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Last Day, Return Home.
I'm sitting here in the airport typing out this last journal entry before I board the airplane. Leaving Vietnam is quite a contrast from arriving. Getting here was frantic chaos and crowds, with the terminal itself looking crude and definitely third worldish. The exit terminal is far different. Slick duty free shops, clean bathrooms and even an internet caf make this the equal of any other terminal in the world. Not that that's saying very much. Still, it's much less stressful then the arrival. One thing the marks the process of arriving and departing Vietnam is the redundant paper work. You get and fill out a form that's handed to you by one person, it's stamped by another, then collected by a third. I guess that's helps keep the unemployment rates low.
In many ways this was my least favorite vacation here in Vietnam. It was crippled by my being subjected to the whims of others, in terms of what we did and where we went. I just couldn't get control of events. On the plus side, I got to see where Thu was born and raised. Now I understand a little more about what she endured as a child that effects the way she is today. In addition, Thu's sisters did a real stellar job helping to take of Robert. Overall, I think Robert had a blast. There where many more people here to go ga ga over him, and lots of new stuff to see and do. Thu had some problems, she had a hard time adjusting to the heat, and she got sick for a few days. But she loves her family and especially her sisters, so this vacation is very important to her.
For Thu, the vacation will continue for another month. She'll stay in Saigon for a few more days and then return to Vinh Long to spend sometime with relatives she didn't get a chance to see before. I'll see Thu at the end of June. |
Date(s): June 22, 2004. Album by Steven W Dugger. 1 - 2 of 2 Total. 213 Visits. |
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