So I am in a piss poor mood...and the worst of it is I am totally to blame...which makes me in an even worse mood! I feel kind of ridiculous complaining and I completely realize that in the scheme of the world my problems are not much BUT seriously....
I might of stopped cleaning my house a couple of months ago...I mean I would pick up stuff and shove things places and what not but actually cleaning just went out the door and now as I feel this "must clean" energy pushing through me I am not only overwhelmed but wanting to just take a match and burn the whole place as that would be easier then actually getting all the scum off the ridiculously small subway tile ish walk in shower we have....SERIOUSLY. As I was scrubbing each little square one by one until my arms ached I kept trying to change the old mind frame, here is some thoughts:
--Look at me working out and cleaning at the same time....isn't that great!! (note: the only thing I hate more then cleaning is working out so this was not effective)...
--Isn't it nice to do something where I can actually see my progress for once! (note: as I looked over and saw 40000000 more tiles to scrub individually this mantra was replaced by a four letter word that rhymes with duck..)
--Aren't I lucky to even have a shower?? (as I contemplated how horrible just having a hose outside would actually be...I mean honestly that might be refreshing..right??)
As I slowly but surely cleaned my 5 x 5 bathroom for over an hour and started to see the light at the end of the tunnel I had to leave to get the mop....this is when I realized that I had another 1200 square feet (thank god it isn't 2000 sq.) (<---oh look at that positive reframe! sweet jesus slowly but surely.) I just about had a freaking melt down.
The worst is that I have no one else to point the finger, to yell at, etc...except myself. SOOOO in all things learning and not giving up I have now vowed to spend 15 minutes a day cleaning, not picking stuff up, not shoving things in closets and closing the door quickly, etc...but actual mop/vinegar/sponge/dusting floor boards cleaning.
I shall report back if this makes things easier or more manageable.
Anyone have cleaning tips? Or how to keep a house clean?
Wish me luck.
Lacy
What I Know...
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*The smell of babies & puppies is pretty much the best smell in the whole world.
*Surrounding yourself with people who are always willing to go on adventures is what life is all about.
*Men are great but there is NOTHING like some kick ass, confident, will tell you how it is even if you don't want to hear it, lady friends (also when they just let you cry and threaten to beat the bastard that too is nice)
*There will always be dishes in the sink.
*The St. Johns Bridge makes me want to grab life and hug it because I am so blessed to see such an amazing thing everyday.
*My house will never be clean.
*I can't raise a garden by seeds.
*Staying in bed an extra five minutes to cuddle with your loved one is worth rushing to work.
*A cat is a necessity.
*Me and Dolly Parton would be best friends in real life.
*I will never be described as a quiet person.
*Ab Fab makes me giddy.
*Hate never heals.
*My Christmas Cactus blooming is a hello/hug from my Grandma Freeman.
*Sometimes a girl just is in a piss poor mood and thats okay.
*Email will wait.
*Life will not.
*Red Rooster Sauce makes everything a little bit better...(so does Butter).
Halong Bay
We were picked up from the hotel in a nice van carrying 4
other people. We drove for hours and
took convenient rest stops in shops full of other white people and eventually
arrived to Halong Bay. The Vietnamese are very proud that Halong Bay
was just recognized as one of the “new” 7 wonders of the world and honestly it
is easy to see why it is breathtaking.
We were sorted by our boat and quickly whisked away to our ship. Brent and I can honestly say it was the most
amazing and “posh” (a word I will start to now use thanks to my Aussie friends)
experience we have ever had. Our boat,
or junk as they call them, was modeled after old Spanish Pirate ships, full of
dark wood and extravagant details. There
were no tvs or phones for most of the trip and it was easy to forget that we
had just left a city of over 6 million as there was not a sound or other boat
insight. We were on the boat with 18
other people and were blessed to like every one of them. There was even a family from Eugene, what a
small world!
