Since Carol's two year teaching contract is up and since Ira has not found any sort of position to sustain us in Hanoi, we have elected to regroup. We will not renew our lease at Sofitel Plaza and will be traveling to the United States where we will impose on Carol's father's hospitality pending our finding someplace to hang our proverbial hats.
The two years we have spent here have only made us love Hanoi even more than when we were tourists. There have, of course, been some disappointments along the way but we don't regret the decision we made in the spring of 2005 to sell everything and move to Vietnam.
Although we do keep in touch with our families through email and Skype, there is nothing like seeing them in person and being able to attend the various events that take place throughout the year.
The move to Hanoi entailed many unknown quantities and our life now is no more settled than it was two years ago. We will keep American passports forever but we now know that there is more to the world than baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, etc.
First and foremost, we will miss the people of Hanoi, the friends and contacts we have made along the way who have helped us in so many ways and who have introduced us to the culture of this up-and-coming country. From the fruit vendors to the taxi drivers to the teachers and of course the staff at Sofitel Plaza, we have gotten only kindness and understanding.
We know that we will miss the fabulous apartment, 65 square meters of comfort and style complete with more comforts than we have ever known. Wherever we live from now on, we realize that it can never be this luxurious.
While we yield to no one in our appreciation for nature, we have always considered ourselves city people and these two years have proven our self-assessment to be accurate. Hanoi is not New York or Paris but it is a world capital and it still gives us a thrill to pass the landmarks, such as Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, the Opera House and the Presidential Palace. The city is dotted with many lakes and has tree-lined boulevards that provide a respite from the smog and congestion.
There is something of a small town feeling about Hanoi, and everyone seems to know everyone else. We have enjoyed being able to enjoy the best seats at the wonderful symphony concerts and to chat with the orchestra members during the breaks. We must admit that it is fun to be recognized by ambassadors and heads of international corporations and to be "somebody."
After living a semi-anonymous life in the US, it was gratifying to be recognized all around town and to be greeted warmly in so many restaurants and shops. Ira's Vietnamese lessons seem to have paid off as he is able to be understood and to converse with the local people.
"You will be back, you belong here!" say many of the people upon learning of our imminent departure. There is a saying that nothing is certain except for death and taxes(unless you are rich and the Bush dynasty is still in power) and we cannot see around corners. One thing is certain: we cannot imagine living the rest of our lives without spending some of that time in Hanoi.
We have not won any awards but we have been treated like Oscar winners so we fell that we have to thank some people. Rather than cop out by saying "you know who you are," we will make a list limited by time, space and our faulty memories. Actually except for (he knows who he is) one of Ira's employers, nearly everyone with whom we have come in contact has helped make these two years special in every way.
Our friends at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, especially Dr. Minh who cooperated with Carol's Vietnam Jazz Project and whom we have known since 1998, gave us the first impetus toward moving to Hanoi. They have provided us with prime tickets for all of the Hanoi Philharmonic concerts and have helped Carol with her work at UNIS.
We have to mention UNIS as, without their offering Carol a position teaching music, we would likely not have been able to come here and enjoy this lifestyle. The work was demanding and different from Carol's previous jobs in the US public school system, but in the end it was rewarding. Teaching the extremely young children was exhausting but when we were out and about and heard "Miss Carol, Miss Carol" from a tiny voice in a restaurant or a shop or even at the Opera House, it made the job seem worthwhile. While the parents in Council Rock School District were anything but poor, it was still amazing to have ambassadors and heads of corporations come up and tell Carol how much their children enjoyed her music class.
On a very rainy morning in August 2005 Carol set off for her first day at UNIS, filled with trepidation and, due to the extreme weather, unable to catch a taxi. Mr. Viet, one of the bell captains at Sofitel Plaza, ran out into the street and found her a cab, saving her from potential disaster. Viet has always gone above and beyond to help us with any problems we have had as have the entire bell staff. Carol has gotten particular assistance from Bach, Hoa and Cong and Ira has made them all suffer as he struggled with the Vietnamese language while still refusing to speak English.
We cannot say enough about the apartment staff, who have given us everything we asked for and more, including their friendship, cheerfulness and willingness to chat with Ira in Vietnamese no matter how busy they were. Ms Hoai, the supervisor, Ms Binh, Ms Hien #1(named because there are 7 Hiens on the staff) and Ms Van have all been too wonderful for words.
We have to give a quick mention to Ron, the F & B Manager. A genial Canadian, Ron has chatted with us about the F & B operation and listened to Ira's sometimes radical ideas on restaurant management(Ira has managed single location restaurants with fewer than 100 seats, while Ron runs a hotel with three restaurants, two bars, meeting space for 1000 and 24 hour room service). He also has given us many "perks" when we ate at Sofitel and even had our knives sharpened.
Ira is reasonably self sufficient and not afraid to sit down to lunch alone on a tiny stool in a food stall in which no English is spoken but he too has had help. Ms Chi, despite the demands of a husband, two children and a demanding job, has never failed to provide important information like where is a good tailor, where can I buy (fill in the blank), how do I say this, what is a good wedding gift, etc.
When Ira needs a quick translation "on the fly" he can always text his teacher, Ms Hai or his former teacher, Ms An Son. Neither is paid extra for these services but they always respond and generally at just under the speed of light.
Whenever we have needed gifts for students or colleagues, we have turned to www.rosymode.com and Ms Rosy or Nga which is her given name, has never failed to come up with lovely items at good prices, and she delivers! She has also been a backup translator and occasional coffee drinker, accompanied by her brother and sister.
We could give a mass thank you to the people of Hanoi for their friendliness and helpfulness, without which we would have been like two babes in the woods instead of like two citizens of the city!
Before we start to get teary-eyed, we will give you the link to Bonjour Vietnam, a lovely video clip sent to us by our friend Bob Perry. We hope you enjoy it as we do.
http://www.visualgui.com/motion/BonjourVietnam.html
