not about me either, or about the pain and pleasure I will experience then. And because it is not about me, I am free to notice the world for what it is, rather than for the obstacles it puts in my path. I am free to notice the color of the leaves in rain.<br />
<br />
I cannot put into words what a relief it was to remember this, what a relief it is every time I truly pray to remember that I am not the center of the universe, nor the master of my own destiny. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyTSFUu6YoTEP72GYAIDPza6Wl7zRHQcRPNVdliK0bHwjJIEzrrMUezNBOs-70ixkVD15DOrdWmDpqRDwOhkOggE2WdbpOikenDXB_VOj3xUtaWppljp71ljO9eWkdOTJxIB8IjanA0I/s1600-h/new+034.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429138153108133410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyTSFUu6YoTEP72GYAIDPza6Wl7zRHQcRPNVdliK0bHwjJIEzrrMUezNBOs-70ixkVD15DOrdWmDpqRDwOhkOggE2WdbpOikenDXB_VOj3xUtaWppljp71ljO9eWkdOTJxIB8IjanA0I/s200/new+034.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a>So I won't try. Let it suffice to say simply that I walked through an open door like grace and received there the eyes to see the true color of things. The true color of my small self, and the true color of this majestic, sopping wet, slippery green world made by God.Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-21394193231239519322009-12-16T09:58:00.002+07:002010-05-11T10:37:49.568+07:00Civic Pride is the New Patriotism<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL0pZ7zG1fvVHxReXNWxj_Q9mkyt7k1D9oer5iv6QHstodsaukRCzW7DpueDmBug6CkaF4Ek8ha39IEu7wfWOB95hTJwW5S51j25prkX9iFSAAdQQ5FCgC0i9wVTme4ZwYA_WajaKBys/s1600-h/new+217.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415665036574847106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRKBKAWVm3pRUCGbcEXb3ObbOCtNCBHK8nVnMjeFkwS8gOLhDf7wHbgNrtxNzY4znjBwuSeBHcMepxKMOrhh8l_E9h650Ow4heFFV_vwOrtPofHVLfNUeO8knxzH4OeTRjQC-rc82Y9k/s320/IMG_3291.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh, Hoàn Kiếm Lake!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36T_tTjZ_BQni1-p1c7c7_71_neX4AJjECeOfbah8twMNfSbnHWifQ1uS3YHUpVMvV5xT1bBwpaKeDnI2Ma4ONHV5H3IC6eD_crL5nWwItwyOKJ0fhdB3fmeUxsyGCgkLCQDMGpEeAZA/s1600-h/IMG_3552.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415665047899043650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaf5IoVAhgD_G7JGn_a6Vqc2iWia-V-9pCxn4WDHG3WIDgdXh15HcX40UpTjxcCU2MS2gCZykFxcQmiZx5UEVMJUKcYk7o0DqfYFDKVhUhyphenhyphen-MFsYi3kxb1TkbB8pa1_bMp__eMmrV22WE/s320/IMG_3582.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh, Hero-King Lý Thái Tổ!</span></span></div></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36T_tTjZ_BQni1-p1c7c7_71_neX4AJjECeOfbah8twMNfSbnHWifQ1uS3YHUpVMvV5xT1bBwpaKeDnI2Ma4ONHV5H3IC6eD_crL5nWwItwyOKJ0fhdB3fmeUxsyGCgkLCQDMGpEeAZA/s1600-h/IMG_3552.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415668717389806402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCorSfZfKlzz0RFZrrAN09XsctCvIo2bG9nnYiR37Ldesfs21ozMAD9ukiNdnIWOC_HWpYq3AmwWmTho_V4l1sUdN-Vc7XKGUDHY5Ox21AIsiZZazNqpd_xT_ycDzzOr1tgav6p3dknd8/s320/IMG_6287.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36T_tTjZ_BQni1-p1c7c7_71_neX4AJjECeOfbah8twMNfSbnHWifQ1uS3YHUpVMvV5xT1bBwpaKeDnI2Ma4ONHV5H3IC6eD_crL5nWwItwyOKJ0fhdB3fmeUxsyGCgkLCQDMGpEeAZA/s1600-h/IMG_3552.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"></a><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh, morning traffic!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydTAeQRuMTD14w3yHTkHvL9DCC8WKnGhcbeOSRm35N_HGZxKuBmqIzPftI54BoWwWUOuWEMzZRs2SUE1T608bPCPzW6CiJ6S1fO01dVApL2YkA4Lpv93g0yGjagXsEcqleEx5dvmL4G4/s1600-h/IMG_3546.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415671937140121314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydTAeQRuMTD14w3yHTkHvL9DCC8WKnGhcbeOSRm35N_HGZxKuBmqIzPftI54BoWwWUOuWEMzZRs2SUE1T608bPCPzW6CiJ6S1fO01dVApL2YkA4Lpv93g0yGjagXsEcqleEx5dvmL4G4/s320/IMG_3546.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh, pork trotters with noodles, </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415671944685489922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36T_tTjZ_BQni1-p1c7c7_71_neX4AJjECeOfbah8twMNfSbnHWifQ1uS3YHUpVMvV5xT1bBwpaKeDnI2Ma4ONHV5H3IC6eD_crL5nWwItwyOKJ0fhdB3fmeUxsyGCgkLCQDMGpEeAZA/s320/IMG_3552.