|
| I work at night and start at ten o'clock in the evening. It is a long
way to work and I must be on time so I always leave quite early
in order to make sure that a delay because of a traffic accident
or a road closure does not make me late for work. Thus I am
usually thirty minutes or so early and spend that time with a cup
of coffee in a convenience store or, for a few months a couple
of years ago, in the Burger King across the street from my job.
One of the employees there was a young Thai woman
on a 6 month work contract. She had no more than a dozen
words of English and worked in the kitchen so that she did
not have to deal with customers. If the clerk up front made an
error on the cash register or got confused and didn't know what
to do Sunee would see what was happening and go up front
and in a few seconds would have it all straightened out and the
problem would be fixed. The shift manager, a high school
dropout named Shakeela, did not like Sunee to do that,
especially after Sunee got that shift manager out of a similar
jam. It made Shakeela feel stupid.
Alas, Shakeela is, indeed, stupid.
When I started getting coffee in there I would always hear
Shakeela yelling at "you stupid gook bitch!" and telling Sunee
she was just an animal because she couldn't speak English.
There were also Thai contract workers in Housekeeping where
I worked then and one of them knew some English. I asked
him if he knew the lass at the Burger King. He said he did and
that she was miserable working for that shift manager.
I went on-line to a Thai language teaching site and learned the
meet-and-greets and a couple of other social phrases and tried
them out when I went into Burger King again. Shakeela was on
a break and Sunee was up front mopping the floor. I caught
her eye, put my hands together and said, "Sawadee." She looked
up with a big smile and returned the greeting. We went back and
forth with "How are you" and "I am fine," then "How is your
family" and "What is your name" et cetera for half a dozen
exchanges. I had also learned to say "That's all the Thai I know."
She seemed pleased with that.
We repeated that performance, except the part about names,
whenever I went in there much to the annoyance of Shakeela for
a couple of weeks. Shakeela just gave her hell more and more
for saying things Shakeela didn't understand. Once I made the
mistake of putting my hands together in greeting when I went in
and Sunee saw me from the back. With the blowers going she
couldn't hear me say "Sawadee." She almost dropped the pans
she was holding as she tried to respond with her own hands.
Then one night I could hear Shakeela screaming even before I
got to the door. When I went in there were no other customers
there and Shakeela quit yelling when she saw me come in.
Sunee also saw me and came quickly out to the front and this
time she greeted me first-"Sawadee." I returned the greeting and
we went through the whole series . When we came to the end of
my Thai, Sunee put her hand in front of her where Shakeela
could not see and made "keep going" motions. I didn't know any
more Thai so I shifted to Vietnamese and she answered me back
in Thai. We made half a dozen more exchanges like that, neither
understanding the other, and then she motioned me to end it. I put
my hands together and bowed slightly and she did the same. Then
I went to a table and sat down while Sunee returned to the kitchen.
Then I heard Shakeela berating Sunee again for talking "that
ugly noise" and demanding to know why she was talking to me
and what was she saying about Shakeela. I could see them back
there and the blower noise stopped for a moment so I heard
Sunee reply in English, with her chin tilted up and a smug smile,
"He speak my language."
She turned around and went back to work washing stuff.
After another minute Shakeela bustled out officiously and
confronted me where I sat with my cup of coffee. "What's that
(stuff) she talk to you? You really talk that (stuff), too? "
I answered her," Yes, of course I speak Thai- I went to high
school." The shift manager got suddenly very tense and her
hands shook just a little. She started to say something but her
voice just squeeked. She spun around and stomped back into
the kitchen where she commenced again berating Sunee.
After that whenever I went in there and Sunee was catching
hell from Shakeela I would see Sunee looking very serene as if
the shift manager were just a noisy radio. She would see me and
put her hands together and bow slightly and I would do the
same. If she was in the front we would repeat the meet-and-
greets. Then one night she wasn't there and Shakeela met me
inside the door and said triumphantly that "that (adjective)
gook gone back to Korea!"
I hope Sunee has better memories of her time in America than
that shift manager. And I hope she was able to send enough
money home to make it all worth it.
| | |
| I discovered I needed a pocket-sized notebook and noticed a
dollar store so I stopped there and went in. I found the notebook
and a pack of stick pens and walked up to the register. There
was a line of half a dozen customers waiting their turns at the
counter. At the front was a woman with a cart full of items who
was disputing the price and condition of every item one by one
and it was taking a long time. I didn't want to drive to another
store to get the notebook so I waited patiently at the back of that
line. Two more customers extended the line behind me while I
stood there.
The woman finally reached the bottom of her cart and
everything was on the counter properly rung up and in bags.
Instead of presenting cash or writing a check the woman said,
"My boyfriend be here soon. He got the money."
I sighed and expected the clerk to push the stuff aside, clear
the register and continue with the next customer but that did
not happen. Things just stopped. The clerk got out her cell
phone and called her boyfriend for a chat. Worse, the other
folks in line seemed to accept the situation as normal.
