Virtual-Doug

Seeds of Doubt

We’ve been nervous lately – and getting more nervous.  No, we were not necessarily nervous about going to Viet Nam per se, nor were we nervous about learning to cope with a totally new culture.  We were nervous because we didn’t know.  When one doesn’t know what’s going on, the mind begins to play tricks – it begins to imagine problems that aren’t there.

And as I write this, we still don’t know where we will be assigned.  We were told we would know by Thanksgiving.  But, that day has come and passed.  So, we  got even more nervous.

• Knowing we are veterans, was the Vietnamese government raising concerns?
• If we’re not going to Viet Nam, will we be asked to go elsewhere?  If so, do we want to go elsewhere?  Is that our calling?
• Supposing we don’t go until the next academic year?  What would that do as far as my retirement is concerned?  Cancel it?

Left to fester, the doubts grow.  Once can envision lots of “devilish” ways things could change.

But, after a phone call this morning, our minds and souls are at rest.  The delay in our assignment is due to plowing through the paperwork.  And yes -  there is lots of paperwork in Viet Nam.  That really is one of the societal differences, and one we know about.

In Viet Nam, the universities are under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Training – MOET for short.  Higher education administration is centralized in Viet Nam.  While a school might request us be assigned there, the request must also be approved by MOET.

There’s more.  In Viet Nam, local authorities hold  considerable sway.  Just as in the United States, foreigners are monitored for the sake of national security.  The difference is that in Viet Nam, local police do the monitoring.  They have a say into whether a teacher is going to employed at a local university.

Combine the paperwork blizzard endemic to any university, add in the need to have the selection approved at the national level, then throw in local law enforcement approval, and it becomes obvious that a lot of paper has to go from inbox to inbox.

The doubts are past – but we still don’t know where we will be assigned yet.

Patience, Doug.  Patience.

What’s Important to Me is Not to Others

I had the same experience happen to me twice in the past few days.  For someone “my age”, it was an eye opener.

First it was a forty-something at work.  He stopped me to congratulate me on my retirement, and to compliment me on going to Viet Nam.  He asked me if I was going to be in the south, and I replied it could be either the north or the south.  That seemed to confuse him. 

“How could you be in the north?  Isn’t that Communist?”

“Well, the whole country is Communist. We lost the war, remember?”

He was really confused now.

“Yeah, but isn’t the south free?”

And that’s when I realized he had confused Korea with Viet Nam.

We had a fifty-something over to share Thanksgiving dinner with us.  During the chit chat before we sat down to eat, he too asked where we were going to be assigned.  I said I didn’t know, but it could in the north where the winters can be kinda chilly – not ice and snow, but chilly.

“In the north?  Isn’t that Communist?

“Yeah – the whole country is Communist.  We lost the war, remember?”

“We did?  I thought we have troops in the south?”

Yep – he had confused Korea with Viet Nam too.

But what the hell – both countries are in Asia, aren’t they?

Why is the Back of My Head Cold?

It was a blast!  C and I raffled off the “privilege” of cutting off my pony tail, and we did it in church this morning.  While one of the men won the raffle, he had one of the kids actually cut it - - she had been dying to do it!

What a wonderful group of people – united in a common cause to advance the kingdom - - and intent on having fun while they do it.  While we will miss our Sunday fellowship, we also know they will be lifting us up the entire time we are in Viet Nam.

Click on the photos to see a larger version.

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The cutting as it was being done.

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The trophy held up for all to see.

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Nailing the coon skin to the side of the barn.  (Well, it was on the bulletin board next to the poster.)

His ponytail grew
Taking five years to be long
Three hundred bucks – snip.

The Pony Tail Must Go

Tomorrow is the day.  The privilege of cutting off my pony tail will be raffled off tomorrow at church.  It should be a lot of fun.  The kids are the most enthusiastic - I guess its an opportunity to do something to an adult.

Pictures and story tomorrow.

PS - should I change the picture to the right?  Let me know how you feel.

. . . . .the Last Suit You’ll Ever Wear

I got off the plane last night and listened to the voice mail message C had left on my cell phone.  “Welcome home from your last business trip.”    And, the greeting was true – I had just completed the last business trip I will make.  The last before retirement next month.  And, though I own a number of suits, we both thought to take this picture of me wearing a suit as there is little likelihood of me wearing one in Viet Nam.   

The last suit worn on the last business trip.

Some Thoughts About Veterans

Today is Veteran’s Day in the United States.

I am intrigued by the reaction of fellow veterans to our return to Viet Nam. 

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to talk to one man who served with me as a medic with C 2/5 Cavalry.  His life has been difficult lately, and old memories have been stirred by the happenings in Iraq.  But, our phone conversation was chatty and positive.  When I told him C and I were going to be teaching English in Viet Nam for a year and a half, he was surprised, yet very positive about the idea.   I have come to realize most vets have trouble getting to the point of thinking of Viet Nam as a country, yet “Doc” thought it was a great idea.  Even though he has his own difficulties, he was encouraging.

