About time I decide to catch up on these last two days! This has been my first weekend after settling in at the orphanage and I am about to go into the next week of teaching. However, this entry covers the last Saturday, where I returned back to Hai Nhuan for a siesta. Here's how that day went!
I slept well that night, getting over seven hours of sleep, which I find is quite rare over here for me. I got up and stretched, looked around and noticed that my grandfather had already gotten up, smoking too. On the subject of smoking, he told me that he's been smoking this special type of weed that apparently many of the elders here smoke (up to their 90s he told me). His doctor checked his lungs and said there were no problems. "Okay, whatever you wish" I thought to myself when I last asked him about his smoking habit. My uncle who lived right across from my grandfather's house (literally a small hop over a rail connecting the houses away) joined us for the morning. My grandfather's housemaid brought us some tea and water to drink. I talked a bit about my feelings about the orphanage, how much fun I was having, but also how much I missed being back in Hai Nhuan. After about an hour of sitting around, I decided to pull out my laptop and get to work on putting up photos (finally!).
I have tried my best to avoid spending all my free time of the day on the internet. Yes, it's a nice resource, but I have been around so much back in America, that it sometimes can feel a bit dull. Well, actually, this last statement is coming from the guy who spent nearly two hours talking with two dear friends of his from college unaware of the three children who came over to my grandfather's house to ask me to teach them English. Oops... Well, then again, no one told me until after they left. They told me that they thought I looked busy and so they let me continue on and on and on. No worries though, I promised them later day that next time they come, I will actually bring all my teaching materials back with me to teach them. By the time I had finished chatting on the internet, it was about ten o'clock in the morning and I was summoned by another one of my uncle, Uncle Phong, to go to his house for lunch. It seems as though I eat a meal at a new place every single day I visit my village (which is true!). My uncle took over my laptop (which is actually a gift for him that I am using during my stay) and I waved goodbye to my grandfather. So off we went.
Uncle Phong had a B E A U T I F U L home. Everyone in the village says that the outside and inside makes it look like a hotel. And it was. It was near the beach, colorful tiles covering all the flooring, and well painted interior and exterior. "I just recently remodeled the house" my uncle said as he sat down in his thousand dollar furniture he had in the front of his house. Uncle Phong, as regarded by his siblings (he is my father's younger brother) as the lucky one, the one with a beautiful house and lucky family). I say this because Uncle Phong has hard working children, many of them doing well in school and one of them currently testing brilliantly for college, land raising currently about fifty chickens, a beautiful home as I've said, a daughter currently in America sending money back to support the family (more on this later), and air conditioning in his home (my goodness did I nap well at his house). I met his wife and one of his sons, who is currently in 9th grade (he visited me earlier that day at my grandfather's house without me knowing who he was). "Let's eat" he ordered, and so we did, a wide spread of delicious Hue cuisine. On the topic of food, Hue is known for its salty and savory food, while in Saigon, it is known for its more sweeter foods (Hue food is the best Vietnamese you can get *wink*). We finished with a plate of watermelon and plantains, while watching the ending of the new Karate Kid movie on his flat screen TV. Goodness, his house was unbelievable.
After taking a small tour, noticing the wide array of amenities that the house had (laundry machines, etc.), I asked if I could nap somewhere. "Son, go turn on the air conditioning for Ben" said my Uncle. Wow. Cool air at last. The thrashing heat wave that pelted my skin at last died away. I was instead caressed by a soft, soothing flow of air that, quite frankly, put me to sleep immediately. I was tired, really tired, and I needed this nap. Waking up, feeling instantly refreshed, I opened the door of the room I stayed in, and boom. The wave hit me again. My body immediately felt like it was impacted by a heat of a furnace. "So you're finally awake?" uncle Phong said, "here let's finish up the rest of this watermelon." We watched some Tom and Jerry (one of my childhood favorites) on his television which had cable, and I then asked him to take me back to my grandfather's house, noticing that it was almost three o'clock or so.
Later that day many things happened. I went to my other grandfather's house to pay tribute to my great-grandfather. Today was the day of his death, so many of families members of the last name of Tran came by to eat and pray for him. I met a lot of people that day. I took many photos and videos of my village. I was able to get on the roof of my grandfather's house and look off in the distance. Breathtaking. It was either houses and shacks in the distance, or that of the beach. I still haven't scratched the surface of my village I felt. Perhaps another time when I return I can learn how to ride a motorcycle and take one all around the village. Following the visit, I walked around the village once more, visiting the beach and other people, talking about this and that. Though I would like to talk more about what happened, it can probably be better understood once I put up the videos I took of this day (soon I hope!). Returning to my grandfather house at like 9:00 PM, which for many people, is rather late to return, I ate some food, and was also joined by three of my nieces and my aunt for dinner. They watched a movie on my laptop while I read a book and then later waived me and my grandfather off 'till next visit.
Though I should have written this blog entry that day, I had to wake up early to make it to the orphanage the next day, as my uncle had much to do during the day. So I helped grandfather roll out the mattress on the front porch, place the mosquito net, set up the fan, and finally plopped myself into bed. After gazing at the stars, thinking over this last relaxing and surprisingly rainy day (which I forgot to mention above), closed my eyes and slept soundly 'till the cry of the roosters woke me up at around five o'clock.
*the events of the next day will be put up as soon as I wake up tomorrow! (currently typing past midnight and I am teaching tomorrow!
Thanks for continuing to follow me through my trip!
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