There's no place like home...there's no place like home...there's no place like home

This is it...the LAST official post on our Saigon Sortie blog is here!  I left with a teaser in the last post mentioning that we were shortly moving back to the USA!  We are officially back, shipment from Vietnam in casa and working on blending back into American normalcy.  At first it was the excitement about what car to get (!!), near daily trips to Trader Joes and Target, and enjoying walks with Ginger (not fearing dog-napping).  I had a hard time trying to remember that we were not on a “holiday” (I shouldn’t be binging on my favorite foods every day) and then of course there is all the fun of phone plans, insurance, wifi, moving, changing addresses…etc, etc. 

In a weird way its almost like we never left.  It has been easier than I thought to blend back in, but there are certainly aspects of daily life that I compare/contrast.  For sure it’s the price differences on just about everything…I find myself saying “how much?!” way too often.  Woes of a developed country!  Then there are really surprising events like lines.  And even more surprising when people stay in line.  Or when traffic yields to pedestrians?!  Then there is that weird way that Americans allow for personal space.

Lines are one of those unwritten rules that we all follow on an almost daily basis-right? You get in line by standing behind the last person currently there.  Then you wait your turn in a generally orderly fashion. Simple enough.  I rarely thought about how well the line method worked until I was confronted with a dysfunctional line (aka-line in Asia). It's not that there isn't such a thing in Vietnam or I didn’t stand in them daily-It's almost as if they would look at a line and think, ‘oh, but that cannot possibility be something I need to do’ and step in wherever may be most convenient for them while looking around obliviously like ‘why are all these people standing around in my way?’  Sometimes I knew they did it because they didn't think I was going to say anything (or they would just pretend to not understand me when I did confront them shaking their hands back and forth which by now I assume means "I’m going to pretend I don't know what you mean because I can" versus baby sign language which means “I’m full”…it can get confusing…)  Clayton has almost literally picked one or two ladies up placing them out of the line and pointing to the back (though they generally would just file in right behind us instead). At other times depending on where you were on the never ending Asia culture shock roller coaster it could involve a gentle tap on the shoulder to loud outbursts and frantic waving. None of which seemed to uproot them or particularly bother them because of course the line is not for them.  When in Rome...do as the Romans do? However, by this time we have seen all of Curb Your Enthusiasm and it was far more entertaining instead to use the rule: WWLDD (What would Larry David do?) So, Clayton would entertain himself with a few of the following:

1) Standing in line, but not moving forward until absolutely necessary. The Vietnamese also have an annoying tendency to crowd you in while in line thinking that the less space there is between the front of the line and them the better, regardless of the actual number of people. It's very entertaining to watch them huff and puff, try to crane around you and push you forward. But that would be like trying to move a concrete statue-their 5'2" frames don't hold a candle to Clayton the Intolerant.

2) Getting out of the airplane isle when the plane lands and actively blocking all those behind from barging forward before all those in the seats to your right and left have had the chance to flee. The sheer pressure and grumbling that builds up behind Clayton is a sight...try it next time you fly to Asia!  It does become somewhat difficult as the seatbelt signs apparently don't apply to them. The minute the plane is on the ground all you hear is a clatter of seatbelts unfastening and overhead doors opening. By the time we even start taxing to the gate they are crammed into the isles. I think the flight attendants have simply given up trying to get them to stay seated until the captain has turned OFF the sign. To get out we literally have to physically hold back the hordes that are pushing out. You would think there was a fire...every time we landed. But the really frustrating part is as soon as they have fled the actual plane itself and are on the boarding ramp their pace changes to snail crawl and you would be surprised how oblivious they are to anyone wanting to pass.  Really miss that…these polite American flights are just too predictable.

3) Facing death with a march across the Saigon streets. A must do though is to arrogantly hold out your hand to any oncoming traffic and point like you mean it. It's rare that I actually really feel like I am in any serious danger crossing the street, but my heart always skips a few beatings as I take my first step into the mobs of unorganized traffic and motorbikes heading my way. One of our friends, even after 2 years of living here found himself being hand led across the street by a 70 year old lady after hesitating a bit too long. Guess she must have felt sorry for him because he said she was laughing the whole way!

For all the fuss moving back has been, it has been equally exciting and sad at the same time.  It’s always difficult to say goodbye, but it was especially difficult leaving Vietnam.  When we left Oregon, we knew we would be back in the US yearly and eventually would be moving back…but for Vietnam…that was not as clear.  The friends you make as expats are more like your family and saying goodbye, not knowing when the next time you will see them again was heartbreaking.  Hands down the WORST part of being an expat.  All the other stuff ranges from exciting to manageable headache. 

We did manage to use Clayton’s birthday as an excuse for one last Asian adventure to Chiang Mai, Thailand (northern Thailand).  He rented a motorcycle (was the ONLY time we did that in Asia) and we rode up into the foothills surrounding Chiang Mai, stopping at a temple, taking some pictures, and buying a few keepsakes from the local Hmong tribes.  

