I’m writing this from one of the cafes in Long Xuyen with wireless internet. This place is air-conditioned and it’s a welcome relief from the bright and hot sun outside today. Tomorrow classes begin at the university and this morning I went out to get some last-minute photocopying finished up. I ran into another teacher at the photocopy shop and this led to a series of events including coffee and then a trip to the barber shop. I had recently taken a shower, and after showers my hair is usually straighter than normal. However, by the time that we got to the barber shop my hair was beginning to dry and curl. The barber didn’t really know what to do with it, so I had my hair straightened. That’s right, I had my hair straightened. And then cut a little, but it doesn’t look that different. So far it’s just been a good, lazy Sunday.
In the past week two new foreigners have moved into the guesthouse. Hendrik is from Germany and will be working with the library staff and doing research for about five months, and Lillian, who is with VIA, will be teaching here for the coming school year.
I was having thoughts of the beauty of driving a motorbike around in the sun. The heat that builds up at traffic lights. The coolness that is felt upon acceleration. The smells that fly by. The water that builds up in your eyes at higher speeds. The feel of wind in your hair. The hot sun on your arms even though air is rushing over them. It’s pretty magical when the conditions are right.
