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April 14 , 2006

Amazing enough, 6 months have gone by and yesterday was my last day at work. As I was leaving the office, I literally felt as though I had just started work in Singapore the day before! But alas, work has hit a standstill for the next two weeks as I roam around Asia before heading back to Dallas.

So…the past two months. Highlights have included a short company trip to Bintan, Indonesia (a short ferry ride from Singapore) where I had my first trapeze experience.

Then there was a great trip to Hanoi and Halong Bay in Vietnam. Hanoi is very artsy and you can get anything from $1 USD souvenirs to $1000 original art pieces (two of my friends that were on the trip did just that). Halong Bay is a natural attraction with over a thousand limestone pillars jutting out of emerald green waters. Legend has it that a dragon’s tail created the islands while protecting the bay from Chinese invaders. Spectacular!

After Halong Bay, one of my friends organized a short weekend excursion to Bali, Indonesia. This was a place that I’ve heard about ever since studying in Australia ~5 years ago and I wasn’t about to leave Singapore without having visited Bali! Well, my expectations were definitely met. Bali is a very spiritual place and although I was only there for a weekend, my activities included surfing and white water rafting. The Australian Embassy issued a terrorist alert that weekend but luckily, the threats didn’t amount to much.

In addition to trips, I’ve also been enjoying my last days in Singapore. In particular, my friends have gotten me into wakeboarding lately and it’s a blast. Great fun on a lazy Sunday afternoon and it’s really nice to be out on the water to cool off for a bit.

My mom and her friend are currently here in Singapore and then my girlfriend Lisa comes on Sunday. We’ll spend a few days in Singapore and then head to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a few days. Afterwards, Lisa and I will stop in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan before heading back to Dallas together.

February 18, 2006

At the end of January, Chinese New Year came along (the largest holiday of the year in China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam plus some other countries that I’m forgetting) and I took a trip to Danang in Central Vietnam to visit my grandmother. It was a great trip…I got to see my 94 year-old grandmother and 3 of Vietnam’s 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites (Hue, Hoi An and My Son). I’ll attach some pictures, but here is a quick synopsis: Hue contains the imperial palace where the Nguyen Dynasty once ruled, Hoi An is an ancient trading port stuck in time with Spanish, Portuguese and French influence, and My Son contains ruins from the Cham civilization (a mini Angkor, if you will).

The highlight, of course, was seeing my grandmother and observing life where my dad once grew up – where life is simple (at least from the perspective of an outsider). Anyhow, I left Vietnam on a Saturday and 5 days later, I received a frantic call from one of my oldest cousins.

My grandmother had passed away.

This was honestly one of the saddest things I have heard in my entire life. I just saw my grandmother five days prior to her passing and at the time, she seemed perfectly healthy. After hearing the news, I boarded a flight back to Danang, Vietnam to attend to my grandmother’s funeral services.

Funerals are very different in Vietnam. They are a multi-day affair filled with numerous ceremonies, prayers, rituals, etc (especially in the case of my grandmother, who was a devout Buddhist and had a huge family with many great grandchildren). Because my dad and uncles were flying in from the States and Canada, my grandmother’s wake was especially long – a full 7 days (most are 3-4 days). During this time, she is kept in an open casket in our home and people are invited to come and pay their respects, often bringing flowers, banners, fruit, etc.

My grandmother was born and raised in Danang and she lived the majority of her life (70+ years) in the same house. So you can imagine the number of people that came to our house throughout the week (well over a hundred family and family visits, not to mention at least a dozen other visits from monks and temples nearby). On the day of the burial, we had a caravan with 8 cars, 2 huge coach buses and probably another 50 motorcycles – a very big affair for a city like Danang.

Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate for so many reasons. First, for working in Singapore and having the chance to visit my grandmother (who I had not seen for about 6 years) during my first Chinese New Year in Vietnam. And second, for having the opportunity to come back and attend her funeral. I don’t think any of this would be possible if I were not working in the region.

Well, next week is my last week in Kuala Lumpur. Then March comes along and I will be re-staffed. This job really keeps me on my toes, and while I find it fun and exciting, it can also be a bit overwhelming. Anyhow, I’ll let you know where my work and travels lead me next!