I have to admit, I've been a bit of a lazy blogger these days. Yes, I'm getting the posts done, but not in a timely manner and certainly not with as many words as I used to write. That being said, I've actually been looking forward to writing this post and the next few to come. So get ready to do a lot more reading than you've been doing lately and to see a TON of pictures! :)
I think most everyone that reads this blog is aware that I am half Vietnamese. My dad, born and raised in Vietnam, unexpectedly fled the country in 1975 on the day of the Fall of Saigon. He, along with one brother (my Uncle Hai) ended up in America, sadly leaving their entire family behind (though of course, that was not by choice). For several years, my dad's family had no idea what had happened to their sons/brothers. During that time, I think it was logical for his family to assume that he and Uncle Hai had died in the war. Well, obviously, that was not the case (or I wouldn't be writing this blog today!) and several years later, they were finally able to make contact with everyone back in Vietnam. I will touch more on my thoughts on my dad's whole story in a later blog :)
My dad and Uncle Hai both stayed in the USA, became citizens of the country, married and raised children in the states. Some time in the early 90s, my dad made his way back to Vietnam for the very first time since leaving the country. I can only imagine how excited he must have been for the reunion!
My dad has always talked about bringing Jason and I back to Vietnam to meet his family (initially he left behind his mother, one sister, and two brothers, but now he has many in-laws and nieces and nephews too!) but the older we got, the harder the trip was to plan. It's hard to coordinate the schedule of 6 adults (dad, his wife Vivi, Jason, Janelle, Matt and me) to fly to the other side of the world and stay for several weeks. Well, as you know, Matt and I moved to Singapore last year and the rest is history... :) I remember the day I told my dad that we would be moving over here because he was SO excited. Of course, he was happy for us to have the opportunity to live in a new place, but more so, I think he knew it would mean we would finally, without a doubt, make it to Vietnam.
A few weeks ago, on the morning of April 2nd, my dad's dream finally came true and he was able to to introduce us to his family for the very first time! As we passed through customs and made our way out of the airport, we saw a huge crowd of family smiling at us!
Me, Jason and Janelle inside the airport in Ho Chi Minh
Meeting my grandmother (or Ba Noi as we would say in Vietnamese) for the very first time!
Ba Noi meeting her eldest son's (my dad) son for the first time - 30 years after Jason was born! In Vietnamese culture, that is a very big deal :) She looks so happy to see him!
Meeting my Uncle Hanh (with my cousin, Hung, in the background)
Meeting our Uncle Hiep, my dad's youngest brother
The first of MANY group shots :)
Dad, Ba Noi, Janelle, Hung, Jason, Me, Uncle Hanh, Uncle Hiep and Matt
So after we finished up with all of our hugs and hello's our group of 16 people piled into a 16 person van...only one seat was being occupied by suitcases. So yep, someone had to sit on the cooler. But hey, that's OK, I mean it's not like we were traveling too far...just, oh you know, 9 hours up the coast. To pass the time, I photographed people on the streets as we passed through the city.
Anyway, though it was a bit of a tight squeeze, the van ride wasn't so bad! It was a great chance for us all to get to know each other. I have to admit, we weren't sure what connections, if any at all, we'd feel with our newly met family members due to the fact that we weren't able to speak to each other (Jason and I do not speak or understand Vietnamese nor do my grandmother or uncles speak or understand English)...but the really cool thing is that there was an immediate unspoken bond between all of us that made it seem like we had known each other for years. It's amazing how much a smile and a pat on the back can say!
To break up the long car ride, we made a stop for lunch at Mui Ne Beach in Phan Thiet.
Ba Noi adored Jason! :)
Local vendors selling fresh seafood grilled it right on spot! I suppose that's good for those who like seafood...as for me, I had to live off of beef jerky for the afternoon ;)
Everyone enjoying the fresh seafood
Janelle and Vivi
Uncle Hanh
Uncle Hiep
Dad assisting with a little sand writing
M & K in Mui Ne Vietnam :)
Tiny Dad trying to pick up his 6 foot tall son. Love their faces in this one!
After the beach, we got back into the van and drove another 4 hours to our destination: Nha Trang, my dad's home town. We couldn't wait to get out and explore the city and see all of his childhood "hot spots," but first things first, dinner and a few hours of sleep!
Matt, Hung and Ba Noi at dinner
Yum, dinner! We had different grilled meats that we wrapped in rice paper.
Dad was afraid that I wouldn't like the dinner so he bought me a grilled pork chop as a back up. The dinner was good, but so was this pork chop! In fact, this was the first of many pork chops that I consumed during the trip. I'm pretty sure Janelle and I ate at least one pork chop per day while we were there. I will feature each pork chop on the blog ;)
Day 1 in Vietnam: COMPLETE! :)
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