We spend the days
kayaking around the 1000 islands (well
we didn’t get to them all..ha), eating 4 course meals and sitting with this
feeling of total amazement that we were blessed to see such a site. Our crew
were lovely and very friendly and even took us to a small fishing village where
the residents all live together on the water.
Up until a couple of years ago the fishing people would all live
separately but because of UNESCO stating the Bay was a heritage site and giving
some funds to fixing it up they were able to build a primary school for the
children and convince about 25 families to band together as a village for
their children. The mayor greeted us as
we arrived and you could see there was a lot of pride that they had for their
village and school. We even were able to
sample some of their local booze…wasn’t as bad as I thought and was pretty
smooth going down, even if it came out of a old gas container!
It was such a lovely time and almost surreal
in the experience. We just kept saying
“can you believe we are here?!” as everything was above and beyond our highest
expectations. The last night on the ship
our crew had created a bbq dinner in a cave, which was something I had been
looking forward to! They again did not
disappoint, we took our small junk boat toward the cave and it was dark out and
all we could see ahead was twinkling lights and our whole group was just silent
taking everything in. We had to climb
about 90 stairs, which were all light by twinkling lights and at the entrance
of the cave was hundreds of tea lights (and a few strategically placed spot
lights) lighting up the two room cave.
Everyone had dressed up a bit and our whole crew was there to welcome
us. Our table sat in the middle and we
feasted on an some amazing just cooked via fire seafood. As I sipped our wine and everyone was aglow
in candlelight it almost felt a bit like a dream it was so perfect. Our chef had even prepared amazingly done
food art for each course and it was pretty humbling seeing how much effort they
had all made to make sure the experience was memorable. Our guide shared with
us the story of the Bay and how the pirates were coming to attack the
Vietnamese people and as they cried out for help a dragon came down from the
sky and fired out pearls from her mouth.
These pearls turned into thousands of limestone islands which caused the
fast moving pirate ships to crash and perish.
He said it with such gusto and show it was easy to believe that this was
possible. At the end of the dinner our
captain made a couple of speeches about how thankful they were for us coming
and the crew proceeded to sing some Vietnamese folk songs. After that a group of woman in our group,
mostly from New Zealand serenaded them back and I know I was not the only one
that felt truly blessed. As we pulled
away from the island and back onto our boat it really hit me how lucky I am to
experience this site because as the word spreads I am sure that being able to
look out for miles and only see one other junk and a few local fishing boats
will not be the case. Though we will sure
treasure our three days there.
Organized Chaos.
Vietnam is full of organized chaos. When you first arrive it seems that everywhere
you look is chaos, the traffic, the stalls serving pho, the millions of people
milling about though the longer you are here you realize that instead of chaos
it is instead more like a dance. You start to see
the give and take of the mopeds, the people, the stalls, that the small amount of chaos adds a
bit of danger, of excitement, of life.
This dance is what makes Hanoi so intoxicating and addicting. Each time you cross the street or walk into
the markets you become of something larger,you become part of the dance, the sway, the
caress, the rush. I have traveled a bit
and have never experienced such a thing.
We find ourselves captivated by watching it in all things and of
drawing deep breaths and laughing by the thrill of it all. It is quite
lovely and I wish we could stay for much much longer.
The Hair Cut
The Hair Cut
Brent’s hair was at an all time new long and while he kept
saying he was gonna get a haircut but it just did not happen before we left. So one night we were wondering around the “39
streets” of Old Quarter looking for a barber and all we could find was a very
“local” ladies hair salon. It was about
9pm and in we walked to their little stall full of hair products and various
styling tools. I pointed to Brent said
“short” while holding my fingers close together and said “cut?” and they
grabbed him and started working away.
Brent was pretty nervous and kept saying “I don’t know about this
Lace”…and it was pretty touch and go for a bit as they wanted him to be a bit
more stylish then he was prepared and while they thinned, texturized and tried
to spike away Brent was able to show what he wanted by using hand signs and
nods. We were there for over an hour and
all the ladies around us acted like they had a very white lady and gentlemen
everyday getting their hair cut. As
Brent’s hair was almost done many of the ladies repeated “handsome” with a big
smile and a pat on the back for me and the stylist asked for my approval on his
hair cut and style, which I appreciated.
