Good Morning Vietnam!

Up Before Dawn

Nha Trang at 5:30 am on Independence weekend.

Many mornings this past month, I'd wake up all groggy at 8 am and wander down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast. The usual greeting at that hour is "chao buoi sang," but for me it'd be a nice warm "LAM BIEN!" ("Lazy!"). I woudn't think getting up at such an early hour would cast me as such, but apparently in Vietnam it does.

I used to think my dad would have the world record as an early riser as he's often up before 6, but in Vietnam he wouldn't even be in contention for a medal. Many nights I wake up at 3 am and see a small figure creep past my bed and out to the porch outside my room. "What on earth is she doing up at this hour?" I ponder for a moment, before my thoughts fade back into dreams. I now know that the small figure is Tim Phong, my host mother, getting ready to play badminton with her friends. It's difficult for me to fathom anyone getting up at 3 for the purpose of recreation.

Early morning Tai Chi on the boardwalk in Nha Trang.

3 hours later...

As I stir in bed, my sleep-crusted eyes make out a new silloette through the frosted window. This time it's Chu Phong bobbing up and down doing the oddest of exercises. For the next twenty minutes I watch him do a routine that combines lifting dumbells with high-speed waddling. I personally find doing laps around a gymnasium to be monotonous, but he amazingly does his running everyday on a porch that's only ten feet long!

My host brother, Anh Tien (left), and family celebrating his 24th birthday.