Me as Traveler

Roosters, Rice Wine, and Red Faces

Jarred from my sleep, I sat up, my heart racing to the tune of a piercing animal noise. I glance toward the unfamiliar sound emerging from the floor, and I see two arguing roosters (maybe it was a discussion). A city girl at heart, I screamed (several times). Fearful I had awakened the family, I prayed they hadn’t heard. I could handle this on my own. Moonlight shines into my room, the tin door left wide open. But by whom? I am alone (in the only room with a door in this sprawling house in the middle of an orchard in the middle of a jungle).

It took a moment to remember I was at a homestay in the Mekong Delta. Yesterday was perfect. Special. Warm. Connected. This thought now made me feel safe. Maybe the wind or the family dog opened the door. Being invited to share a family’s everyday life is an honor. I never fail to feel changed after an intimate exchange with strangers; we are all so different, yet so the same.

Yesterday began with the ride from Saigon, passing a billion motor scooters on the highway. A sea of colorful helmets and overstuffed luggage racks of boxes and furniture provided theatre for the three-hour trip. Upon arriving I met the lady of the house, whose brightly colored pants complimented the lush fruit / flower orchard backdrop. She offered me a bowl of local fruit I had never before seen. My eyes smiled. She too smiled, but then her face turned red. Her eyes glanced at the panties hanging on the porch to dry. Plucking the panties from the line she stuffed them in her pocket and gestured a ‘sorry’; I gestured back a ‘no worry’. She was blushing. I felt my face flush. We shared a blush and then laughed.

Later an English-speaking guide and a Swiss couple came. We connected over homemade fish and crispy vegetables and walked to the canal to catch a boat to the floating markets. Standing, an elderly boatwoman sang as she glided down the water. Unforgettable!

Later we were invited to join the adult children of the house as they partied with friends. Jun, the guide, translated. We laughed and shared stories. A friend offered us some homemade rice wine, and we all got drunk. We toasted. I was honored for being the oldest. I toasted them for friendship. We took pictures.

In college I protested the war in Viet Nam; I am fair skinned and sun-shy. So why here? My wanderlust took me to a far away culture to find yet again that sense of home and humanity that I so crave.