We also spent a day at Patara Elephant Farm participating in their “Elephant for a day” program.  We first learned a bit about what a healthy elephant looks like (and what their poo feels like, looks like and smells like…turns out its important with all creatures), then gave them a quick rub down and shower.  The majority of the day was spent walking/riding them on a hike to the river where they got an official bath (which we excitedly joined in for) and an amazing picnic lunch.  The day ended with meeting the babies of the farm and watching them interact with each other.  I actually had no idea what to expect but they act just like any other baby!  They climb all over everything and everyone, collide and run into things, stumble over anything in their path, roll around in the water and irritate the adults.  So cute!  It was an unreal experience…though I’m sure animal rights activists would likely be speechless at the amount we were able to do with our “own” elephant.  However I genuinely felt like it was an amazing way to learn about these creatures.  An elephant really never forgets!!  Mine jogged right over to me after lunch (of course I had a few treats for her…) but she knew exactly who I was.  I can’t say I was AS excited to see a fully grown elephant jogging towards me-it was a bit unnerving.  But I do have to say that I hope I NEVER forget!

Unfortunately I can’t (yet) call Portland home.  I was accepted into a sports medicine residency program in Boise, Idaho and will be located there for the next year.  The good news is that following the program I will be able to call myself a board certified specialist in sports medicine.  Bad news is that I get paid ½ as much.  I call it an investment!  Clayton calls it ridiculous on all accounts: moving away from Portland, taking Ginger with me (that’s most of it), taking a job that doesn’t pay well…  But for all his arguments, he has been a good sport about it (no pun intended-ha!!)  I said, ‘it’s like having a vacation home for him…in Boise, ID!’

He has very quickly adjusted to life back on “Nike campus”.  He is now working in the innovation category-which from what I can understand is like the future of Nike industry.  Oooohhhh.  But according to what he says, it appears that he really loves his new job.  Many perks like adequate air conditioning (he no longer needs a fan at his desk), great lunches (compared to the mystery Asian factory cuisine-very small chance of parasites here), and a creative/innovation atmosphere (whatever you need to spark creativity!)

Maybe we will call Asia home again someday…who knows!  But until then-we are excited to call America HOME once again!

Rents in Asia!

After 2 years of "making all the mistakes and learning all the scams", both sets of parents decided to take the plunge hoping that after all this time we have figured a few things out and will direct them to the best places....which partially happened....  But I think more than anything, Clayton and I were just trying hard not to "pop" their Asia bubble as it was a first for both sets on this side of the world. Common phrases were things like "it looks just like Mexico!" (Ummm...yeah....) Or "Oh these ladies are all so nice" (and coincidentally ALL selling something ... Eye roll here) or "this beef pho is so good" (though it's probably not actually beef you are eating...) I'm not sure if we accidentally said those responses out loud but we generally tried to keep our cynical judgements silent to at least try to give the impression of good hosts ;)

Clayton's parents and sister, Corie, arrived during the week of TET just in time to see the downtown decorations and madness that HCMC D1 becomes. They made their way onto Hanoi, Sapa and Hoi An. Plenty of time trekking, picture taking and pho eating was had. I was able to meet them in Siem Reap, Cambodia for a few days of temple hopping and Khmer cuisining.  After spending 2+ weeks traveling with a crew of 7 (2 of Clayton's family friends-Dave and Cathy- bravely signed up to join in the circus) his parents went onto Thailand solo. I have no idea why they didn't invite everyone on this trip as well-they couldn't have been tired of traveling with ALL of us?! But we didn't let them leave without the obligatory warnings of: Watch your bags! Don't take Bangkok taxi's!!  Don't pay more than $2 for faux ray bans! They succeeded in returning to HCMC with all limbs intact and stories of amazing underwater creatures viewed first hand! (Yes!! Maggie went diving! And now is hooked :)

Shortly after Clayton's friends and family departed Asia, my parents rolled into town accompanied with the hopes of enough free suitcase space to fit all the goodies they were about to find in the 4 different countries of Asia we squeezed in. They made the obligatory Vietnam trip: Saigon > Hanoi > Sapa > Halong Bay > Hoi An (whew...) which was my idea for a good 1 week summary of the best of Vietnam. It was a plane to train to boat kind of an itinerary and I doubt they even remember all that happened save the "threading" lady in Hoi An who happily removed as much of Bill's random hairs until he cried mercy and stormed out. But I think they have a few photos to jog the memory bank.

