Forced Relaxation

The Vietnamese are very good at relaxing. I am not. At least, not when I have work that needs to get done. It's hard to truly enjoy a freshly picked coconut in a hammock on the beach when I have a term paper and 30 farms worth of interviewing to do hanging over my head. Really.


But Van Hung and nearby Van Gia are great, as are the people. Tri is carting me everywhere; to coffee, to streams for bathing and picnics, to his friends' houses. We had lunch at his house yesterday and his father has adopted me as his own. I met Morris, a Vancouver native who is traveling with his Vietnamese wife. It was nice to speak some English at top speed again. I had to remind him who Bruce Cockburn was.

I ate dinner last night with four couples at a restaurateur/chef's house. I love chicken and rice soup. I will actually have pictures of that night for you all. Soon. The NGO is letting me borrow a camera.

We start interviews Wednesday, after all the holidays are over (Liberation of the South, International Labor Day, compensation days from the NGO), and then it's a mad dash to be as productive as possible before the 16th, when my report is due.



I'm sorry this blog is all over the place. I'm in a funky place right now, I shower next to huge pigs, eat cuttlefish all the time... it's interesting, I promise, my head just isn't in it. I'll be back to myself soon enough.