Archive for January, 2008
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
In Vietnam
Some people maintain a constant disposition and reputation wherever they go. We all know these people. “Oh, he’s always been that way,” we say. Or, “She’ll never change.” They will try the same jokes in every crowd. They will take the same approach to every problem. They will be unfailingly and relentlessly upbeat, lazy, immature, [...]
4 Comments » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
The Price is Right
I read once (maybe it was twice) that new arrivals to a foreign country are the most likely to write a book on its culture. Once you live in a place too long, you start to realize that your assumptions and hypotheses are about as accurate and useful as opinion polls: they might contain [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
Missing Out
With the weather in Hanoi turning cold and dreary, and with the remnants of some throat infection - finally succumbing to the antibiotics - still making me cough, and with the holiday season now over, I’ve begun to notice more acutely the things I miss from home.
While this may seem a desperate plea for pity, [...]
5 Comments » - Posted in Vietnam by Brent
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Plan E
In the Christmas narrative, Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem to find that there is no room at the inn. I am sure every traveler who has experienced the same situation has reached for this comparison; please bear with me as I do the same.
Traveling with two Canadian friends in Thailand, we decided December [...]