Clayton and I joined them for a combined trip to Bali where we spent 2 nights in a surf camp and too much time on a surf board (or in my case getting tossed off the board). Then 3 blissful days in Ubud amongst the rice paddies and terraced rice fields with a day trip to a world heritage site and terraced paddies that date back to 1051!! We immediately followed that with a crazy trip to Bangkok (because when is a trip to Bangkok ever NOT crazy!?) We coincided our trip with Thailand's New Years water festival -Songkran- which pretty much means that the entire city becomes one giant water gun fight. Don't have a water gun? Just use a bucket! If you are part of the fire department? Knock everyone down with your hoses! But it really was that crazy...getting ambushed with water guns in the middle of the city! Nobody was safe...

We stopped by HCMC for a quick re-fuel (and laundry stop) then headed out for one last trip to Palawan, Philippines for Julie and Bill's first experience scuba diving as well!  It was difficult to stay out of that water-whether we were diving or snorkeling...just being able to plop ourselves down in the ocean in front of the (private) island resort with some pretty spectacular coral and ocean life was addicting. The sunsets were spectacular, the water amazing turquoise, teal and blue and white sand beaches were a sight we hope to remember through many a cold winter...

They were successfully able to fit all that 3 weeks worth of shopping allowed into their suitcases and waved their goodbyes to pho and motorbikes last week.

The remainder of our spring is going to be a mess of traveling with the basketball team for Chantel, finishing up projects and starting new ones for Clayton, packing up, shipping out Ginger, saying too many "until the next times", and finally boarding out flight bound to Portland on May 31st (!!) For those of you holding your breath for our return to Portland, you may start requesting reservations on our social calendar at any time :)

We have had an exciting, educational, passport filled, and "character building" time in Vietnam and Asia. We will be leaving too many good friends, breaking up Ginger's burgeoning courtship with Pono, and coming to terms with the realization that we will no longer have domestic help... Goodbye to the sweaty days, hoards of motorbike traffic, and miscommunications. Hello again to doing laundry, cooking, and layers of jackets, scarves, gloves, boots! It's a sweet and sour time that we are equally sad to leave but looking forward to exciting days ahead!

Clayton almost immediately begins work at Nike at an exciting new job in the  "innovation" category though will likely take necessary time to gorge on Chipotle, fill up shopping carts at Trader Joes, and make a beeline with fly rod in hand to the Oregon rivers. I will spend a few weeks catching up with friends and family, helping the rents to clean house and finally settling in Boise, Idaho for a year in a sports medicine residency program! I'm sad to wait another whole year to officially move back to Portland...but I think Boise will suffice for now ;)

Strike A Pose!

I know, it’s been too long-but I really have been struggling to come up with some great new culture shockers.  I don’t really think we have been here that long (now over 2 years!!), but more the general habit of ignoring what is going on versus the open mouthed gaping that we have slowly grown out of.  However, recently I was reminded of a MUST post update.

I'm sure your first thought of Asian tourists is tangled with large cameras constantly clicking away, taking pictures of anyone and anything. This is not a stereotype-trust me... The practice of picture taking is something of a necessity here and good luck staying out of the camera lens if you are camera shy or are tragically not photogenic. (Though I have some suggestions for that a little later).  I would say I probably average smiling for multiple pictures a day if I am in the company of Asians. What they do with all these pictures aside from posting them on Facebook I really have no idea.
 There was recently an entertaining article in one of the local expat magazines about the fanatical photography amongst the Vietnamese and continual posting of these often slightly scandalous pictures online (largely through social media such as Facebook).  The pictures are generally taken of just one individual in any number of poses, but always strategically posed. (See the suggested poses here in case you needed a few more ideas. This I took directly from suggestions given in the article, so obviously it’s legit.)  It’s a bit of pipe dream for any Vietnamese girl age 12-60 to model.  I suppose you could consider all these pictures practice? When the magazine writer asked a few locals why they take so many pictures of themselves, they said things like "everyone else also does it, I want to as well" or "why wouldn't I want to take many pictures of myself if I think I'm pretty".  It seems to reason then that there would be a lot of little Narcissus clones peering at their reflections in the water and jumping off bridges as well.

On most every occasion I find myself thinking...you have got to be kidding me...are they for real?! But yes, apparently it's totally normal to want to take only pictures of yourself (strategically posed of course). While I find myself shooing other people away from beautiful vistas to get a non-inhabited photo, you would find the exact opposite here in Asia. What is more beautiful than a spotless expanse of beach? A picture of you plopped smack in the middle of it in a sultry pose of course! How about an ancient temple? Duh-so much more idyllic with someone standing in front of it. Now, I'm not saying that its ridiculous to do ANY pictures with people in them, but if you find yourself in the exact same pose in front of EVERY landmark...then I think we might label that a severe case of ridiculousness.  At times though I do have to admit that I am also guilty of standing in front of a landmark-how else am I supposed to prove that I went to Soi Cowboy in Bangkok?!  Just don't go jumping off any bridges around HCMC-I have seen couches floating down the rivers before and I think that would really mess you up if you hit one...

