Mom + Vietnam: Farewell

Friday
It was the last day. We left campus before noon, but that was still plenty of time for people to load down my mom with even more gifts of coconut candy and sun-dried bananas, and a last minute sampling of water coconut (not to be confused with coconut water) and peanut milk. Once we arrived in HCMC around 1:30 we had plenty of time before my mom's near-midnight flight, and we hit the last few pending sights and repeated a favorite.

There was a church whose spire we could always see from our street, but we hadn't made it in that direction our first weekend in HCMC. We couldn't go inside, but there were a few grottos outside, one for the Virgin Mary, one for Joseph, and one for Jesus.

Wall of plaques of gratitude

The heat drove us to walk all the way to the riverside café we visited last time. It had been my mom's favorite place in HCMC. I was proud of myself for navigating us there (and everywhere else) without a map. I was craving a frozen lemonade, but I have yet to see that in Vietnam, so I quenched my thirst with the next best thing: the popular Vietnamese beverage of club soda, lemon, and sugar. We said farewell to the river as an epic sunset lit up the sky.

As you like it

Goodbye came too soon and it wasn't easy. Fortunately, Brittanye was also in HCMC, welcoming her mom while I was saying goodbye. Jet lag claimed her mom early, and Brittanye and I went out for a few hours before I had to return to solo life as usual. 

Saturday
I let myself sleep in, and then pampered myself with pasta for breakfast at a time that most Vietnamese people are eating lunch. I bussed back to campus and expected that to be the extent of the day's events. Instead, in the afternoon, I was invited to a wedding. I'd heard mixed reviews of weddings from a few ETAs who have already had the experience, and I was curious what mine would bring. I guess I should be more specific. I didn't go to a wedding itself, just a wedding reception. I later found out that the wedding hasn't actually taken place yet; it will be tomorrow. People usually have one reception for the groom's guests, one for the bride's, and one for both, in addition to the wedding ceremony itself, and all of these are spread out over several days. Tonight's phase of celebration included a few speeches, some professional dancers, a glitter cannon, sparks, dry ice, and a seven-course meal.

Sparks and love were in the air

Dance...

...then dine. Course 1: including the best tofu I've ever had

Course 3

Course 4, lotus root salad

Course 5: pork-stuffed fish

Course 7: mystery dessert

Even though I knew few people would be wearing aó dài, I took the opportunity to wear my green and white one. I really like it, but it feels too formal to wear for teaching. Needless to say, by the end of those seven courses, I had to slightly unzip my aó dài pants to be able to breathe. We had barely taken the last bite of the mysterious coconut dessert when it was time to go.