Won't you be, my neighbor

Andy, Tuyen and I went to a soft opening of a new restaurant in Da Nang last night.  It was somewhat hidden on a small street about 7.5km away from where we live (that’s far for us).  Three times, we had to stop and ask local VN people on the street for help with directions.  They readily stopped what they were doing and explained where to go as if we were friends in need. 

The restaurant was very nicely decorated with outside dining (helloooo mosquitoes!) and inside lounge dining.  We were literally sitting on new sofas while eating the only two food items available:  BBQ chicken and BBQ pork ribs.  There was live music and overall a really comfortable atmosphere. 

It was raining when we left, so on went the ponchos as usual, except Andy’s bike would not start.  The bike guards noticed their trouble and came over to help.  This small gesture turned into twenty minutes of three guys making it their personal mission to get his bike purring.  When one guy’s efforts wouldn’t work, the next would take a turn at the kick start or a push and rev until finally, they got it going.  I watched with amazement at this friendly hand from complete strangers.  I got the feeling that they would not stop until the mission was complete.  There was no, ‘well, we gave it a shot.  Time to get it towed or push it to a mechanic.’  Time and time again I witness this can-do attitude in various forms.  When I couldn’t reach a window near my ceiling to shut it, a (shorter than me) Vietnamese man put my efforts to shame with ninja maneuvers up some shutters.  When our fish tank light wouldn’t switch on, my landlord’s cousin, who appeared to be twenty-something, came over and dissected the light, removing and replacing only the switch, which then worked perfectly.  Willingness to help no matter how long it takes.  MacGyver abilities.  ‘Nuff said.

It's Something Unpredictable, but in the end is right...

Try to imagine a life without timekeeping

You probably can't.  You know the month, the year, the day of the week.  There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car.  You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie.  

Yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored.  Birds are not late.  A dog does not check its watch.  Deer do not fret over passing birthdays.  

Man alone measures time.  

This new Albom book dropped into the Kindle right in a time when I've really been pondering that particular buzzword.    

Day to day time has changed so much.  I don't wear a watch, I severed ties with the dark side (back to using a "dumb phone" which is on ... sometimes), and I don't use a calendar.  I know when my volunteering and classes are and I make sure I'm prepped and on time to teach them.  

These changes...er...improvements have created a strange disconnect with life in America that I'm not sure is good or bad.  I have an indescribable sensation of being on a parallel universe - like everything at home is not in the same time that I'm in.

Vietnam Autumn

This past weekend was the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival for China and Vietnam.  Some regions practice different cultural traditions but there are a few constants that you can always count on: Mooncakes, lanterns, and lion dances. 

I am disappointed in my lack of Mooncake tasting variety.  There are many different flavors from sweet to salty to savory but there was really only one mooncake for me: Sua Dua (pronounced soo-ah yeu-ah).  It’s a heavy round cake about four inches in diameter packed with coconut, magic, and in the middle?   Surprise!  A salted egg yolk.  Oooh man, I’m sad those are gone.