Another fellow vet, who served with me as a Platoon Sergeant, has become a very successful businessman.  When I last saw him over dinner in Washington, we talked of old times and the future.  Today, his health has deteriorated badly, yet his support for our return is incredible.  C and I don’t see our return as anything particularly praiseworthy, yet he described our return as following our values.  He in turn has shown his values by providing strong support for our trip.

Both these men saw heavy combat many years ago.  I know – I was with them.  Their lives since have taken quite different paths.  But, the ties forged in combat are strong, and both these fine men continue to support their old 6.

One of our best friends over the years is a lady who served with C at the 24th Evacuation Hospital.  BJ was called up to serve again during Desert Storm.  She too has had problems with her health, but today she is strong and supportive of our return to Viet Nam.

To Doc, to 3-6 Delta, and to BJ,  thank you for your service those years ago – and thank you for your support today.

To all those who put on a uniform in wartime or peacetime, and did your duty, thank you for your service.  You are heroes all.

Buy a Brick for KOTO in Hanoi

There are some good folks doing some good things in Viet Nam.  And those good things are best when projects involve helping people improve their own lives.

Our Man in Hanoi  has a deal for you.  Buy a brick for the new restaurant for KOTO,  and help improve the lot of the street kids of Hanoi.  This wonderful project, run by Australians, trains the kids in usable skills in the restaurant industry.  I haven’t had the chance to go to the KOTO restaurant myself – but I also hope to remedy that with a visit sometime in the near future.  If C and I are assigned to work in Hanoi, we’ll defiantly be going there.

Thanx to both Our Man in Hanoi and Noodle Pie  for the plug.  Click on the links, then buy a brick for $50.  It will give you a great excuse to visit Hanoi.  If you're a blogger, think about putting a plug and a link on your site.

Eating in the Philippines

The cuisine surprised me.  Like the country and the people, it didn’t strike me as Asian.  For one thing, the Filipinos do not use chopsticks – they use western eating utensils.  However, you will not usually see a table knife included.  When some cutting is required, Filipinos use their spoon as a knife. 

The cuisine does not include noodles as most Asian cookery does.  As befits an island nation, there is a lot of seafood.  I had some wonderful fish dishes, as well as squid, shrimp, and crustaceans.  One spicy shrimp dish in particular was delicious for the red sauce it was sautéed in.  I was surprised to find so many foods were fried, a legacy, I suppose, of the many years of American colonization.  Pork and chicken were the primary meats.  While there was beef availble, it was often gristly and seldom of good quality.  But, every meal included two items:  rice and fruit.  One particularly wonderful rice dish called moron was a long cylinder of sticky rice with chocolate added, wrapped in banana leaf.  It seems like a very strange blend, but it was delicious.  Every meal, including breakfast, includes a heaping serving of plain white rice.  Fruit is common in this tropical country – and all kinds of delicious fruit too.  Bananas grow along the side of the road, and you pass trucks loaded with bananas on the way to Japan.  I was to find out there were many different varieties – including red bananas.  Some had to be cooked – and they were delicious.  But there were also lots of mangos – and I love mangos.  I thought the mangos I was usually were served were wonderful – sweet and tender, and usually served “on the half shell” so it was easy to scoop out the meat.  But, I was also given a much smaller variety that was sweeter still.  There are lots of other tropical fruits available, including the durian.  Though I was there at the very end of the durian season, I was served some while visiting another college campus.  The fruit is delicious – but the smell is very strong.  In some places, hotels forbid guests to eat durian in their rooms because of the smell.  But, if you can get it past your nose, the taste in excellent.

I noticed that as in Viet Nam, when the Filipinos try to cook American style, they often make it greasy.  The fried eggs I had in the morning were pretty heavy on the grease.  And, I quickly learned to order tea – the coffee was Nestle instant coffee.  Ugh!

Fast food is in the Philippines.  Yes, you can find McDonald’s, and KFC, and even Kenny Roger’s Roasters.  (Didn’t they go out of business in the US?)  But, there are two Filipino chains that are fairly ubiquitous – Jollibees and ChowKing.  Both are set up like a typical American franchise, and are squeaky clean. They even have drive-through windows.   Jollibees is an archetypical hamburger joint, though you can also get chicken and various kinds of egg rolls.  ChowKing serves noodle dishes.  On the way back to Iligan City one night, we stopped in Cagayan de Oro to eat.  The driver found a shopping mall (yes, American teen mall-rats would be happy).  It had been a long day filled with meetings and bumpy roads, and I needed some comfort food.  Noodle soup was perfect.  Yes – noodles are comfort food for me –had some in the Tokyo Narita airport on the way home.

