This is my first blog in a while because the last several nights I slept horribly. The room that I was sleeping in didn’t have any ventilation, and last night I finally gave up. I moved upstairs where thank god it was a little cooler and I had the windows opened with mosquito spray to ward off any mosses. This house is like that, it traps heat during the day, and at night the house is completely stuffy and unbearable.
Today is the last day that I will be with mom before I head back with my aunt and cousin to Saigon for my flight on Sunday back to Mumbai. It was an interesting stay although we definitely had our awkward moments. Mom still treats me, bless her heart, like I am still her five year old son who left her twenty-two years ago for America. Ever since I arrived, mom has been pampering and attending on me as if she were my servant. I realized how much she missed me all these years and that she did in fact lost a son, while I was still way too young to have any lasting memories of her. As hard as it was, I told her that I was not five years old anymore and that I can perfectly take care of myself. It must have been extremely hard for her to hear that, but I hope that she accepts that reality. I kind of wanted to ask her to let me go...don’t hold on to me otherwise she would make me sad too. It’s just been an emotional roller-coaster for me and maybe that’s why I also had a hard time sleeping at night. I was sad..but I am also kinda relief now that I can go back to India to focus on Sanskrit.
Her life has been an incredible struggle with poverty that I don’t know where to begin. I think she understands that at least I have turned out to be a good person even though growing up with my uncle and his family was hardly what I called a happy childhood. She’s relieved that there were many ways I could have gone wrong but I hadn't. I don’t drink, smoke, or did any crazy things. She knows that I like Sanskrit and that I want to do some translations in the future. Her advice for me is that if I do marry, I should marry someone who loves me more than I love her (I find that strange), and to marry at least someone who will not bring us both into a state of destitution. She said that her life of poverty made her very wary and that she doesn’t want the same for me.
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| porridge w/ clams for breakfast. |
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| this lunch dish took mom forever to prepare |
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| this was by far the nicest house i have seen. pricetag? only $100,000 |
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| don't know what these little shellfish are called but they were delicious...also not sure whether this gave me stomach problem later that evening or whether it was that iced sugar-cane juice. my guess that it was the latter. |
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| all the foods of vietnam are delicious...even the fruits..this one is called the mangosteen. But my favorite fruit the one that i've been dying to eat was not in season "the star apple" i.e. (Vietnamese called it the "breast-milk" fruit) |
I called Prakash, Jyoti’s husband, to arrange me a car to
pick me up at Mumbai’s airport on Sunday at midnight. I think he
understands and there shouldn’t be any problem. If there’s any, I’m sure
I can call him when I get there. From there, I think I will head to
Pashan where I stayed last year with the guys. I found out that Vikas
will be leaving for London, I think for a year. I think it’s going to be
nice just being back at the flat. It’s pretty far from where Vinaya
lives but it’s okay. I still want to hang out with Jyoti and her family
and see where this goes. I really can’t wait to just focus on Sanskrit
and have nothing else on my mind.
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