2008 Blogs

Savoring the present, looking ahead

05/29/2009

Xin chao!  I'm really going to miss the water, the seashore, and the mountains when I return to Richmond.  Last evening's walk was more special than usual because I was joined by my friend Kamrul and a fisheries student from the Mekong Delta who had never spoken with a foreign woman before. On our way we encountered the librarian who gave me the beautiful sand picture and she invited us to see a sand artist at work in her nearby studio. See the variety of colors in the container?  The sand comes from many different parts of Vietnam.  The artist is using just 3 tools: a little scoop on a long handle and two objects similar to long needles.  She draws the picture on the glass to guide the placement of sand, then erases it when she is finished.  The work obviously requires good eyes, a steady hand, and much patience!

After our walk along the beach, we visited the Hon Chong Promontory at sunset--it was stunning.  It also was hotter than it looks here, especially after our walk, so Kamrul proposed stopping at a local stand for a refreshing drink of sugar cane.

 

This enterprising woman (like so many I have met), lives in the house directly behind this stand.  She conducts her business in the space in front of her home, putting out little red and plastic chairs and tables for customers.  Someone delivers stalks of sugar cane to her and she feeds them through this machine several times to extract all of the juice, which you can drink with or without ice.  So delicious, and all natural, too!

After returning to the dormitory I stopped to visit the lovely family from Bangladesh who live immediately below me.  I will miss them very much, but since their son has become my e-mail penpal, I know we will remain in touch.  I gave each child a U.S. coin--two presidential dollars for the boys and a Sacajawea coin for the little girl.  The children's mother surprised me with a lovely gift of Grameen check from Bangladesh.  As you can imagine, I'm feeling quite moved by the many goodbyes.  It is amazing how close you can grow to people in such a short time and despite differences of language and culture.

 

I leave Nha Trang early tomorrow morning for the end-of-year Fulbright conference in Dalat.  From there I will fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia, on June 3 to visit Angkor Wat, and from Ho Chi Minh City to Guilin, China (where I will meet my former student Sunan and Deb) on June 7.  We'll be traveling in China until June 21 and I'll post entries if possible, but it's difficult to predict how much Internet access I will have.  It has been my pleasure to share this Fulbright experience in Vietnam with you!  Tam Biet!