After nearly 13 years with Thrive Networks (formerly the East Meets West Foundation) I have moved into a new stage of pleasant anticipation. Everyone wants to know the same thing about me: "What are you doing next?" I honestly don't know. What I do know is that my life is undergoing some interesting changes. My oldest daughter has graduated from college and my next two are heading off to their own college adventure in August 2016. All certainties are now faded; there is no reason to live in this overpriced cottage in Albany, which we bought to get access to the school system. My work at Thrive Networks is finished. So what am I doing? Basically, I'm waiting for the universe to bring me something wonderful.
family
Hidden in Plain Sight
east meets west, international development, travel, vietnam, familyCommentMy wife and I stopped the other day at some hole-in-the-wall near our house for breakfast, a nice hot bowl of pho bo chin (beef soup with soft flat rice noodles, served with brisket). We sat on small plastic chairs at plastic tables; at the next table were three white-bearded men eating, laughing, smoking and drinking rice vodka. They might stay there for a couple of hours, the food long since gone, but there is plenty more rice booze in re-used plastic bottles stacked along the walls, and the water pipe sits next to a big box of lung-searing tobacco.
While waiting, I had my motorbike filled up with gas and washed until it gleamed. The total for all this activity was $4.60. Had we wanted, we could have continued down the road a bit, put the motorbike into a full-service garage, enjoyed breakfast at the Intercontinental and spent more like $75, plus plus (i.e. paying the value-added tax, or VAT).