You know what I’ll miss about Vietnam - - the fashion police. I was cited three times, the first time by the maid at the Lan Lan in Saigon. Speaking no English, she made it clear that Layla needed a hat on before we left the hotel. I kindly showed her the hood attached to the jacket that Aunt Angela gave us (Thanks Aunt Angela for Layla’s first gift.). The maid was happy with this and let us leave. In retrospect, it was like a conversation I would have had with my mom. She even cleaned the room like my mom, reorganizing things so I could find them better.
The second time, I was reprimanded by a woman in the Old Quarter in Hanoi for Layla not having pants on. I guess her dress was unacceptable. It was too cold for a dress. Did I mention the weather was somewhere between 65 – 69 degrees and people were selling snowsuits for babies?
And the third time by our Hanoi escort, as I paying the hotel bill he gently asked, if that was all Layla was wearing? She was in a romper. I told him, no, that I had her outfit in the bag and would have to change her in the car. How was he to know that I took a shower, dressed two people, fed two people, packed, and said my goodbyes in an hour and a half? So I felt like a rock star for the fact Layla and I were downstairs on time. As I changed Layla in the car, I saw Hong looking back at us, maybe to make sure I was really changing Layla into something warm and also because the chicky would not stop crying while I changed her.
That’s another thing I’ll miss, how concerned people are about the babies. I bet Layla could have been in a dress in Moorhead in -70 below and not one person would have come up to me and said, your daughter should be dressed warmer than that. I’ll miss total strangers coming up to Layla or rather Ben and playing with him and talking to him. The Vietnamese really love children, men and women. I don’t know if in the US, I’ve ever had a man come up to me and say one of my kids was cute or engage me in conversation about my children.
I’ll also miss seeing how much stuff you can put on a scooter. I’ve seen people carrying long building poles on their scooters; boxes stacked 5 boxes high, containers, and floral arrangements. I even saw a woman riding a scooter who had one of those old fashioned hat suitcases around her wrist, while her passenger in the back was holding a laundry basket full of stuff.
I’m amazed how the backseat riders don’t even hold on to the drivers of the motor bikes. I’ve seen some backseat riders even ride with their hands in their pockets. I’d be holding on for dear life. The traffic is INSANE. Everyone is beeping. Beeping for you to watch out, beeping for you to get out of the way, beeping for you to move to the side, beeping for you to let them in. I’m sure some people beep because they see someone they know, but I don’t think I ever saw one of those beeps.
I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents. We were involved in one. Our taxi cab was rear ended; the person who hit us kept driving. Our taxi cab driver pulled over, saw there was no damage, and kept driving us to our location. Walking back from the Water Puppet Show, we saw two scooters get into an accident. Thankfully everyone was okay, but there was a whole lot of yelling going on.
I’m telling you if we moved to Saigon and I opened a scooter repair shop and started a restaurant right in front of my shop, we’d be set for LIFE.
Also, I saw people talking on cell phones on motor bikes. How can you possibly hear anything the person on the other line is saying with all the noise? I decided that the scooter drivers only answered the phone when it was someone on the line that they didn’t want to talk to, that way they could pretend to listen, yet not hear one word the person said. And if the person said, “Are you listening?” You could use the traffic as an excuse. The best of both worlds.
I’ll miss the dong. Though I never really exchanged my dollars for dong, it’s always so cool to talk about money in the thousands and hundred thousand. Italy, why did you give up the lira? Why?
How much is that? 90,000 dong, okay I’ll take it. Maybe one day, I can say that in English about something. How much? 90K, give me two.
I made a realization in Da Nang that I’m a total LA mom. The guy working at the hotel said something to me and I replied, “Si.” Then I realized I wasn’t in LA, so I signed yes. And then I thought, I’m not talking to my kids. FYI – ASL and Spanish just as useless as English.
God has been so good to me on this trip. I had great traveling companions who were willing and offered to help me out, the single traveler, any way they could. I’m so grateful to them for that. And at the airport, who do I run into in the Eva Airline line (fly Eva, it totally rocks!) but a mom who I met briefly in our hotel in Saigon. After being in Vietnam for three weeks, she and her hubby, their seven-year-old son, and their new baby boy were heading home to Wisconsin. She remembered me and she too offered to help me. And Eva sat all three newly formed families right behind each other on the plane. This had the potential of being a complete nightmare, but Layla, Nicholas, and the other baby boy stepped up to the plate and were angels. Okay, Layla cried for about five minutes en route to Taipei, but for a two hour plane ride I didn’t think that was so bad.