The temptation to document this though is often far too great and on a number of occasions we have found ourselves taking a picture of others taking pictures... If nothing else, just to prove that this really happens!  You will notice that I have caught not one but 2 couples taking pictures (this was in HCMC during the TET festival).  I cropped it into multiple different pictures, so you could see the close up! (You are welcome) This was likely only one of 100’s of pictures that they took of each other that day.  I really don't feel badly posting these either because I'm sure if they knew their pictures were here they would be thrilled to get them published on the internet.

If faux modeling is your thing, then be sure to plan your next trip to Asia!  You will fit right in ;)

C & C do En Zed

En Zed

Or to those of us who speak regular English, that would be New Zealand, land of The Lord of the Rings, Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Hobbit.  But...also some of the most diverse landscapes in the world due to its crazy volcanic remains, glacial gluttony and mash of tectonic plates (those are the technical descriptions, right Lauren?)  This also happens to be part of the backwards side of the world where they drive on the wrong side of the road. Which means that nobody ever knows when we are turning because Clayton turns on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal.  In his words, "WHY wouldn't all steering columns be the same?!" (But said in an exasperated high pitched wail after tricking a car behind that we were turning when in fact he just needed to wipe the windshield).

They do speak funny here though-"z" is pronounced "zee" to normal people. To them, it's "zed".  So, they would actually say "Zed Zed Top."  What?  A common term I find particularly entertaining is the word "jumper" as in "it was so cold I had to wear my jumper". You had to wear what?! They make those in adult sizes too?? I didn't realize that cute little onesies were appropriate adult wear. But what they refer to as a "jumper" is what we call a "sweatshirt"...I think (and hope). I still could never refer to my sweatshirt as a "jumper" without cracking up.

Here is a riddle for you...what would be your first reaction if someone says to you, "How are you going" (which actually sounds like "Haw'yr goin'")? My first time went something like, "uh, stammer, stammer, going, stammer... (And this is where I replay what they just said and think-are they asking where I'm going or how I'm going...where? Do I say what kind of vehicle I'm going in or where I'm going next? Or in this specific case-which was at a restaurant-were they asking what I was going to eat?) Now I'm an experienced En Zed traveler (though they also use this phrase in Australia) and after many an awkward reply, now stick to a standard answer of "good!" Then I equally stump them by adding on a: (good) thanks! And how are you?  I wonder if they also think, 'is that the end of the question? Is she adding something else onto the end...how are you...what? Going, doing...etc, because their answers are usually a mix of confusion and stammers as well. Makes everything equal again!

We booked our tickets to En Zed in July and I (being the obsessive travel coordinator and controller) confirmed all our travel reservations by August in fear that the busiest season here would quickly book up for January (their "summer").  I expected plenty of summer traffic, busy towns and crowded streets. But-did you know that the population of New Zealand-both islands (!!) is ONLY 4.4 million?  That's half the population size of New York City itself.  So the only crowded areas were the sheep populated grassy hillsides of the central interior. In fact the population of sheep is somewhere around 60 million...a ratio of 15:1..wow.  It was not crazy summer tourist busy-by my standards-which was wonderful!

So here is a little run down of our adventures.  We flew into Christchurch, then drove around the perimeter of the south island ending again in Christchurch.  Unfortunately we didn't see any of the north island-but we had to leave something for a future trip!

Day 1-3 was Clayton's "mancation". He spent 2 full days catching slimy fish, stomping up and down rivers, and whipping a fly rod around (without any accidental human hookings).  I treated myself to lots of naps, some good reading, running through the mountains (they kicked my ass) and a few bottles of wine...by myself (it was amazing).

Day 4 we drove to the southwest side of the island, a scenic 600 km trek-which by US standards is a normal days drive. Here, it's only a drive crazy Americans would do (it makes up about a quarter of the South Island).  I'm pretty sure we saw more sheep that day than we have ever seen put together in our years of existence.  Today was also the first day we filled the gas tank.  After doing the liters to gallon conversion came out to...drum roll...$8 USD per gallon. Wha?? That combined with a 6 pack of microbrews costing an average of $15-17 USD was enough to make me think...God Bless America! Say what you will but the average salary in NZ is no bigger (if not less) than an average American salary.  Islands are expensive!!

Day 5 and 6 were spent in the Fiordland national park (think Lord of the rings...but real life!!)  Unfortunately En Zed didn't account for our presence as vacationers and rained 2/3 days that we were there. However, luck was upon us one day and we were able to take our much anticipated helicopter flight through Doubtful Sound. When I wasn't afraid I was going to pee my pants it was pretty damn AMAZING. Definitely the highlight of the trip. The helicopter dropped us at the top of Mt. Luxmore-a popular overnight destination for backpackers, holding 60 bunks. We passed many a "tramper" hauling their packs up 14 km to the lodge while we lazily "tramped" on down.  I didn't expect it to rain so much though (which was why I didn't even bring my raincoat). Hello NZ?? We are on VACATION.  The country did redeem itself with enough microbrews and wine to keep me happily occupied while we waited things out.  We had to cancel our kayaking plans the second day due to heavy rains, closed roads and flooding, but it turns out that wine and beer tastes the same whether you are stuck inside playing cards or sitting alfresco on a nice summers day.

