Entering the Promised Land

The first time I came to Hanoi in 1991 was just after the completion of a new airport, with a lengthy connecting road to the city. The airport though seemingly large still required one to deplane onto a sometimes rickety bus to get from the Tarmac to the terminal. Then once the immigration formalities were satisfied one still faced the challenge of getting to the city. It seemed so far away, as we jostled our way amid the lorries, motorbikes and an occasional ox-cart carrying supplies to market in the city. The vast majority of produce arrives at the market carried on bicycles, modified motorbikes, or perhaps in a cart drawn by one of these, rather than by larger capacity vehicles. But on this Thursday evening, we arrived at a new terminal, with modern ramps from plane to terminal, moving sidewalks, and capacious, well-lit, comfortably air conditioned spaces. As we turned to get our new visa, the counter offered a view into a workspace of perhaps 2000 square feet, with three agents, two desks and a copy machine and a few computer terminals. The process was pretty fast, given that our visa had been approved by security and the religious affairs commission. They asked for a hefty sum for the two one year visas (though not proportional to the fees for a month's tourist visa) and we moved on to pass through immigration. As we were doing so, we noticed our friend Tung standing nearby and he quickly summoned a friend and INS supervisor who took our visa receipt and soon returned with our cash. I'm not sure if that was connections, or justice, but we were pleased. We were soon on the road, but surprised by a delightful, cars only through way that took us across the Hong River on a newly completed suspension bridge and well into the city. It was raining pretty well, so at each underpass there were a gathering of motorcyclists paused waiting for the storm to pass. Others pressed on with ponchos in place. Vietnam has pioneered the development of the tandem model with serial openings for driver and passenger. I have not yet seen the family model with three to five head holes, so if you are looking for something to patent, get your prototypes going!
Our arrival at the Trung Yen Tower 1A brought our neighbors Dawn and Eloise Gatherum down to meet us and escort us to our new apartment on the forth floor. It is very comfortable, with three bedrooms, two baths and a very spacious garden patio looking north towards the river (though not visible) but with several trees and other plants, and space for many more, my gardening skills just might get some practice. And at the least, we have refuge for birds.
Surprisingly, the traffic noise is pretty minimal and we have slept well with the doors closed and the AC on. But of course one thing that distinguishes a large Vietnamese city from a large U.S. or European one is the ubiquitous presence of domestic roosters who are eager to make their presence known wherever you are in the city. We. opted that there may be an added reason for that in our area as we saw a collection of caged cocks apparently still in use for entertainment purposes on our way to the market this morning.
Being immersed in the language will be the key to improving fluency for me no doubt, but it is also fun to be able to continuously encourage and watch the progress of my wife in this regard. Her ears are still sharp enough to distinguish the different vowels, and catch the tones, so I suspect her pronunciation will be good. And her systematic study is already paying dividends. Plus she is not unwilling to try, to occasionally sound funny or say a wrong word. That is made endlessly more comfortable by the obvious joy and patience the people afford anyone who attempts to speak their language, whether that be just a few Words of greeting, or the numbers in the exchange of money in the market. The flash cards are in use and the brain cells are firing into the language cortex, trying to build new connections between ear and eye and tongue. It is going to be fun. We've been asked to speak again in church this Sunday for a moment or two, to explain why we are here and what we hope to accomplish.
I should probably say that it (learning this language) is likely to be a challenge to any close relationship to embark on a learning-teaching endeavor of this sort, so I don't expect it to be all roses and triumphs. Rather it is likely to test our patience with one another, stress understanding, shatter egos, and generally be a test of whether our love is sufficiently strong to meet the challenge of a new mode of communication. Thankfully we also have the perspective that the gift of tongues is a spiritual gift from God, so we do not face this alone. Additionally, the missionary training center has advised us that she will have a tutor available by Skype as soon as we get the internet up and running in our apartment, and we have a good number of helpers here, and back in OKC.