Everyone just stopped moving. No one complained. They
looked as if they weren't even breathing except for one
customer who got out her cellphone and called her mother to
chat about operations and diseases.
I waited for a minute until I realized that nothing further would
happen in that store until the boyfriend arrived with the money
and I didn't see any cars driving up out front. I put the notebook
and pens down and left thinking I had seen this show once a
long time ago on Twilight Zone. Rod Serling should walk into
the scene and wind up the show followed by final credits.
| | |
| I am currently thinking about retirement and Social Security.
This morning I went to the Social Security office to find out
what I need to do if I decide to retire. While I was sitting waiting
for my number to be called three people walked in through the
door, a man, a woman, and a little girl. Only the little girl was
facing me and she looked very familiar. Then the name "Mary"
came to mind. The man turned around and I knew who they
were. He is a fellow I have known peripherally for almost 30
years but haven't seen for a couple of those years. Tôma is a
Vietnamese immigrant who went back to Việt Nam in 1999 to
get married. He returned and began the sponsorship process to
bring his wife to America.
Tôma had been unable to bring his family, now including a
daughter born in 2000 back to America because of problems he
was having gaining his own citizenship. Tôma had been going
back to Việt Nam every year for three months to stay with his
family. He even thought about returning to Việt Nam for good
but his wife would not hear of it. She wanted to come to
America and told him to go keep trying.
A week before I was due to get on the airplane to về quê (go
home) from Cam Đức where I was visiting in 2003 a friend
confronted me and said I had to get behind her on her xe mô-tô
to go visit someone who I must meet. It turned out to be
Tôma's wife Hường and their little daughter Mary. I had not then
even known that Tôma had got married. He had not told me.
 
Mary and her maternal bà ngoại in Cam Đức
Mary impressed me then as very much an American child, not
Vietnamese. She behaved like a very smart American child. She
interrupted adults and could not keep still. In Việt Nam this is
unfortunate. She was a ball of activity and eventually got out a
picture album with her parents' wedding pictures in it to show Ông
Mỹ.
I saw them again in 2007 and had brought some things from
Tôma's mother for Hường and Mary. Now Mary was very tall and
properly shy and subdued at seven, not the ball of fire she had
been at three.
Mary and Hường were the last folks I ever expected to see in
the Social Security office. Mary says she doesn't ever want to go
back to Việt Nam because in America she has a refrigerator and can
go get ice cream whenever she wants
Mary at 9 in America
| | |
|
VY IN SAIGON
My country, Vietnam, is a beautiful country
where is famous for beautiful sites and a special
culture. Although Hanoi is the capital, I only
like Saigon , the former capital of South Viet
Nam, is famous for its colonial architecture,
tree-lined boulevards, and exciting bustling
nightlife, where I had a lot of memories and it
had left deep impressions in my mind. In the
past, I thought Saigon was like Nha Trang,
where I am living, it had a lot of houses,
departments, parks…but without beaches.
Everybody had told me about Saigon before
I went there to take University exams. In fact, I
really wanted to arrived Saigon to know what
Saigon is where I only watched on the TV and
listened stories. Besides that, I have a close
friend, his name is Dominico Ngo, I call him
The Anh, he is a student and living in Saigon,
he promised me that when I am in Saigon, he
would take me to go everywhere in this city. In
my mind, I said “Saigon, I am ready….”
After 2 months, I had prepared a lot of things
to go to Saigon. With my knowledge which I
have learned, I was ready to take my exam. My
friend also told me a lot about Saigon, food,
people, parks, road… everything. Generally,
going to Saigon which is a big city with a lot of
wonderful things makes me feel very glad. On
July 07, I would take my exam, so on July 01, I
went to Saigon with my mom by bus.
My trip started at 7.00pm, “Saigon, I am
coming…” It took me about 8 hours to arrive
Saigon from Nha Trang by bus. On my way, I
had a memory which make me smile when I
remember. With a long time on the bus, I had a
problem with my body. Because of the bus was
very crowded and my seat was not comfortable,
I felt sick ! Unfortunately, although I and my
mom prepared everything carefully, we forgot
bringing medicine, cake and candy which can
help me feel better on the bus. My friend, The
Anh, did not sleep and talked with me until I
arrived, I was very happy about that.
3.00 a.m, I was in Go Vap district, Saigon.
This time, I was very tired and sleepy, so I
decided to go to bed and would discover Saigon
in the morning. “Hello Saigon – See you later”
Good morning ! A new life started. Ho Chi Minh
City, commonly known as Saigon or by the
abbreviations HCMC or HCM, is the largest city
in Vietnam. When I walked on the street, I feel
everything was very big and I was very small in
a big big world. 