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left; width: 240px;" /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCorSfZfKlzz0RFZrrAN09XsctCvIo2bG9nnYiR37Ldesfs21ozMAD9ukiNdnIWOC_HWpYq3AmwWmTho_V4l1sUdN-Vc7XKGUDHY5Ox21AIsiZZazNqpd_xT_ycDzzOr1tgav6p3dknd8/s1600-h/IMG_6287.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">and the star fruit tree on my balcony!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh, Hà Nội! May I count the ways in which I love you? You speak my 3rd language; you are my 9th home. And though, admittedly, that sounds less than romantic, can I help it that I was born into a family of modern-day gypsies? I have loved each of my homes, but you are indeed something special. And what do lovers do best but write each other love poems? Here, for you, Hà Nội, the first love poem I have ever written to a place: </span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaf5IoVAhgD_G7JGn_a6Vqc2iWia-V-9pCxn4WDHG3WIDgdXh15HcX40UpTjxcCU2MS2gCZykFxcQmiZx5UEVMJUKcYk7o0DqfYFDKVhUhyphenhyphen-MFsYi3kxb1TkbB8pa1_bMp__eMmrV22WE/s1600-h/IMG_3582.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">For Hanoi, after a stroll along West Lake</span></span></span></div></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></i></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">And what if you do speak my third language? Have I not loved you as my own—yes, and even more than all the other cities?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Did I not just this afternoon discover a shred of quiet lakeside that took my breath—such was the contrast between</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the joyful, eager madness</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">of a Friday route home and</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the fishermen of this afternoon</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">who with such sedate patience cast</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">and reeled, cast again, and reeled.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">With same such patience I have wound myself into your streets. Just to know </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the taste of phở at dawn</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the scent of the milk flower in fall</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the baking heat and wet</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">when we all go about mad as hornets or</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">too tired to pick a fight.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Have I not felt </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the quiet triumph </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">after downing a cà phê nâu nóng</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">before accomplishing a single thing and</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the chagrin of spending three times the going rate on xe ôm?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Your charms and your traps, I have fallen for them all. Will you not acknowledge it?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">I was not born into your rose-colored past, but I can see</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">as clearly as any your writhing present, and my heart</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">aches with the pangs of a patriot to see</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Thống Nhất Park</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">laid waste in the name of progress and luxury hotels.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">And the more subtle shock of peering from under</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">the ancient tiled roofs of<br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Quốc Tử Giám to see</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">a bevy of tuổi 'teen' in plastic hip-hop sleek</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">with matching smirks.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Have I not loved you all the more for your contradictions?