When we got off the plane in Taipei, I was mentally prepared for our 6 hour layover. I figured Layla and I got hang out and be fine, but as I walking down the terminal I saw my name on a board being held by an Eva representative. I panicked for a moment, but quickly put fear aside and walked to the ticket counter. I never did find out what they wanted, but I did get myself on the flight leaving in an hour and a half. SCORE! I said goodbye the Wisconsin family that had a 9 hour layover in San Fran and another 36 hours left of traveling before getting home. Once again, I’m so glad “The city I live in, the city of angels.” Sing it, Anthony!
The time flew by quickly though Uncle Steve, when this Dell Inspiron dies, the next laptop needs to be smaller and lighter. At times, I thought my back would break. I’m pretty sure that when my I arrived at my row, the guy to my right was calling the flight attendant so he could move to a baby free area. I’m sure he was thinking 13 hours with a baby, I don’t think so. But the plane was full, so he had to sit next to us. In my own unbiased opinion, I think Layla did very well on the plane ride. And the guy that wanted to move, even tried to entertain her when she faced his way. And the guy to our left, even alerted me when she started spitting up and tried to help me clean up. Once again, I was so blessed to be sitting next to two great people.
Layla’s biggest difficulty with the ride was sleeping in the bassinette that was hooked into the wall in front of us. The bassinette reminded me of the Moses basket, minus the hood part and the handles on the side. Layla has proven to be a light sleeper so whenever she would fall asleep and I would lift her into the bassinette, her eyes would pop open and she would start crying. The times I did convince her to go back to sleep while in it, she would wake up 30 minutes later and I would take her out in fear she would wake another passenger. Then I would try to put her back to sleep…Well you get the cycle. I’m pretty sure she was doing this so I wouldn’t get too much sleep. After going through this five or six times, she finally went to sleep, with the safety belt around her stomach. The downside is that during turbulence you have to take the baby out of the bassinette. Uh flight attendant, don’t you think it would maybe help the baby stay sleep, like a car ride? That was a no go.
I have to say the Taipei airport maybe my favorite new airport. It’s so informative. Case in point, this was on the wall as we waited for our flight home.
Picking chrysanthemums
The chrysanthemums can be brewed into tea & are a valued Chinese herb that clears away heat, removes toxins, improves the liver function, and protects eyesight. These make it a good drink for modern people with their often greasy diets.
Did you know this about chrysanthemums? And this was complete with a picture of women picking them.
Also as we were landing they showed a new version of the “If you have a cough wear a mask” cartoon. It was as cute and as interesting as ever. A country that wants you to be as healthy as possible. How do you beat that?
Then a new cartoon appeared which reminded me of the Concordia Safety videos, we had to watch each year. The first scenario featured a sort of thug looking man asking a stranger to put some fireworks into his suitcase for him. Suddenly a McGruff, the crime dog, reincarnation appeared, except this dog wasn’t wearing a trench coat and hat and didn’t look as fierce, and told you this was wrong. The second scenario was of a man being approached by a woman, in a red strapless dress, asking the man to check her box in as his own. Once again the McGruff wanna be said, just say no. And the last one was of a man being handed a package from a random stranger inside the airport. The dog said this wrong also. Why don’t all countries show such videos before you land in their country? These videos were clever and smart and much better than the crap LA showed.
Angie Dickinson getting a star is supposed to attract people to LA? Does anyone know who she even is who wasn’t born before Jesus? Really?! Showing the opening of the Coliseum and the Olympics is really LA’s claim to fame. Uh, weren’t the Olympics here when I was just a gleam in my parents’ eyes? They gave their standard shots of Rodeo Dr, the Hollywood sign, etc….but the video screamed “Dynasty” which was fitting since they showed a shot of Joan Collins at her Bob Mackie best. Adam and Alex should submit a video to the powers that be at LAX so Los Angelinos don’t have to hold their heads down in shame once this travesty starts airing.
Sadly, the movie selection had changed and not for the better. I started off with Lakeview Terrace starring Samuel “The Man” L. Jackson. Uh, yeah. I’ve head Sam say when he was a kid all the adults in his house went to work every day so he has that same work ethic. I know some actors go on and on about the right project, yada, yada. So I admire Sam’s stance, but sometimes it’s okay to say “No.” This was a time, he could have used that two letter word. I watched the first twenty-five minutes and just had to bounce.
