Ends and Beginnings

Today will be the first day in the last 10 months that I will be in HCMC, but not return to my aunt's house. After a crazy last few weeks getting everything sorted, I am now living in my own apartment again, independent, free. I can't say everything was rosy, though. Just a few days ago, I became privy to the knowledge of just how precarious my former living situation was. I suppose all things have their goods and their bads, but I do wish that my departure could have gone somewhat differently. Regardless, I am thankful for what I had. One of my original missions for coming to Vietnam was to learn more about the culture and more about my family. Living at my aunt's house, I got both in spades, and I believe that had I made different decisions earlier on in my stay here, I would be lesser for having done so. It makes me proud to know that after I leave Vietnam, I can confidently say to others that yes, I do indeed have family here.

The public government schools are wrapping up, summer school at ILA is around the corner, and this week I start a new adult Intermediate course. Lots of things are changing now and will change in the near future. I'm ready.

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Chinese Chess - Cờ Tướng - 象棋

The latest interest I've taken in my quest to learn more about my Vietnamese heritage is the game of Chinese chess. It is a bit ironic to look for Vietnamese culture in a game that has the word "Chinese" in its name, but I found that it is only so for the sake of translation. I have taken to this game for a number of reasons. 1. The game has cool historical references that have survived even today. Let's start with the board itself. Unlike a chess board, which is played on the squares, Chinese chess is played on the intersections of lines. What is most recognizably different from normal chess boards, however, is the large gap in the middle of the board as well as the lines that form an "x" on opposites sides of the board. The square that contains the "x" is known as the "fortress," or 宮(gōng ) in Chinese. The center divider is the river where s ome Chinese words are visible. The words on the left say, 楚河 (chǔ hé ) , mean...

It's official!

"Within the first nine months of 2015, zero cases of corruption were found in this city!" "...but we're not saying that corruption doesn't exist, just that none of our inspectors caught anyone." Are you kidding me? Thank you for the freaking clarification, Ms. Nga.

It's Been a Long Time

....and what better way to start again than with a quote and fuzzy feelings. “To see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud; to see strange things — machines, armies, multitudes, shadows in the jungle and on the moon; to see man’s work — his paintings, towers and discoveries; to see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to; the women that men love and many children; to see and to take pleasure in seeing; to see and be amazed; to see and be instructed; Thus to see, and to be shown, is now the will and new expectancy of half of humankind." -Henry R. Luce, in collaboration with Archibald MacLeish

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