They charged us an arm and a leg (10 bucks)but sent us off with goodbyes
and a much more handsome beau for myself ;)
The next morning we took a day tour out of Hanoi to visit Dinh Tien Hoang
Temple. It was built in the 11th
century and we were very thankful for our student guides as we were able to see
a lot of the symbolism in the Temple. It
was quite lovely and had big manicured garden beds throughout. The interesting things about the temples as
they usually have three layers, either within the gardens or the number of actual
buildings and the farther in the temple grounds you go the higher you must step
up, pretty significantly, to go into the building. We were told that this is so that when you
pass through each layer your mind should become more and more focused and
clear. The final passage into the
building they make it high so that you notice that you step up and are on
higher ground and your mind should be clear.
I hope I am remembering this right….anyhoo it is quite unique. We also visited Tam Coc (three caves) and
took a small boat with just our driver and us around the Ngo Dong River. It is quite fun and our guide paddled with
his feet! (I have photos which I will
add of this) You end up going under some
pretty low “caves” and popping out the other side. It was pretty interesting as we were able to
witness quite closely the local people fishing and catching fish and frogs. The
drivers all were lively and full of laughter.
I bet they were making fun of us or what not but their infectious
attitude had us grinning even though we had idea what they were saying or
joking about.
After the boat trip we hopped on some bikes and
biked to the Bich Dong Pagoda. It was
amazing. Carved into the mountain in the
early 15th century it has quite some intense steps up! We were huffing and puffing…the VERY humbling
thing is though as were coming down 2 old ladies (at least in their 70’s if
not 80’s and not an inch over 4 ft each)
were hauling bag of concrete up! Brent
and I vowed to visit the gym MUCH more often…..oy. It was quite a lovely pagoda as there are
shrines and Buddhas’ hidden into the mountain and it feels very Indiana Jones’ish
when you “discovered” a small shrine or carving. We biked back to our bus swigged a Hanoi Beer
and rushed back on the bus and Hanoi.
The Beginning.
(can't post pics as our internet is quite dodgy and our photos quite large...will add once we get home)
We are in love with Vietnam!
From the perspiration from the heat, smell of cooking food and millions of people who
are quick to smile it is easy to fall in love.
Well worth the 18 hours in the air and over 25 at airports. It is easy to get swallowed up by the city,
with over 6 million inhabitants and more people shoved into one square mile
then I have ever seen, it is easy to become overwhelmed though the people
prevent that from happening, from the young families who all come out after
work into the park for their kids to play together, or the older individuals
waking up early to do tai chi by the lake instead of feeling alone and
separated one feels embraced and included.
We started our day with a lovely tour given by college students. It is a pretty excellent program called Hanoi Kids that aims to help university students become educated about their heritage, better their English and meet new people. Our guides were a little late and very apologetic. Come to find out one had been in a moped wreck and banged up his knee pretty bad though he wouldn't hear of not giving us a tour. I think every country should have a program like this! They helped us figure out what taxi services wouldn't rip us off, how to exchange money and other cultural do's & don'ts. They also took us to the Hoa Lo Prison, Temple of Literature, and the Army Museum. Both guides had been trained to teach us more about their culture and these exhibits. I learned a lot about the symbolism in their buildings and also how connected they are to the 5 elements and in most buildings (including shrines) these are incorporated. It was important to the students that they actually helped us understand and we got some "mini tests" to see if we were paying attention. ha! The Hoa Lo Prison was very humbling and also insightful as our students wanted to make sure that we saw how the Vietnamese had treated our troops that had been bombed down and it seemed important to them for us to agree that they had treated them very well (which it seemed that had!). It is crazy to see how destructive the war was to Vietnam yet it seems like little was held against us. I wish I had more time to explore this yet I will leave it at that for now and expand later as I myself become more educated.