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">I have been there in the green quiet, and the red smoke,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">and the gritty traffic I have become</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">part of your scenery, watching you</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">attentively from under a banian. Will you deny it?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Oh, blazing,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">running, crashing,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">howling, growing city of my third language, so painstakingly learnt and loved—</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Will you still take me for a tourist?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-----------</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">phở = the national dish, a soup made with flat rice noodles</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">cà phê nâu nóng = hot espresso with condensed milk</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">xe ôm = motorbike taxi</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Thống Nhất Park = Unification Park (formerly Lenin Park), the largest park inside the city</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Quốc Tử Giám = the Temple of Literature</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">tuổi 'teen' = teenagers</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-----------</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415723714294692738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL0pZ7zG1fvVHxReXNWxj_Q9mkyt7k1D9oer5iv6QHstodsaukRCzW7DpueDmBug6CkaF4Ek8ha39IEu7wfWOB95hTJwW5S51j25prkX9iFSAAdQQ5FCgC0i9wVTme4ZwYA_WajaKBys/s200/new+217.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 150px;" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now, about the title of this post. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There is something about being in a foreign country, and especially about making that foreign country into your home, that makes you see your native land in a different way. I have never been one to be very patriotic. A brief survey of 20th century world history</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">—</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">even a glance at the morning news</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">—</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">was enough to replace any pride I might have had with shame at my country's bloody escapades. But as the holidays approach and my thoughts turn more frequently towards the land of my birth, for better or for worse, I have realized two things.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First, that every country has its sources of shame. Some of Vietnam's sources of shame I have hinted at in the poem above. Consumerism, lack of respect for the environment, etc. But you will notice that it is equally full of sources of pride and affection that allow me to accept it for what it is. Why shouldn't it be the same with my own country?</span></span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And second, that </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The United States </span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">≠</span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> The U.S. Government</span></span></b></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Or perhaps more accurately,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The United States </span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">> </span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The U.S. Government</span></span></b></blockquote></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Even though the government is what holds them together, the states</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">—</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">and each distinct city and family within them</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">—</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">is its own animal, with its own set of flaws and charms. And while I still can't often hold my head up and proudly declare my membership in the "Yoo-nited States of Amerrrrica," I can indeed be proud of my family and of my city (whichever one that happens to be at the moment). </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So today, even as I write love poems to Hà nội, I am feeling more comfortable with my identity as a native of the U.S. And I am confident that the ways in which I have learned to love this city will only help me all the more to love the next city I end up in. Isn't funny how things like this work sometimes? You have to love yourself in order to love others. You have to lose your life in order to save it. And sometimes you have to leave in order to really come home. