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| Vietnam's Flag |
Let's continue with the theme of staring but in a different location. I had a very different experience in Vietnam. Now, I was always told Asians shunned handicapped people. Tom, an old family friend, invited me to Vietnam in 2005. I was not sure what to expect but thought I would give it a try. What could possibly go wrong? At least I would know someone there. Going from Greensboro, North Carolina to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City if you want to get all technical) is a monster of a trip. It took 24 to 27 hours! It is kind of fuzzy now, eight years later. Needless to say I was a little loopy when I got there. Tom brought an entire entourage of montagnards and Vietnamese to meet me at the airport. Now I think I know a little about how Elvis must have felt. It was hugs and flowers all-around as if I was a long-lost relative or. . . Elvis. I did not need to worry about being shunned. The whole time I was there, it was the exact opposite. I was treated very much like a rock star everywhere I went and I can only guess at the reasons why. more on that later. I don't recall any unpleasant stares, not even from children.
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| A little help along the way |
We tooled all over southern Vietnam for much of the two weeks I was there. Tom's girlfriend at the time, Ngoc, (now she is his wife) had a sister who owned a day care for small children. It was only natural that they would want to see each other when we passed through town. We went into their house and were greeted by the playful screams and shouts of 50 to 100 children! I thought for a moment that I had been teleported into the ninth circle of hell. Almost right away, someone said something to the kids and you could have heard a pin drop. We stayed around 45 minutes to an hour, and heard the children no more. Nor was I stared at. I guess visiting adults called for quiet and respect. I don't know how Vietnamese discipline their children but they do. Eating out at restaurants, I cannot recall one screaming kid or other kids running around out-of-control. It was a whole different world for me!
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| Simply resilience |
What are some possible explanations for my rock star status and no funny long uncomfortable stares? As I said before, I was anything but shunned. In the two weeks I was there, I even had several marriage proposals from some very pretty women! Not bad. I talked to Tom about how I was being treated and we concluded the easy answer was obvious; I was a rich Westerner in a very poor country. My apparent wealth made me attractive despite my physical limitations and appearance. But is there something deeper? Perhaps I was being stared at but in a different way than I'm used to or could recognize. A friend recently suggested this possibility and I think it could be true. I feel certain if I was Vietnamese, I would not be treated near as well as I was. The only handicap people I saw there were a few old beggars in the streets. I have no idea what if any social services are available to them. I get the feeling not much. Still, I think there is a possible deeper answer.
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| Ami |
Vietnam is a Buddhist country. Despite the long war they fought with America, I never picked up on any anti-American vibes or sentiments. Tom, who fought in the war, and spent many years in Vietnam recently agreed. In his time there he too never picked up any feelings of hostility because he was an American. It seems to us the Vietnamese people don't hold onto grudges.as a group, They are without question among the nicest and most helpful people I've ever met. But keep in mind most of the people we met were born after the war was over. I found them far more laid-back and easy going than we Americans. Let me close with this, the whole time I was there,I never felt unsafe or threatened in any way. In my experience, their culture is one of nonviolence, the opposite of our American culture. Perhaps they are simply nicer people.
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| When all else failed-- we drank |
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