Day 7 and 8 started a little iffy when we found out that the only road north was closed due to...all the unusual summer rain. A bridge had been washed out, so our choices were to take a 9 hour detour or change our plans for the next few days. I would say that on a scale of 1-10 of my abilities to "go with the flow," I'm a -2. I suck at it. When we heard that we needed to change our trip because of the road closure I probably reacted the same as if I had heard that the sky is falling.  So we cancelled all our bookings and tours, re-booked at another inland location and headed north in hopes that the road might just happen to open by the time we dawdled there. Just as we had given up and were making the final decision to head on our detour...the road miraculously opened...at 4 pm, closing at 9 pm. So we cancelled our re-booking, re-booked our original bookings and sped off towards the Fox and a Franz Joseph glaciers. Apart from the general appeal of snow topped mountains and glaciers, these 2 are special in that they are 2 of only 3 glaciers in the world that butt up against a rainforest running to the sea (the only other one is located in Argentina).  Although they are only 2 of some 3000 or so glaciers in En Zed, their location and speed makes them big hits on the tourist track. If there was a glacial race, these would be the winners, traveling 6-7mm in a day! Whoa-right? This also meant nothing to me except that they are therefore way more dangerous compared to other glaciers which are dangerous in their own right. To me then it seems that this may not be the best area to try out ice climbing for the first time. So because I'm such a pansy the closest we got to the glacier was the area roped off by the national parks to corral all the other tourists and keep them from doing something stupid like falling down a crevasse or getting impailed by falling ice chunks or rocks. (Which has happened.)

 

Day 9-12 started with a picturesque drive north along the west coast. We ended in the Abel Tasman area where we planned on spending 4 days kayaking, hiking and biking our way around the region. The weather had other plans for us... For an area of NZ that gets the most sun of any other, not to mention the fact that it was the middle of summer and the region was in a drought...to get hit with 3/4 of our days with RAIN was a blessing only to the farmers in the area... Day 1 in the area: kayak trip cancelled due to rain. In lieu of that we walked around the valley laden, grape vine strewn, olive, cherry and apple tree orchard melting pot of land with a goal of hitting up 3 wineries on foot. We arrived at the first one and plunked ourselves down in the garden for a bottle and a cheese plate. Our timing and my sense of distance was a bit off to meet our goal, so although we walked the entire 15 or so km of country roads, didn't make it to either of the other 2 wineries in time. We did have a good wine buzzed walk back with many a baaa, mooo and snort from animals along the way. Day 2: tried our luck at kayaking again...no cancellations except for a cloudy forecast and more rain starting in the afternoon. We set out, covered the recommended distance in about 1/4 of the time intended, saw families of seals flapping around along the shore, gawked at a few stingrays and jellyfish following alongside our boat and managed to avoid capsizing for the entire 20+km of the way and arrived back just in time for the rain to start. So, instead of a bike ride we opted to drive into town for dinner and to see The Hobbit (we were in NZ anyway-would be a shame to miss it on a big screen!) Day 3: woke up to rain...rain all day...bike plans cancelled again...so spent the day winery hopping via motorized vehicle instead.  It was probably good because Clayton would have been really tired carrying all 9 of the wine bottles we bought that day had we been on bicycle. :)

Day 13-15...raise of hands for those who have ridden a bicycle loopy? How about wine loopy? It's super fun, right?! Until you get 50 meters past your last stop of the day (6 in total...) and realize that you are not Lance Armstrong and that was not the 7 km left to go (though it seemed like suuuuuch a ways even at that point.) Then...you realize that you have had to pee since about 2 wineries ago, but conveniently forget as soon as you leave-your excitement of the next destination taken over for the warnings from your bladder.  At that point the breezes turn into gale force winds (or at least that is what you tell yourself as to WHY your legs only seem to pedal at snail pace) and panic sets in that by the time you get back home (still another 6.5 km to go) you may very well have ridden off your wine buzz!! Whose idea was it to ride bikes around to all the wineries anyway?! Oh, right...that was me... 

End of the journey...full perimeter of NZ South Island...check...day 16-18 in Christchurch. Due to the massive earthquake in Feb of 2010, followed by the many aftershocks, a large part of the central business district was abandoned, crumbling and shut down. Signs of the earthquake are still everywhere-old brick buildings secured with what looks like monstrous zip ties, demolished piles of wood and brick, fences EVERYWHERE. To quote Clayton "it looks like the set of one of those post apocalypse zombie movies"-stores abandoned, but still mannequins, shelves and posters littering the buildings. . It's definitely a good time to be in the fence business... First day there I took advantage of some fresh air park trails, then we headed into town to a local fair trade coffee shop in route to the "temporary" CBD shopping area of shipping container turned shops and restaurants. It was initially a way for the shops to get up and running again, though turned into a more permanent funky architectural mall. After that it was a soccer game, lots more cappuccinos and a few more glasses of wine and micro brews to round off the trip.