This time I reluctantly chose Eagle Eye. What a shocker that one was. Shia LeBouf is a good actor. He’s totally believable. It had a great supporting cast, including Billy Bob Thornton and Michelle Monahan. I truly enjoyed this film.
Then in support of womanhood or because I was sleep deprived I decided to watch The Women. Diane English, of the wonderful My Sister Sam and Murphy Brown fame, is the really the best you could do? On Murphy’s worst episode was a gazillion times better than this hot mess! And FYI - if being betrayed by your female best friend hurts more than your husband (spoiler alert) cheating on you, then you shouldn’t be MARRIED! But on the positive side, the film did “star” the second smartest woman in Hollywood, Jada Pinkett Smith. The first of course being, Kate Capshaw. If these two women gave a lecture at Learning Annex, Whit, Mel, and I would be there with bells on. Ah, the genius.
After being bored to sleep and then for some unknown reason waking up and rewinding to watch the end of The Women, I moved on to Death Race. Senseless violence is not really my cup of tea, but Jason Statham was great. But really Joan Allen has our career sunk so low that we have to star in a picture with the “actor” Tyrese Gibson? Really?! Tyrese should go back to singing in Coke commercials. I really liked him then. Sweet lady won’t you be mine…
Then I decided to leave the horrible world of the Hollywood selections behind when I found myself seriously considering watching Open Arms 2 and found a gem in the international section. The Italian film, La Sconociuta or The Unknown Woman, was released in 2006 and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Great! Riveting! And it went off, due to plane descent or something stupid like that, with about 20 minutes left. If anyone has seen this film can you please tell me how act three ends. I knew I should have watched this film first. Darn you, Samuel L. for sucking me in.
So there’s my movie review. In these two flights to and from Taipei, I’ve seen more movies than I have since becoming a mother 4 years ago.
Two hours just as I predicted after our flight landed, Layla and I were greeted at the door by Jory.
“Mommy, you have Sasha?”
“Jory, this isn’t Sasha.”
“Oma, Mommy’s here with Sasha.”
I guess every baby girl will be named Sasha in his world. And every baby that my mom isn’t prepared for will always be a baby doll at first.
“Is that a baby doll, Yash?”
“Uh, no. This is Katarzyna.”
Layla is such a trooper and I have truly been blessed. At the doctor's, I discovered I’m suffering from insomnia and Layla has a double ear infection. My baby flew across an ocean with both ears hurting. She’s my own personal rock star. This on top of all the new sights and smells, she was dealing with. Dec 28th, she had only seen probably down the alley in front of her orphanage and Jan 9th she’s taken 4 airplane rides and is being driven all across the greatest city in the world running errands with her Oma, big brother, and big sister. Though on the upside, her illness meant her doctor refused to start her immunization or do blood tests. I love our ped! She had Layla’s height checked twice because she couldn’t believe an almost-one-year-old was only 25 inches. She gave us some high caloric formula, so we’ll see what that does. If Layla is too short she can’t wear my wedding dress. Darn it, one of these girls is wearing this dress. I’m not saving it for my health.
And on that note, we are done. This has been an experience of a lifetime and as I look at the sleeping Layla and Rowan beside me, I know that every heartache, every pain, it was all worth it to be here. To be here with my new baby girl, who doesn’t know the meaning of the word nap or schedule (ha! ha! Let’s see if daycare changes that.); and her big sissy, who is still adjusting to not being picked up every time she asks. And to be with the greatest boy in the world, who now calls Rowan the baby or the other baby and Layla, the baby, the little baby or the other baby, and who takes to being a big brother like a fish to water, which I’m taking as a total sign from God that he is so going to be the Tiger Woods of swimming. Lessons start back up next Saturday.
“Mommy, the baby is crying because she loves you!” Did I mention Jory is also a sensitive, genius? Must some evil woman ruin him? The words of great philosophers run through my mind, “Girls of the world ain’t nothing but trouble….Never trust a big butt and a smile that girl is poison.”
But I digress, I’ve truly been blessed with my three great kids. And I have such peace to know we’re at the end of our adoption journey or at least for many, many years. There’s no thoughts of working on the next adoption or bringing home Jack (that’s the next kid’s name). We’re just going to be. Be a family. Be a group of people madly in love.
How lovely on the mountains are the feet of Him
Who brings good news
Good news;
Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness:
Our God reigns, our God reigns!
Our God reigns!
Our God reigns!
Our God reigns!
Our God reigns!
This is the airplane bed. That's Ben in the bed, I didn't get one of Layla in hers.
Sleeping in our hotel room in Hanoi.
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