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">love,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hannah</span></span></div></div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7605516200433312275.post-75882070591614118872009-10-07T15:37:00.001+07:002010-04-29T12:04:30.517+07:00Welcome to Club 62 Nghĩa Tân! or, Third Time's the Charm<div style="text-align: center;">Here it is, my home. For real this time.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss4Nm1xwfpso-y2XjCQIltPZQpnAm1yqURR7ctHGnKPtKf-PwBHsyQ5C0mRUBBoIFSQfguUd3BfbJB6DYK3EvEl-UrYM9CvVASN37L-ZxiqaSnXC3vzVk8hcDMwyFaQTH5nowdhKAkf8/s1600-h/Home+007.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss4Nm1xwfpso-y2XjCQIltPZQpnAm1yqURR7ctHGnKPtKf-PwBHsyQ5C0mRUBBoIFSQfguUd3BfbJB6DYK3EvEl-UrYM9CvVASN37L-ZxiqaSnXC3vzVk8hcDMwyFaQTH5nowdhKAkf8/s320/Home+007.jpg" style="height: 272px; width: 213px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">After being kicked out of my home by the complication police, moving back in with my boss, and then passing a rather dramatic two weeks at a house which I eventually chose to leave, I have found a host family.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcCgsmvl9iPYhj7vgQI92sBRmh1AqmzUOFOQBYCbR0i6JJ84Yf3Kx_jBmjNPkZbqmvxNXGwm1ofgehxR3Prx4SYAeDWkjxQhmMcok9Up8rTu7_aOn1Q1r9j7xFN2QQAQsZOPlVUo9FO0/s1600-h/Home+013.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389779457652508002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcCgsmvl9iPYhj7vgQI92sBRmh1AqmzUOFOQBYCbR0i6JJ84Yf3Kx_jBmjNPkZbqmvxNXGwm1ofgehxR3Prx4SYAeDWkjxQhmMcok9Up8rTu7_aOn1Q1r9j7xFN2QQAQsZOPlVUo9FO0/s320/Home+013.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 143px;" /></a>I have just posted a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2083425&id=15302590&l=ce2db7e9e0">virtual tour</a> of the house on facebook. And just in time to celebrate my move, Thế Giới Publishers held a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3233&id=100000283732366&ref=share">children's Mid-Autumn Festival party</a> in which I played the role of chị Hằng, the woman in the moon.<br />
<br />
Here is a picture of my host family. From left to right, we have Tám (pronounced sort of like "Tom," means "eight"), Hiếu (pronounced "hew," means "filial piety") and Hạnh (pronounced kind of like "Hank," means "happiness").<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcUiRPBZw6pcLSWyMF_Tw3p_9G6uInKehNmJ2bZ3oc_xgm5n_m8W8BM-NMjHJ61ZmCyJK8L1yr78FyhpipZgFsPRI5SKR89ARBtjOiqkK3G98JXySSNKtTHMaBMzkSQLoc-qBXmbL9AY/s1600-h/IMG_3502.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391552454417169922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcUiRPBZw6pcLSWyMF_Tw3p_9G6uInKehNmJ2bZ3oc_xgm5n_m8W8BM-NMjHJ61ZmCyJK8L1yr78FyhpipZgFsPRI5SKR89ARBtjOiqkK3G98JXySSNKtTHMaBMzkSQLoc-qBXmbL9AY/s320/IMG_3502.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Hạnh is my co-worker, so I call her "chị" (older sister) instead of "cô" (aunt). That makes her husband my older brother and her son my nephew.<br />
<br />
This family is atypical in a few other respects, too. First, unlike most families, which have two children, this family has only one because, in Hạnh's words, it's "exhausting." Second, most nuclear families live with the husband's parents, but this family lives with Hạnh's father and mother, Uncle Huỳnh ("H-wing") and Aunt Hồng ("home," means "pink"). And third, my host "older sister" is a bad cook and has no shame in admitting it. We frequently eat out when Aunt Hồng is gone.<br />
<br />