Christchurch did give us a little flavor of its quakiness...while we were sitting in the theater, the largest aftershock since last July of 2012 hit (4.6 was officially recorded). It came right at a fairly climatic part...and I thought for a second...wow! This 3-D is AMAZING...then I immediately registered...this is not a ride. Had anyone else around me started panicking-I may have too. But just seemed like another day to them I suppose... I do like being on solid ground better.

New Zealand...you did not disappoint!  (Expect maybe the unseasonable rain). Until the next time!!

Our pictures are in the first slideshow on the left.  Apologies in advance...we got a new camera...

Basketball in Vietnam??

Yeah, I questioned that too when I heard that a new professional team had just started in Ho Chi Minh City.  How tall do these people actually come?  And since when do they even play basketball here??  But HCMC is slowly becoming more of an international city and I suppose the sport was on its way here at some point.  The “Saigon Heat” plays in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) with 7 other teams from the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.  As for the dance team for the half time show…bet you can’t guess the name?  Yeah, you got it…”The Hot Girls”.  Somehow the thought of little Vietnamese girls, whom I usually picture in innocent white ao dais, in scandalous cut off tops and the shortest of shorts trying their best to sex it up during the half time show just seems…wrong.  But everything comes miniature here, and so do the “Hot Girls”. 

Last fall one of my patients who was involved with organizing the team asked if I wanted to help them out-be something like the team physio or whatever.  Not having any idea what I was agreeing to, I said, “sure, why not?”  Within the week I was meeting the coach and the team and being thrown into this VERY new sport to Vietnam.  The league itself has rules about import players, so though I am sure in your mind you are picturing Asians running amok, its largely imports like Americans and Pilipinos battling it out on the court.  (Did you know that basketball is the national sport in the Philippines?)  The Saigon Heat has their max 5 imports with two very tall Americans and 3 other Philippine passport holders making up the starting line up.  The rest are national Vietnamese, some from HCMC and others from Hanoi who get a small amount of playing time.  Coincidentally, the Head Coach is from Milwaukee, WI, coached for a guy I graduated high school with (who now plays professionally for Japan), and is personally friends with the basketball coach from Tosa East (my high school).  Small world…  But he is pounding the good old Midwestern work ethic into these guys and trying to mold them into a winning team best he can.  Something I can relate to at least!

They guys loved it when I made them do yoga ;)

My role didn’t come with a job description, so as the season went on, it morphed from physical therapist to trainer to Ho Chi Minh City advisor to “team mom”…what?  Yeah, I don’t know how that happened either-but it turns that that no matter how old they are, guys still need someone to take care of them ;)  But my position with them also meant that I got the opportunity to travel to the away games and see cities that I may otherwise not have gotten the chance to see such as Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore.  More importantly, I got the chance to try the local foods…which of course was my favorite part!  In Manila, because a couple of the players lived there, I got a chance to really see the city-touring safely inside their cars.  The Pilipino players and their families graciously made huge efforts to show me the “local” side of Manila…including taking me out for amazing seafood feasts and treating me to homemade meals of pork, fish and beef local specialties.

Kristine (one of the player's fiancee's) and her mom with the awesome dinner they made in Manila!

The first home game that I attended with the team was against the San Miguel Beermen from the Philippines…wonder who sponsors them…  The arena that they play in in Ho Chi Minh City is a bit rough around its edges, but works anyway.  The place holds enough seating for 2,000 and the game was sold out and jam packed!  This was definitely an anomaly…a sport that is so rarely played here that included with each ticket was a flyer explaining the rules of the game and when to (or more importantly when NOT to) cheer had a sold out game… was a shock to just about everyone.  My irritations and complaints with this country are endless, BUT the pride that this country also has for its new 1^st professional basketball team is priceless.  Made me remember why this city is so special sometimes-the MAJORITY of the fans attending the game literally had no idea what was going on, but were so thrilled about this new sport in Vietnam that they came out in droves, complete with huge signs to cheer on their new home team.

The start of the season was rocky to say the least…but the fans continued to fill the stadium with each home game win or lose and progressively got more and more lively.  They began creating giant posters with players names and numbers, created huge cartoon figures with the player’s faces, painted themselves, learned to heckle the opposing teams, and mauled the players after the games with requests for autographs and pictures.  The team broke record after record for the league in game attendance and by the end of the season nearly all of Ho Chi Minh City, expats and locals, were clambering for tickets to the final game.  To say that I have never experienced something like this before is an understatement…the games were true to American custom-Vietnamese style-with time out entertainment, half time entertainment, t-shirts being catapulted into the stands and music so loud my ears would ring all night.  The shows were anything from a flash mob to a popular Vietnamese singer performing live to a scandalous “Hot Girls” dance routine. 

