Memorial Day Weekend

Today marks the end of my first week back to Hanoi.  While I was in Laos and central Vietnam, Diep brought her mother, sister-in-law and four year old nephew to Hanoi to stay with us.  I knew she was doing this, but I had it in my mind that they would not be here much longer after I got back.  It really doesn't matter that I didn't ask about this before I left for Laos because I have very little say in the matter anyway.  To ease the strain of having other people in the house, Diep took her family on a boat trip and to Cat Ba Island.  That gave Megan and I three days of pizza and peace while they were gone.

 

Everyone is back now and the Memorial Day weekend looms.  I have to go in on Monday for a half day, but I plan on taking the full weekend off.  Having two days off is actually a big treat.  With the field activity underway, it is often hard to get time off.  If anyone needs anything, they know they can call me and I am just a few minutes away by motorbike.

 

Tuesday I will depart again with the boss to two sites in Quang Binh and Quang Tri Province.  I enjoyed having my DSLR camera with me so much on my trip to Laos, I think I will bring it again on this trip.  It gets a little unweildy, but I sure like having the pictures when I am done.

 

I am reading Hanoi, Adieu: A Bittersweet Memoir of French Indochina at the moment.  It is taking much longer than it probably should because I am only able to steal small segments of time away to read it.  It is an allegedly true biography of a Frenchman who lived in Hanoi through the mid-1930s into the 40s... and probably into the 50s, though I haven't read to that part yet.  It is fascinating to read to imagine Hanoi during that time period since I can recognize many of the referenced landmarks in the book, but I think anyone could appreciate the writing style.  A friend from Australia gave me the book (or maybe he loaned it to me??) and for that I am grateful.

 

Another book that I recently finished was Until They Are Home: Bringing Back the MIAs from Vietnam, a Personal Memoir  written by my previous boss, Thomas "Ty" Smith... my favorite Det Commander of all time.  If you want to read a book about me and my job in Vietnam, read this one.  I am referenced in the book no less than 20 times, and probably much more, and he used many of the photos I took in the book.  It isn't a book about me, though one might question that after reading it.

 

Diep plans on throwing some sort of party on Saturday.  I laid the ground rule a couple of weeks ago that I have no responsibility in the organization and preparation of this get together.  My sole responsibility is to show up (it is at our apartment) and be polite.  The former part may be easier than the latter part of my responsibilities. Wish me luck!