"
Dear Hue,
I leave early tomorrow morning. I have a few days in Saigon and then I go home and then I go back to graduate school. I want to say goodbye to you. You were exceedingly kind to me. You welcomed me with open arms and warmth. As we arrived at the airport and drove through, I remember worrying about where I had come. I wasn't sure how I would survive my time here. But I did well. All because you are one of the best places I have lived in in my life (grad school dramas notwithstanding).
I felt more at home than I have for a while. You kept me safe and allowed me to explore without having to worry about crimes and harassment. I never worried about what I wore. I shouldn't have to but we all now how that goes down. It is one of the few times in my life, I have not worried and just been. It was wonderful. You helped me meet people who are wonderful and kind and warm and funny and who became friends. You allowed me to be a student, a tourist, a researcher and most importantly myself. You reminded me of how Indian I am (by virtue of my chocolate brown skin, my Indian eyes as I was often told) and yet I never felt like I was defined or judged by my color. I never felt the implication of being 'second-rate' that other parts of the world sometimes have managed to communicate. Khach San Duong Sat (the Railway hotel) was my home for 2.5 months and it became one with the kindness shown by everyone who works there. We shared food and chatted at the porch even when all we shared were fragments of different languages.
You allowed me to travel, to see awe-inspiring caves, to go to the mountains, to a lagoon, to a beach. I rediscovered my love for travel. You started my habit of sending postcards. I started this blog because of you. Work-wise I learned. Slowly, but steadily. Also my résumé totally looks much more believable now. I cemented some friendships, both here and across countries. You have families that allowed me to try and make friends with their babies and I have spent many a happy evening in the company of a child. You started my love of walking across bridges; I think it will be a hobby for life. You invited me to my first prom (and in a way it makes up for the many parties I was never invited to as an oddball teenager). I saw my first shooting star. I ate more Indian food than I had during my entire stay in Minneapolis. And possibly strawberry daiquiris. I learned things about myself, I learned what I want to preserve and what I want to change. I learned how much I value my time with myself to explore the world around me and to reflect on things.
Your rains hit the ground and took me back to all the cities where I have wandered around. You allowed me to live so close to the Imperial Citadel, a side of town that felt just right for me, full of cafes and shops and yet a little distant and removed from the noise of the tourist district. I know I am traveling in the world right now, I don't quite belong anywhere, and yet I felt so much at home here, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. I learned twenty words in Vietnamese and yet you allowed me to travel around in cabs and motos, to buy and bargain, to exchange stories about my life. You gave me ca phe sua which is the best coffee I have ever had in my life and it was part of my life, never an exception. I will miss so much, that no words, no pictures will do justice. But I hope to return some day. As I have learned to say hen gặp lại, which I believe translates to till we meet again (I am sorry for butchering the accents).
Love
Me
"
Dear Hue,
I leave early tomorrow morning. I have a few days in Saigon and then I go home and then I go back to graduate school. I want to say goodbye to you. You were exceedingly kind to me. You welcomed me with open arms and warmth. As we arrived at the airport and drove through, I remember worrying about where I had come. I wasn't sure how I would survive my time here. But I did well. All because you are one of the best places I have lived in in my life (grad school dramas notwithstanding).
I felt more at home than I have for a while. You kept me safe and allowed me to explore without having to worry about crimes and harassment. I never worried about what I wore. I shouldn't have to but we all now how that goes down. It is one of the few times in my life, I have not worried and just been. It was wonderful. You helped me meet people who are wonderful and kind and warm and funny and who became friends. You allowed me to be a student, a tourist, a researcher and most importantly myself. You reminded me of how Indian I am (by virtue of my chocolate brown skin, my Indian eyes as I was often told) and yet I never felt like I was defined or judged by my color. I never felt the implication of being 'second-rate' that other parts of the world sometimes have managed to communicate. Khach San Duong Sat (the Railway hotel) was my home for 2.5 months and it became one with the kindness shown by everyone who works there. We shared food and chatted at the porch even when all we shared were fragments of different languages.
You allowed me to travel, to see awe-inspiring caves, to go to the mountains, to a lagoon, to a beach. I rediscovered my love for travel. You started my habit of sending postcards. I started this blog because of you. Work-wise I learned. Slowly, but steadily. Also my résumé totally looks much more believable now. I cemented some friendships, both here and across countries. You have families that allowed me to try and make friends with their babies and I have spent many a happy evening in the company of a child. You started my love of walking across bridges; I think it will be a hobby for life. You invited me to my first prom (and in a way it makes up for the many parties I was never invited to as an oddball teenager). I saw my first shooting star. I ate more Indian food than I had during my entire stay in Minneapolis. And possibly strawberry daiquiris. I learned things about myself, I learned what I want to preserve and what I want to change. I learned how much I value my time with myself to explore the world around me and to reflect on things.
Your rains hit the ground and took me back to all the cities where I have wandered around. You allowed me to live so close to the Imperial Citadel, a side of town that felt just right for me, full of cafes and shops and yet a little distant and removed from the noise of the tourist district. I know I am traveling in the world right now, I don't quite belong anywhere, and yet I felt so much at home here, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. I learned twenty words in Vietnamese and yet you allowed me to travel around in cabs and motos, to buy and bargain, to exchange stories about my life. You gave me ca phe sua which is the best coffee I have ever had in my life and it was part of my life, never an exception. I will miss so much, that no words, no pictures will do justice. But I hope to return some day. As I have learned to say hen gặp lại, which I believe translates to till we meet again (I am sorry for butchering the accents).
Love
Me
"
2 comments:
This was really nice :)
Thank you :)
Post a Comment