Mom and Dad Meet Vietnamese "Traffic"

(PICTURE: The guy in blue is our taxi driver, Minh. Standing in the same pose as the picture I posted a few days ago when he first arrived is Justin. Working the video camera is my Dad being protected from the rain by Huyen. NOT PICTURED: My mother hyperventilating in the car).

In Vietnam there are all sorts of things that stop one from having a nice fluid ride from Point A to Point B. The most common deterrent is generally the traffic. However, today, on the road to Huyen's village, my parents and I experience a new type of road delay.

As we were driving on the one lane back-country road, we came upon a little road construction. The construction crew was spreading out gravel along a road which I can only assume would eventually be flattened to make for a smooth road. However, on this day, there were a few problems:

Problem 1: A construction truck had just dumped a huge pile of rocks in the road in front of us. The pile of rocks was literally three feet high and blocking the whole road.

Problem 2: A truck was stuck in the road in front of us. it had tried to go over a small pile of rocks and had dug its wheels in pretty deep.

Just as my mother started to panic and asked for the third time, "Can we back-up?" another truck pulled up behind us and dropped another HUGE pile of rocks. We were literally now sandwiched between two giant piles of rocks.


In the end, Justin saved the day. Justin found two wooden planks and placed them under the car's tires (you can see them in the picture above). With us pushing the stuck truck, the truck was able to fly out of the ruts. All the locals who came out to watch the random Americans told Huyen, "Americans are so smart." All those times Justin has gotten caught in the snow finally paid off...

In case you missed it in the second paragraph, all this happened on the way to Huyen's city/village. That's right, The Augusts met The Nguyens. But that is a story for tomorrow...

The More The Merrier

Not only do I have Justin and my parents in town, but yesterday my friend Fabrice from Madagascar showed up. Yes, I have a friend from Madagascar. Fabrice and I met in aBudapest hostel in 2006 and became quick friends. We've kept in touch over the years and finally got to see each other again last night. Here's a picture of us drinking at a street beer stand last night:

Now that you see how we both look today, lets play the game, "Who has aged better over the last two and a half years?" Here are pictures of Fabrice and I at the Hotel Gelart in Budapest.


Okay I think Fabrice wins this one despite putting on about a dozen pounds. Clearly the last two years have been tough ones for me...

Mom and Dad Meet My Classes

It was officially "Take Your Parents To School Day" in Vietnam yesterday. Mom and Dad swung by Language Link and got to see the school and meet a whole bunch of my students.

Luckily for my parents, yesterday was the best day of the semester for my classes -- the day after final exams. As I've mentioned before, teachers always go out with their students during the last class. My first class went to dinner together and ate hot pot. Here's a video:




My next class went out to a cafe and had coffee. Here are some of the highlights from the night:
1. My students telling me that, "Your father is more handsome than you."
2. My students all agreeing that, "You don't look like your family."
3. Receiving three more gifts from students including this awesome hand knit scarf that reads, "Happy Time. We Do Miss U!"
It was made Phuong, one of my favorite students:














4. Being invited to my first Vietnamese wedding on November 20th...which is also coincidentally Vietnamese teacher day.

5. One of my students asking me what my Dad's name was. I said, "Buddy" and he looked shocked. He said, "Really? Like friend or pal? That's cool!"

At the end of the night we took a class picture.

GREAT NEWS!!!

I've got great news for everyone: This afternoon I got an email from Hayden. He wrote:

Ben

Your a top bloke.

I just got out of hospital today and will recover for a while on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Hope all is well with you and thanks for your kind email.

Hayden

I wrote Hayden back and told him that dozens of you sent me emails wishing him well. It was a great sight seeing Hayden's name pop up in my inbox. Thank you again to everyone for keeping Hayden in your thoughts!

Mom and Dad Meet Huyen

Probably the worst time to introduce your girlfriend to your parents is right after they've flown for twenty four hours and sit down in comfortable chairs for the first time. My parents were both zonked out when Huyen came in. Here are my favorite parts of this video:

1. Huyen asking what my parents' names are and not knowing my last name. (Truth check: she knows my full name but later was confused on why you call someone's parents Mr. and Mrs. because it's, "Too formal.")

2. My parents not getting up. In their defense they fell asleep about two seconds after we left the room.

3. My annoying nervous laughter. I must get it from my sister.

4. The occasional glances of my cousin Justin smiling in the background.




Huyen invited my parents for coffee later in the day when she finished work and I was still at work. Prior to meeting up with Huyen my Dad took a pain killer pill (I'm pretty sure for his ailing back and not because she's a goy) and promtly fell asleep at the cafe while dripping with sweat. Literally my mother had to push him back in his chair since he started to fall out of it while off in sleepy-land. This scared the hell out of Huyen who keeps texting/asking me how my Dad is feeling.

When I finished work, Mom, Huyen, Justin, Ryan and I all went to dinner. A little more awake, Mom and Huyen seemed to be bonding:

Welcome To 'Nam

A few weeks ago my father hurt his back putting my parents Vietnam trip in jeopardy. When Justin and I departed for our motorbike trip I was 95% sure my parents weren't coming anymore. While out in the rice paddies of Northwest 'Nam I didn't have access to email for a couple of days. When I finally did get a chance to check my email I had a note from my mother that basically said, "We're coming." I was beyond excited to hear this since I had come to grips with the idea that it would be a long time till I got to see them again.

Well, this morning they arrived! Let me beat everyone to the comment: "Worst video ever." I kind of forgot I had the camera in my hand when my parents walked through the arrival gates.




For those of you who are wondering about my trip with Justin -- I'm just going to have to delay those stories until after my parents leave. However let me say, they're well worth the wait.

I Head-Butted A Girl In The Face

I'm still on my motorbike trip with Justin and thus haven't had access to email or been able to download any pictures. However, after traveling for 11 hours yesterday through rice paddies and a national park (details on this once I get back) we decided to treat ourselves to the nicest hotel in Thanh Hoa. This place is a palace for the whopping cost of $20 a night which includes free internet.

That said, I thought I'd share a quick anecdote from the other night. While in Mai Chau, Justin and I befriended about forty Vietnamese college students. The majority of the students were girls and aged 19. Well, I was talking to two girls when a giant preying mantis landed on my shoulder. Naturally I said, "Whoah!" One of the two girls saw the insect and flicked it...right into my face. As it hit my cheek I instinctively shot my head forward and HEAD-BUTTED the other girl in the face. When I say head-butted, I mean head-butted. It was a powerful slam of my forehead into hers. Somehow though I ended up being the one hurt. The bone around my eye socket is extremely sensitive to the touch even forty eight hours later. I apologized to the girl who in turned apologized to me over and over again. In the end I conceded -- it was her fault.