The students cannot and will not take any money for their tours but you can buy them lunch! I remember what it was like to be a student so we of course went to the best place they knew and bought everything on the menu! Ha. It was a neat place where the tables looked like traditional Asian tables that you squat at yet when you went to squat down there was hidden space under the tables for your legs so it was actually quite comfortable. We tried fried frog legs and squid. I think Dinh was trying to test us but little did she know that we are willing to eat anything once.
I think my favorite part about touring with our students
were the questions they wanted to ask about our culture. Dihn is only 21 and very obsessed with
“romance” and had all sorts of questions about when we were getting married and
having babies…I asked if she had met my mother and she laughed. Her sweet nature and quick smile made it easy
to feel care free as well. She told us about her parents who both worked for
Hyundai and that they have to work 7 days a week and that Vietnamese typically
do not get days off, except for a couple during their TET holiday. She said if they do take time off they do not
get paid and I will say it made Brent and I feel pretty privileged. She showed us how to cross the street “safely”….you
just start walking at a very constant/consistent pace and the cars/mopeds/buses/people
on bikes should get out of your way…it is a very exhilarating experience I
shall tell you. Pretty much you just
start walking at a very consistent and brisk pace and *hopefully* the
mopeds/buses/bikes/cars will dodge you.
It is thrilling and also very humbling because each time I make it
across I am thankful to still be around!
We also were able to see the local Water Puppet Show. We arrived and learned that this tradition
only occurs in two cities in the world and started by farmers who had a little
downtime in their rice paddies. The show
was very good as they had traditional singers and instruments play while
telling the stories with these puppets that somehow were able to move and
“talk” even though they were in the water.
It was only an hour and went quickly because even though we had no idea
what they stories were about just trying to figure out how they could do it was
exciting and puzzling. The Vietnamese
take a lot of pride in their heritage and the people of Hanoi take a lot of
pride in their “claim to fame” as water puppet masters.
Tales of the Adventure
Vietnam and I are having a little love affair.....srsly. The air is rich with the smell of people, smoke and food. Everyone is quick to smile and proud of their heritage. These posts will be quick and more in line of helping me recall than to weave a story for you....I apologize in advance there is just too much to see and do. It is not because the country does warrant a lovely story....a very lovely one.
Day .05-1
Soooo I purposely did not calculate how long we would be in the air mostly because I knew it would be worth it and also because I am bad at math...so after over 18 hours in the air (and 6 whole movies watched) we made it! B & I really lucked out because we got a 4 seat row to ourselves! Still painful but liveable. We had a lay over in Seoul and my brief one hour there already has me in love! They had actually bathroom toilets that were high-tech and little stalls with super short and little toilets for small children! There is nothing I don't like more then a miniature toilet...soo cute! Once we arrived we got our bags, our driver was waiting (always a good sign!) and off we were. B & I were totally grimy and grumpy so we were ready to go to bed! Though as we were leaving the airport for some reason the police did not like our driver and started pounding our car and slightly rough housing him (and some other drivers close by). They made him get out and find his paperwork in the trunk. We were pretty freaked mostly because it is dark, we can't understand a word and then they have us pull forward and into a pretty dark area. We waited for like 15 minutes and they corralled the drivers up and after what seemed like nothing else they were able to leave. I am pretty sure some "taxes" were collected but Brent and I were just glad to go and our driver said "fine, fine". Got our adrenaline pumping for sure! We finally arrived to our hotel a little on edge but ready for bed! The room is fine yet the bed is as stiff as a board. We are still here as we just haven't had time to actually move but let me tell you I am ready for a massage or two!! Shows me that we aren't young any more.
Day .05-1
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| entrance to ladies room in Korea. |
Vietnam
I need this vaca like a fish needs water and Vietnam is calling my name like a Siren over the wind.
Lacy
