Small stories from a big world

Today I am leaving Vietnam. What I will not miss. The humid heat slapping you in the face as wet and hot cloth The mold The rising waterlevels when the rain is pouring down The rats The endless sweating The gaudy signs everywhere in the street causing complete visual cacophony The aftertaste of MSGs That all seems always impossible, even though it always gets sorted out The traffic, where no one bothers about the effect of their moves on others. The beach full of waste The stench of sewerage, drains and decay The noise of tool oud and bad quality amplifiers The off-tune karaoke singing in the neighbourhood The stale smell of a room damaged by mold The movement of windows under the pressure of a Category 1 typhoon The sensation of plastic bags touching you while swimming in the sea. My communication barrier because I never managed to get a grip on the 6 tones of this language And yet, the absence of all of this, will still make me miss Vietnam.

Today I am leaving Vietnam. What I will miss The sound of the waves which I can sometimes hear in my house, late at night when silence reclaims the city The security which allows me to walk and cycle late at night The proximity of the sea The cosiness of coffeeshops The impressive flavours of streetfood The smell of the blossoms in the greem valleys of the central highlands The colours of tet The sizzling sound of the banh xeo batter in a hot frying pan The wind playing through the wooden pagoda shutters on a hot day The taste of the abundance of tropical fruit The access and easiness of travelling in this beautiful country The temperature that allows me to swim almost the whole year The breeze making music in my wind chime The fluorescent green of the rice paddies The cheap and fast internet The finding-nemo-fish playing hide and seek in the waving soft corals The pristine beauty of the north The subtle flavours in a bowl of pho The fresh coconut on a thirsty day The texture of mi qua