The ridiculousness, absurdity or whatever you want to refer to it as would not have been complete without an actual recorded “Saigon Heat” theme song and “Hot Girls” music video…which I included here as a link because they are extremely entertaining!!  (Added bonus is that one of the Vietnamese basketball players debuts in the dance video!)

http://www.saigonheat.com/en/news/134/saigon-hotgirls-music-video-just-dance.html

http://www.saigonheat.com/en/news/126/saigon-heats-theme-song.html

But working with the team has been really fun and I enjoyed hauling my treatment table into the stadium every day and laying my elbow into their aches and pains.  It’s not exactly typical for an Asian team to have a physio on staff because we tend to be expensive, but luckily for them I was willing to help out for the experience itself-chalk it up to career building and future investments-so it ended up that I was affordable enough.  Who knows what the future holds for the Saigon Heat, but maybe I will get another chance to sit aside the players during the games, travel again with the team and lend my expertise in keeping the guys on their feet during the season!

Here is a little extra entertainment and a link to my 20 seconds of shame...I mean fame...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJLWaBwYKjM

And a few other bits & pieces of my contribution...
http://www.saigonheat.com/en/news/73/practice-yoga-and-flexibility-with-saigon-heat.html
http://www.saigonheat.com/en/coach/70/trainer-chantel-gorton.html

Holidays in Nam

We were blessed with some comic relief through the fall & holiday months as one of my best friends came to stay with us for the months of November and December. I signed Kristina up for a marketing job with a small tourism company, which actually only lasted 2 weeks because she was a little too efficient for Vietnam. She didn’t realize that job security here means find something that nobody else is good at and then TAKE YOUR TIME finishing things. She mistakenly finished a normal 2 month job in just under 2 weeks…which then only meant that she had more time to tag along with me on my adventures and dote on Ginger (who had no words of compliant). I was most surprised while she was here to have realized that so many things about the city and country were becoming the norm for me. When she gaped at the 4 people squashed on a motorbike or the mother passenger side saddling and simultaneously breastfeeding or started dry heaving from the aroma of dried fish in the market, and all she got from me was a “yeah”, I realized I have seen too much already…

But we had planned a beach trip for the first weekend she was there to hopefully draw her interests a little more and avoid her re-scheduling her flight to leave earlier (ha ha, just kidding). We took a short weekend trip to Nha Trang, a coastal resortish area that also offered some good scuba diving since Clayton has had some serious ants in his pants to get into his diving gear in Asia.

Our friends tipped us off to a new resort that was just opening and had great deals on room rates-so we tagged along on their family vacation and drug Kristina kicking and screaming (she really hates just relaxing on the beach). The three of us shared a charming little romantic 1 room bungalow (the resort was nice enough to bring an extra bed which we shoved into the corner for Kristina) and spend Saturday diving. Clayton spent a large amount of his time in college diving, so it was all we could do to keep him from jumping off the boat before the motor was turned off. However, for me it was my first time. There are certain places where we, as humans, just do not belong: outer space and beneath the ocean. I’m hoping that maybe next time my anxiety of being nibbled on by a shark, tickled by a jellyfish, using up my tank of oxygen or being left behind will lesson and I will be able to enjoy the surroundings more. This time it was more a series of: hyperventilating, talking my self into breathing normally, seeing a dark object, hyperventilating again…it just went on and on.

Luckily Kristina also got to HCMC just in time to serve as another of Clayton’s sous chefs for a good old American Thanksgiving dinner…with an imported Canadian turkey which just barely fit in our pint sized Asian oven (I should have thought about that before I bought the biggest turkey I could find).

With a combination of interesting substitutions and recipes made from scratch, we pulled it together to have the feast necessities and invited 2 other Nike families over to break in the new (*regulation size*) corn hole game Clayton had just built and enjoy a normal, loud, crazed Thanksgiving dinner. Followed of course with passing out on the couch during a football game (though we had to download a previous game-so it wasn’t exactly the same...)

