Christmas and such

Dearest blog readers,

In fact I have not dropped off the face of the planet! My sincerest apologies for my neglect of you over the last month and a half. So much to report on! Here's some of it...

My dad and I recently spent a lovely week and a half together over Christmas! He arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (the national capital in southern VN) where he met up with Max Ediger (MCC co-worker of mine and old Bethel College friend of his), and the two of them spent about a week working their way north, visiting American (Vietnam) War-related sites all the way. They were both involved in the anti-war movement back in the day, so I think it was a fascinating experience to visit some of those places they did not go. Well, actually Max as in VN during part of the war with MCC... in any case, still interesting. Hannah and I met up with them in Hue, a small-ish city in central Viet Nam. Here we spent a day in the old De-Milliarized Zone, the DMZ, which divided North and South Viet Nam during the French and American occupations. We visited a network of tunnels used during the war by villagers in hiding and resistance fighters, as those who opposed the Americans are known here. Right: Hannah and me feeling a little clostraphobic, closely followed by Indiana Jones, a.k.a, my father Dennis. Below: Papa and me after exiting the tunnels (wheew!) near the shore of the South China Sea.

Also in the DMZ, we visited the cite of an American air base, compete with rusting war relics and a small museum. Below left: an old killing machine now surrounded my wild flowers. Below right: a photo in the museum titled "Vinh Linh female militias' smile." Though it seems the Americans have never really realized it, we were largely defeated by women in Vietnam. For example, the American soldiers thought that women who wore black clothing were sympathetic to the Viet Cong, while women who wore white supported the American forces. In fact, many female resistance fighters would just change their clothes depending on the identity the wanted to take on. Who would have thought women in Vietnam could possibly be so clever?? Anyway, I particularly liked this picture because I know women here who smile just like that, and I can just imagine the laugh that follows the smile and the speeding words and intonations of a funny story being told around the lunch table. And it seems to me, when you can not just look at the pictures and read the reports about war, but know in your mind's eye how the people depicted in sound and move, war simply becomes an absurd impossibility.

We also took a family-operated boat tour down the Perfume River and visited several gorgeous old pagodas and temples. Left: Tam, the captain of the boat, Max, Hannah and Dennis. Below: a view of the tomb of King Minh Mach, though it's much bigger than what this picture shows, lots more of gardens, arch ways, walkways and pagoda-ish buildings.



All together, it was really great to have a change of scenery for couples days and visit some intriguing new parts of Viet Nam and get to share the experience with my dad, as well as Hannah and Max.

CHRISTMAS! We all returned to Ha Noi on Christmas Eve morning. My dad, Hannah and I spent the next couple of days relaxing at Derek and Ana’s house (though they were in Cambodia with Ana’s family at the time). We went to a the joint Christmas Eve service of our international church (Hanoi International Church) and the other international church in town (Hanoi International Fellowship... creative names, I know). Then we returned to Derek and Ana's to exchange gifts and generally enjoy a cozy Christmas time with hot cocoa and the Messiah playing in the background. Right: our little little Christmas tree. Left: look what I got for Christmas - a Hannah! Isn't she cute?

For the next couple of days, I took my dad around Ha Noi, visited the MCC office, we met my extended host-family for dinner and joined in the excitement of Viet Nam winning the ASEAN soccer cup! Following the conclusion of the game, he, Hannah and I walked the 30 minute walk between my house and Derek and Ana's and joined the hordes of people racing their motor bikes down the street, waving flags, beating drums and yelling "Viet Nam Vo Dich!" - Viet Nam is the Champion! Quite thrilling. And everyone thought it was very funny to see these three white people joining in the celebration. White people are so just so silly!

My dad left on December 29 after a very full visit to Viet Nam. I want to thank him for taking the time and money to come visit me here. And it's such a privilege for all involved that he was able to do these things. Since then, I've been getting on alright... sometimes more homesick, sometimes less, always learning. Please keep checking here to hear more coming in the future, hopfully with more regularity than recently! Chuc mung nam moi (happy new year) to you all!