Dogs on Scooters and Badminton

I remember reading the Dr. Seuss classic Go Dog, Go! countless times and thinking that all those dogs on bikes or in cars or on scooters were just silly. However, a few days into our Hanoi stay has begun to reveal a subtle change in the relationship between the populace and the canine sort. Yes, dog meat, here proclaimed as a specialty of the house, is still commonly purveyed, although I haven't had the courage to ask any of the local butcher's how they source their thit cho.

                             No hiding what's on the menu here-- the Bold Red Letters Tell you to expect Dog Meat!

But dogs are making their way into the hearts of more middle class families as pets and domestic companions, no longer just a meal still on the paw. This is epitomized by the accomodations that the species is developing for the modern transport mechanisms of this society, predominantly the motorscooter, and the bicycle (more and more of which are now electric versions, still classified as such although some have evolved to the point of losing their pedals.) Their US cousins who have trained limo drivers to open the window a bit so their heads and tongues can hang out in the breeze may be more sophisticated and well endowed financially, but their Hanoi cousins are moving up.

Nevertheless, dogs that stand up with their front paws on the steering mechanism are just a tail flick away from being able to self-propel at the pace of Hanoi traffic since paw-tip starters and shifters are standard. And who needs brakes? Voice recognition will take care of that soon enough.

      

The humans of Hanoi are a fairly active people, given their urban lives and ever-present motorbikes that careen through every alley and along every ditch-bank that connects them to the major veins and arteries of national life. But they also sensibly enjoy the pleasures of physical activity in the shoulder periods of the day, when the temperatures moderate a touch and their schedules are less hectic. We regularly walk around a small park between our home and the church, which is crowded at these times with people engaged in a variety of pursuits.

       

There are the Relief Society sisters stretching and toning to an aerobic beat, with occasional notes of music mixed in, and a few off in a corner doing contemplative yoga and tai chi. The adolescent students join us in jogging or walking around the perimeter streets, though rarely at a pace beyond 12 minutes to the mile. A few foursomes use the two tennis courts, mostly men, but there are lots of badminton players, at all levels. For many it is a simple back and forth between a father and son, or husband and wife (that would be us) but there are also some serious talents who engage in rather high level doubles play, both mixed and same sex. (Mind you, all this activity in the parks is going on at 5:30 and 6 in the morning!) These advanced players are fun to watch as they take this sport to a really fun level that challenges reflexes as well as mental strategy, if not also strength and endurance.

       

In fact, one can scarcely walk down any broader sidewalk in the town without finding a set of lines painted to accommodate those who want to play within them and keep score. We'll let you know when we invest in a net, but for now we're duffers in the land of the lotus-eating, badminton-playing, Moto-riders, and enjoying it.

                                  

The lotus is the national flower of Vietnam, turning stagnant pools into fields of beautiful blossoms like this, and making a healthy fruit in its seed-pod, one enjoyed as a dessert, or added to savor the rice. One of our students brought us a bunch of them as cut flowers this evening, a token of love and respect, and perhaps that we are beoming part of the culture. It is perhaps significant that they were still in the bud stage, ready to burst forth with beauty, but not quite there yet, much as we are in what we are trying to do here. I guess as we soak up the light and the moisture we too can blossom more fully and leave behind us here a legacy of seed-pods to add savor to another generation of pioneers.