I can tell things are settling down now because I have established some solid routines. For instance, every morning chị Hạnh wakes me up at seven and I go down to the kitchen for my morning ritual.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixy_fwCTnUN1nHIqRIcnKjmhTwdgh9-bl2FlRaJBcxh1j_DCM6LdXx49zGCnfLgeszoBWV6JA2tlgPUvG1iSamdEoFGTSI1Fm3AhiekY21wJCNYAvMJSj-HWt4GVIoBJysumr9UUFklzs/s1600-h/IMG_3517.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391578818355930162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixy_fwCTnUN1nHIqRIcnKjmhTwdgh9-bl2FlRaJBcxh1j_DCM6LdXx49zGCnfLgeszoBWV6JA2tlgPUvG1iSamdEoFGTSI1Fm3AhiekY21wJCNYAvMJSj-HWt4GVIoBJysumr9UUFklzs/s320/IMG_3517.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 218px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 291px;" /></a>This little domestic picture you see here is very dear to my heart because it is the 100% certified authentic Vietnamese way to get caffeinated: Trung Nguyên brand coffee beans (grown in Dà Lạt and roasted to a strength of 5 on a scale of 1-8), steeped in a stainless steel filter, sweetened with Ông Thọ* condensed milk, and stirred with a dinky tin spoon.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzYaiqD0fBwUm7e28jZwCiDC3rd-RZ2CiAxpgtNTKDBHFEPonULt9jOyIo_HUJso-B7-qPIAezmnSZw7X0BUHk8-9MqgjklFN36Rghn01BtnfrOQk9Oo2XbZO9NygGc2MRpVgMWRXk0o/s1600-h/onh+tho.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391581564668233266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzYaiqD0fBwUm7e28jZwCiDC3rd-RZ2CiAxpgtNTKDBHFEPonULt9jOyIo_HUJso-B7-qPIAezmnSZw7X0BUHk8-9MqgjklFN36Rghn01BtnfrOQk9Oo2XbZO9NygGc2MRpVgMWRXk0o/s320/onh+tho.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 117px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 110px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">*Ông Thọ is the name of the god of longevity, who for some unspecified reason is always depicted with a protruding forehead.<br />
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Another routine dear to my heart is the morning commute. Check out this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2083676&id=15302590&l=a5effe07d3">album</a> to see the sights, some ancient, some modern, and all rather off-kilter and out of focus, that chị Hạnh and I pass every day on our way to work. Believe it or not, this is one of the highlights of my day because...(drumroll)...I have learned to drive motorbike!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3IP5lQVMxPQKslKIBsP7UeF4PExjIynByh360dzliZBTXrKbIICXLVXvlG45Sy6K0mBhkmzEwN2Yl1yUKVxE4rKqvmRUjc6XQJkBTAMnKuKZEXUbhDfZ9jgNrIf6LZMO0xaeF-Kb0zI/s1600-h/IMG_3344.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391588185379231970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3IP5lQVMxPQKslKIBsP7UeF4PExjIynByh360dzliZBTXrKbIICXLVXvlG45Sy6K0mBhkmzEwN2Yl1yUKVxE4rKqvmRUjc6XQJkBTAMnKuKZEXUbhDfZ9jgNrIf6LZMO0xaeF-Kb0zI/s400/IMG_3344.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 286px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 382px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs79XACPZDHrZSsZGqzVSYuWB-eQhDFKvyjRSVnJEp0pkV_i4aDxNaAvtxE-v254AiN_N2D8TMKokgEpjnS21xwjIPGWp-GORffw8pGwcEc2a_WmsikoAQ7x_JKjjRczKaiu71LbHpqD8/s1600-h/IMG_3519.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391566953972083810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs79XACPZDHrZSsZGqzVSYuWB-eQhDFKvyjRSVnJEp0pkV_i4aDxNaAvtxE-v254AiN_N2D8TMKokgEpjnS21xwjIPGWp-GORffw8pGwcEc2a_WmsikoAQ7x_JKjjRczKaiu71LbHpqD8/s320/IMG_3519.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 302px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 228px;" /></a><br />
<br />
Finally, a third routine we have developed is going out for evening drinks. We always order the same thing: fruit juice for me, iced coffee for anh Tám, and yoghurt coffee for chị Hạnh and Hiếu. The cup in the foreground is tea, provided free by the cafe.<br />
<br />
I used to think it was lame when people always ordered the same thing, but I'm coming around to this routine thing. We are indeed creatures of habit. In the right amount, routines support us and let us know what to expect, like school and work schedules. They also refresh us, like the weekly rest on Saturday and Sunday. Or they keep us in shape, like regular exercise and going to church. So what I mean to say in this rather scattered blog post is, I am doing well. Thanks as always for your prayers and support. </div></div>Hannah Forsythehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286497125197997748noreply@blogger.com1