Another week and more go by and there is always something to report, though some weeks have more excitement than others. Just looking out the window at various times of day is fun, as there is much activity from 5 am staright through the day and night. People are walking, riding, exercising out around the traffic circle and the road that leads into town. Last week they planted some beautiful red and white flowers in the center of the circle which brighten things up considerably.
The job front for Ira may be improving. He met a Mr. Bui at an AmCham meeting last year and now may try to collaborate with him on a project or two, possibly a big class-action suit against polluters. Also, can you picture Ira working for interior decoraters? Well, it may happen, depending upon several factors. Ira curing our time here has met a large number of Hanoians and they are always willing to give his name to their friends and colleagues. This is true "networking" as he can't always remember the person who referred him but when asked, he always says "Yes, he or she is a good friend of mine." The design company needs someone to work with the staff on their English for consulting with foreign clients and also needs a Western employee to assist in a variety of activities. NO, he will not be wearing flowered shirts, smelling of cologne and calling everyone "darling!"
On Friday, Ira attended an AmCham breakfast featuring Senator Chuck Hagel(R, Nebraska). It was a real eye opener! Here was a Senator who is actually trying to improve the coutry, one who dares to criticize his own party leadership and who seems genuinely interested in working on bipartisan reform concerning such important issues as health care.
Hanoi is not a real city for night life so when we heard that there would be a French cabaret singer performing at the Metropole for a couple of weeks, we decided to take in her show. Le Club Bar at the Metropole is very classy-a real hotel bar in the finest tradition, with wood paneling and muted colors. The singer was Ok but probably not so wonderful as to cause us to go back to hear her again. Still, it was a nice change from the five year old reruns they show on Star World TV.
Saturday night Ira participated in another trivia contest. Last year his team did well but the members were not coming back so he wound up with a team of Australian, two lawyers, two embassy staff and one spouse. The contest was not as enjoyable as last year since the questions pertained to subjects beyond his scope of knowledge like the first contestant eliminated from a reality show, and the length of the longest domestic cat. One question of the nine in each round was about netball, a sort of basketball without dribbling popular among Australian women. The team competed reasonably well but fell two points short of placing. Regardless, there was a decent buffet dinner and free flow beer. Since the young ladies pouring the beer were very attentive, Ira can truly say that he had only one beer all night(that's right ALL NIGHT).
Here it is already mid-Autumn but the only leaves falling are tho ones from our planners as we turn to another month. Back for two months already! WOW!
It is Monday morning and Carol is at school, having received emails from some colleagues concerning yet another burglary. That is a reason we don't mind paying for our place here at Sofitel. It is safety as much as comfort that inclined us towards these apartments. Monday also means laundry as Ira fights the various private maids for the washers and dryers and also shopping for the week.
We will be getting our flu shots today and also seeing whether or not we need malaria medicine for our upcoming trip to Sri Lanka. Ira also has a meeting with a wine company and we will attend a symphony concert at the Opera House this evening.
For now, we just enjoy the routine, together with any variations that keep our life interesting.
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