A mass of vehicles including bus, motorbikes,
bicycles, trucks… always travel around the city
nonstop. Although they make the environment
pollute, they are essential parts which make this
big and famous city. I really enjoy going to
supermarkets which I can not find out in my
hometown, where display a lot of goods, food,
gifts…and especially a lot of beautiful sandals
and bags which I like very much. After getting
around some supermarkets, I bought one red
bags which I think it is beautiful and suits me.
Besides that, although I had about ten sandals, I
also want to buy more 2 ones to be comfortable
to change. I said “If I were a billionaire, I would
buy all of things in this city”.
Thursday, in the afternoon, The Anh picked
me up and took me to the District 1, where is
still adorned with wide elegant boulevards and
historic French colonial buildings. Firstly, when
we went straight on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street,
The Anh asked me “Can you guess what is it ?”.
Wow, “This is Independence Palace ! Right?” I
shouted. “That’s right ! But that is the old name,
call it Reunification Palace where formerly
South Vietnam's Presidential Palace stayed and
the tank #843, crashed through the gate and
ended the war on April 30, 1975, and now it still
parked outside the Reunification Palace.” The
Anh told me that. He promised me we would
go into and discover this palace in one of these
days.
Although Saigon has a dry season with a very
high temperature, having a lot of trees in this
district make us feel cool and comfortable to
travel. I think this is the coolest district in Ho
Chi Minh city and because of that, most of the
foreigner usually stay here and get around this
city. In future, I hope I will have a house here
and live with my family.
Although emails and mobilephones are more
comfortable and faster than handwritten letters,
we sometimes sent letters together. After
Reunification Palace, The Anh told me about
the post office where he sent me letters and also
want to show me a secret. City Post Office, a
big post office stays at center of city, built in
Vietnam war by French colonial, this is the most
ancient structure in Ho Chi Minh city. “That’s
wonderful !” I said that…..
Next to the main post office of the city is a
big church with red tiles and sharp tops. Notre
Dame Cathedral, a French-built Catholic
cathedral in the city center. The Anh told me
that we would go to mass on weekends,
especially, we also have mass in English which
help us make friends with foreigners and
improve our English skills. Certainly, free entry.
When we were on the street, I learned a
traffic-regulations. Streets in Saigon are very
complex with a lot of traffic-lights. I thinked
when the red light is on, we must stop. But we
can turn left or right follow the way of the street
which cross with our street. So, when the red
light turned on, The Anh also turn left. I shouted
“What are you doing? Why don’t you stop when
the red light is on ?”. He smiled and said “We
are allowed to do it.” I felt very shy and laughed…
In the evening, it rained. We were going to
have dinner. In my opinon, Saigon is really a
eating heaven. Maybe I have a problems to
choose food in Saigon because it offers the
country's largest variety of Vietnamese and
international food. We almost can find all of
special food of regions in country at Saigon. We
ate rice with grilled pork and add omelet in my
dish. I knew that going to eat rice in the evening
and in the rain is culture of Saigon. If we can
eat a hot dish of rice in cold weather, it is very
cool. Is that so ?
After dinner, he told me that “Do you thirsty?
Follow me and I will show you a wonderful
coffee shop.” That is Era, a romantic coffee
shop on Tran Quoc Thao street, district 3. The
first impression of me is a small coffee shop
without lights. They only use candles to get the
light, they do not use light bulbs in both the
night and the morning. Although the space is
quite small, it makes everybody feels closer.
Besides that special thing, they only play
classical songs and sweet music, we can avoid
noise from outside and free our mind.
Next days, I had to take my exam so I could
not visit other beautiful sites. In this time,
because a mass of students arrived Ho Chi Minh
city, traffic jams had happened regularly, it is
really terrible. It seems a Saigon culture. Smoke
and noise from vehicles, dust on the streets…all
of them draw a live picture and make a typical
character of Ho Chi Minh city.
Central Ho Chi Minh City is the place to be
holiday nights. The streets are jam-packed with
a lot of motorbikes, bicycles and cars. Ho Chi
Minh City never sleeps. Everywhere you look
there is colour and movement. Hotels,
restaurants, bars, coffee shops….with colour
lights make Saigon more lively. It seems that
everyone is busy, buying, selling, studying, and
building. You'll find yourself swept up by the
city's enthusiasm.
Ho Chi Minh City is a shopper's paradise,
with trendy new boutiques and modern shopping
centres just steps away from traditional open-air
markets. After taking my exam and meeting
some old friends, I must come back Nha Trang.
In 2 weeks, although I had not discovered
Independence Palace, had not visited Dam Sen
Park and Suoi Tien Park and had not eaten a
lof of food which I like, I knew what Saigon is,
how its life is. A trip whereby I feel proud of
both Saigon cultures and national cultures. I
forgot to take my fan which I bought at
supermarket to home. I will do it when I come
back in September. I had a lot of memories
which I never forget about Ho Chi Minh city.
“Thank you ! Goodbye Saigon – I will come
back and I miss you !!!!!”
| | |
|