But - - I’ve had my bowl of pho now that I’m home.

Faith in the Philippines

Another difference between the Philippines and the rest of Asia is that it is Christian nation – thanx to the conquering Spanish and 300 hundred years of colonization.  Most Christians are Roman Catholic – about 90% of the population describe themselves as such.  There are a fair number of other Christian groups – I saw some Seventh Day Adventist buildings, a Latter Day Saints (Mormon) church, a few Fundamental Baptist (that was the name on the sign), and a number of Church of Christ churches.  I even saw a United Methodist building, but the overwhelming references are to Catholicism.  Within the southern island of Mindanao there is also a sizable Muslim minority.  I saw a number of women in Iligan City wearing the traditional Muslim headscarf.  It is my understanding that there is little if any friction between Catholics and Muslims in the northern part of the island.  One evening, I ate dinner with a Christian professor whose late husband had been Muslim – and they had been very happy and very tolerant of each other’s faith.  But there is a simmering friction in the south – even open violence by Abu Sayyaf.

All my dealings within the country were with Christians.  I was quite startled by the open practice of their faith.  After I was met at the airport at Cagayan de Oro, we drove by van to Iligan City.  About half way, we stopped for lunch. I was surprised when one of my hosts prayed thanks for the blessings and food – and even more startled when they all crossed themselves.  Grace was said at every meal I ate with these folks, with different people praying each time.  Most amazing of all were prayers said at the beginning of official meetings.  I have been to meetings at churches where no prayers for guidance were said – but my new friends said prayers asking for guidance every time they met.

Catholicism has a different flavor in the Philippines than in the United States – at least from my very casual glance.  Remember – I did not go to a worship service, but I did observe daily practice, and I asked questions.  One sees references to Scripture all over the place – as placards on jeepneys and motorbikes, on storefronts and on signs.  I never once saw mention of Mary – and most of the phrases I saw were more like the evangelical phrases one would see in the US.  One friend told me the Catholic church was aware of past abuses, had seen what was happening in the United States, and was trying to make changes and amends. 

Divorce is still taboo, and few break the ban.  I also noticed that though there is no prohibition on alcohol, my hosts were so generous and thoughtful that they did not drink around me after they found I was an alcoholic.  Quite an application of Christian values.

Quite a country too.

The Philippines in Short

Yes, I’ve been out of Internet range for a week. Ironically, I have been working with Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) on web-based learning. Its not that there wasn’t connectivity there – it was available at both the university, and at three Internet cafés outside my hotel door. I just had little time to write, much less go in search of a computer. Much of my time was taken up in traveling by van across the island, and much was taken in meetings with MSU-IIT officials. Many thanx to Chancellor Marcelo Salazar, Dr. Fe Destura, City Councilor Orlando Maglinao, Cenie Vilela-Malabanan, Bob, and all the other wonderful staff members and faculty who treated as both a friend and royalty during my trip.

I had to post this picture - - because C would never believe it otherwise! She will be sure I don’t get a big head.

Now I am back in Manila for a quick over night’s stay before getting on an airplane for the very long trip home.

But I simply must write about these wonderful, warm, hospitable people and my experiences working with them on their efforts to create a web-based learning program. Don’t expect a chronology – I’ll just record some of my observations on different topics.

The Jeepney (Say “Jeep Nee”)

I once wrote that one cannot understand traffic in Viet Nam without understanding the fact that the motorbike is king. The Philippines has its own highly distinctive vehicle – the jeepney. Way back when American military jeeps were readily available, some enterprising Filipino stretched the frame, bolted some bench seats in the rear, put a top on the thing, and painted it in extravagant and colorful designs.
It would seem the owner/operators vie with each other to be the most colorful. They are everywhere in Manila, Iligan City, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan City, and other towns I was in. They provide the bulk of the local public transportation. Though they are slowly being replaced by more modern fuel efficient vehicles,
and though some are a bit beat up from years of hard work, the jeepney is truly a distinctive Filipino work of art.

Another form of public transportation, especially in areas there is not a need for the large jeepney, are modifications to the motorbike. Look closely at this picture,
and you will see it is a 100 cc motorbike, and a covered sidecar attached. The small engine means it cannot go very fast, and the machines often clog traffic, especially when they are carrying three or four people, plus cargo. A similar vehicle is a small engine motorbike with a two-wheeled addition behind it, but with a kind of “cab” over the driver. It too is underpowered, but is inexpensive to own and operate.

Finally, there is the pedicab. I didn’t get a picture of it, but it is very similar to the “sidecar” type of motorized vehicle - - - except for the fact that power is supplied by a human.

Oh yeah - - people walk a lot too. I guess that’s why you don’t see many fat Filipinos.