Feed me, feel me, feed me

July 16, 2007

Wow, wow, wow…Well, today was scheduled to be a quiet, at-home day so I could prep for my workshop. Currently (9pm), it is quiet and I am at home. I woke up early. No big shock, I’ve been up at the crack of dawn for the past week. I came down and worked for a couple hours on my presentation. It’s pretty good. I think I’m mostly ready for tomorrow. Sandy has just left to run copies for me, however between this morning and now has been anything but stay at home and chill.

At noon we went to meet some people from one of the summer teams that Sandy is supervising. We went with Ana, Marsha, and Steven to lunch across from their hotel on a street that is know for its bun cha. “Bun” is the generic name for a noodle made with rice. This was a soup with rice noodles, ground pork “meatballs” shaped like mini hot dogs, various greens. We also had a sort of fried egg roll that was shaped like a thick hamburger. The whole meal came out to 16,000 Vietnam Dong each or about $1.

After lunch, we went to the salon that Sandy uses and had a massage. Marsha had a manicure/pedicure instead and Steven got a haircut also. It was fairly relaxing, but very different to be in the same room as someone else getting a massage. That was a bit strange. We each paid 150,000 VND (under $10) for a 1 hour massage which is an amazing price, since I pay $75 at home.

When we were done, we walked over to the Gloria Jean’s Coffee Shop (yes, the same one as in the US) where Sandy was having a meeting. The contrast of the Americanized franchise business where 2 large drinks cost the SAME as our 1 hour of service from a human being was not lost. There is a big upward trend here and MANY changes since Sandy arrived 7 years ago.

We took a cab home (around $3) and waited for a friend of Sandy’s to come and take us out to dinner. Tony’s (Thanh) family was taking us out. He is a student at Louisiana State University and home for the summer. We went out with his parents and his cousin Mia’s family. She is also a student in the US. Imagine my surprise when Sandy mentioned that I needed a helmet because Tony and his mom had come to pick us up on scooters. We each hopped on the back of a bike and were off through the streets of Hanoi. We did the appropriate weaving in and out of traffic, followed behind a motorbike with a full mirrored dresser strapped to it, stopped and started behind buses, and in general took our lives in our hands…so much for that relaxing massage! It was a wonderful meal with everything from seafood to a grilled fish (minus the head, but with the tail) to French fries and fish porridge.

After a filling and full day, I’m back at home with both Bella and Chloe (the visiting dog) fighting for lap time without Sandy here. Neither of them are very good at typing, but they are both great at licking and hanging out on laps, though neither of them are Xiao Nu! They do both send barks and sniffs to her, though.

Time for bed and a good night’s rest before training.