Last One

We visited our last commune for this trip today, and let me tell you – this trip in general, but today’s journey in particular, is the only time in my life that I’ve been in an SUV and really needed to be in one. The last 30 minutes of our trip were spent driving over flooded roads, up steep, unpaved mountain roads that were nothing but a rocky, rutted dirt track, made even more treacherous by the recent heavy rains. Although the driver is, in many ways, a very typical Vietnamese driver (and what’s not fun about passing a large truck that’s passing an even larger truck on a two lane road as you rapidly approach the top of a hill?), but he sure has some skills in navigating this kind of road, and I have to admit that I was impressed. I also think that my spine has been compressed by a few inches from all that bouncing around. Yeeowch.

The commune was interesting, and it’s funny because Itsy Bitsy has gotten good at answering the typical questions I get, to the point where she doesn’t even translate them for me, she’ll just tell people how old I am, and that I’m not married. Heh. I suppose these are typical Vietnamese getting-to-know-you questions, and it really doesn’t bother me, but it’s just funny how everyone asks me this.

So, you know what I realized I don’t really care for? Rabbit. Ick. We had some today at lunch, and it just did nothing for me. The sauce was really strong, so I can’t really object to the flavor since I don’t really know what it is (the sauce was delicious, though), but it was just all bones and fat – neither of which I’m keen on eating. But hey – I’ve tried it now, I guess. Not that it was on my list of things to do before I die, as it would certainly rank much lower than, say, “win the Grammy for Best New Artist”. You don’t get to make an acceptance speech for eating rabbit, after all, nor are you required to wear a fancy dress and some fabulous jewelry. Heck – it doesn’t even outrank “hike at least part of the Appalachian Trail” or “see Graceland”.

Either it’s being broadcast publicly, or one of our neighbors is listening to the radio REALLY LOUDLY. This starts at 5 am, and has woken me up the past few mornings, and is likely to do so again tomorrow. Like I said, really looking forward to my quiet room in Hanoi. Lack of sleep doesn’t do good things to my capacity for rational thought. Oy. I have a feeling that I’m going to be reading and/or napping on the plane ride back up to Hanoi. Our driver is meeting me at the airport, which is really nice.

I just realized something – I leave for Paris three weeks from tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eeeeeee!!!! I am so stinkin’ excited about it. As anyone who has read this blog at all probably knows. It’s just so…it’s going to be great, I know it. I still entertain thoughts of moving to France for a few years; if I can get my French up to snuff, I could work in our Paris office. There are a lot of other things that would have to happen first, a lot of things that would have to stay the same, and I don’t know if it would really even be possible, but I do still think about it. I know that moving to a foreign country alone is a difficult haul, I don’t want to underestimate that, I mean – I thought Long Island was tough. But I know a couple people in the country already which might help to ease the transition a little, and I’ve got family just over the English Channel in London – a great excuse to visit them more anyway, no? (Anice – please don’t get a complex!! Besides, this wouldn’t happen for a few years, you could be sick of me by then anyway…) In any case, that’s a long way off, but I have a feeling that it’ll be on my mind for a while after I get back. So I hereby apologize in advance if I am preoccupied when I get back, and whine about the lack of good croissants in the DC area. I will do my best to keep those thoughts entirely to myself.

To wrap up on a positive note – although I spotted something that looked suspiciously like rat droppings in this new room (the dripping from the ceiling recommenced, so we moved), I haven’t seen any ants, and the ones in my suitcase may be starting to drop off, so that’s very good news. I’m still rinsing out my suitcase with the nearest available power washer when I get to Hanoi, but it appears that fumigation may no longer be necessary. And I didn’t wake up with any new bug bites this morning, so that’s also happy times.