Shortly after Thanksgiving Kristina and I took off to join a specialty pain psychologist from Portland, OR on a series of workshops throughout Vietnam on how to treat phantom limb pain. Beth had chosen Vietnam specifically as a great opportunity for education and instruction because of the large number of traumatic amputations still happening today due to left over land mines and other not so nice things from various wars. I found her and her project through the great wide world of google and immediately offered my time and services to help out…as long as I was all the way other here already! A surprisingly large number (up to 80%) of people who have had an amputation also have “phantom limb pain”, or pain from a body part that is no longer there. For a majority of those who do have these sensations, they are very disturbing and painful and up until now have relied on other methods and occasional heavy drug use as an attempt at a solution. Beth’s project and research was on a fairly easy method of tricking the brain into understanding that the severed limb is okay. Since our perception of pain is generated in the brain, the phantom sensations that people are feeling are almost always a “mis-circuiting” of correct information. So, by changing the way the brain understands reality versus a past event, we can control the “alarm” signals of pain and the extremely unpleasant sensations. If the brain perceives our body to be “normal”, it turns off the “alarm” and allows us to function as we always did. But anyway…all that interesting stuff aside, it was a fabulous excuse to travel and see other areas of Vietnam that I had not been to and for Kristina to tag along and see it too!

The second area we went to during the workshop was in Hue, a city in central Vietnam that is within an hours drive of an area that was heavily bombed and so has a large number of traumatic amputations still happening. Hue itself is an interesting city, recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site with a large number of tombs leftover from the Nguyen dynasty. The tombs were built for the emperors of the Nguyen dynasty (17th-19th century) often long before they actually died and so also served as their homes. We only got the chance to see one, because I thought it would be a fabulous idea to rent bikes and ride around to see them (not realizing that the one we wanted to see-the tomb of Ming Mang was a much farther trek then expected…).

But the ride through the country side was littered with old relics and tombs scattered through the rice fields and cute water buffalo roaming through the area, so the ride itself was an adventure worthy of our last afternoon. Plus, who doesn’t like getting lost in the dark on bicycles in a new city!? Additional information on the tombs: http://www.haivenu-vietnam.com/des-hue-royal-tombs.htm.

Then we were off to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam (the capital moved from Saigon to Hanoi after the “reunification”-or when the North won and changed Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City and moved the capitol to the North). I had heard that Hanoi was very different to HCMC in many ways as it held to the more traditional northern ideals and was also closer to China, so had more northern influences. I was surprised to find that the people there were equally as accommodating as what we found in HCMC and the rudeness I had expected was absent.

However, the pollution was terrible-we scheduled a private car to drive us out of town to a “national park” just to get some fresh air. We were running around like freed prisoners in the fresh air and did not welcome the smog that we eventually returned to. I refused to go for a run even around a park in the city because it was so bad. And as bad as it was, Clayton said that most cities in China are 10x worse. Gross. What is the matter with us?? When it becomes the norm not to be able to see because there is a haze so thick that it obscures your vision-something is WRONG! But the national park was a fun adventure and I’m pretty sure it was the first time the driver had ever been there. In fact, I had only read about it on 2 different website sites, and pieced together information on how to get there and what there was to do. Our hotel that booked the car thought we were crazy to want to go there explaining that most tourists go to the “Disneyland” of parks in the area-“no way” we said.

Happy to return to HCMC, we soon began preparing for Christmas-and the arrival of Kristina’s boyfriend for Christmas eve. As Clayton says, “its just not the same-Christmas isn’t supposed to be hot!” But we decorated a tree & the house for him anyway, hoping to brighten his pouty mood for having to be stuck in HCMC for Christmas. Luckily he had the forethought to get a copy of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation before we moved over last year. It really would have been awful without that... But though there was not a snowflake to be seen, we managed to have a pretty great Christmas dinner anyway.

New years was probably the highlight of the holidays though (minus the following day...). Traditionally, New Year’s is not hugely celebrated, though since the western world has infiltrated most places, it has now become a huge holiday-though not as big as the Lunar New Year (which fell on Jan 23-28th this year). Never have I seen so many people all crammed into one place. We had to bail out of our taxi in the middle of the street on the EDGE of downtown at 9pm because the area was so jam packed that nothing could get through. We weaved our way through the bumper to bumper motorbikes and ran smack into a wall of people that were not going anywhere and were so thick that even Kristina couldn’t squeeze through. After backtracking and re-routing a few blocks, we found a tiny gauntlet to pass through to get to our destination. We had intended to leave the bar a few minutes prior to midnight to see the show that Heinekin so thoughtfully sponsored in the street, but after the spectacle getting there I was in no mood to head back into that... So, we rang in the New Year’s downtown in a bar and when we thought it was safe to leave ventured out to try to find a taxi. Luckily we all ran in an empty one as it was rolling down the street just in time because Clayton and Kristina were about 30 seconds away from dropping like flies. The next day wasn’t any fun for any of us, partly because of the events the night before, but mostly because we had to say goodbye to Kristina and Joel who were leaving HCMC and continuing the last of their travels in Thailand.

Shortly after that Clayton and I shoved off for our visit back to the states for the necessities: see friends & family, ski, shop at Trader Joe’s and Target...oh how we have missed you TJ’s! Couldn’t fit the whole store in our suitcases though. Damn United and their stingy baggage policies! Now we are back, with a few headaches thrown in along the way...but ready to start on year #2!