Well, it was time today. I mean to start motor biking, because we are moving tomorrow and the handiest (and cheapest) way to travel to the office is the motorbike taxi, which costs about 20 000 dong (one euro)/direction. Taxi (<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />5 km) costs perhaps 3 euro. Not bad either.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Today I had decided that I have to be brave enough to start it. Do not even believe that I would drive myself, but to sit in the back seat, "tarakalla", as we say in Finnish. My dear friend Loan promise to drive me around. First of all, I went to buy a helmet (red one). Loan came in the afternoon. When we left, I was really nervous, sweating and shaking. And soon I noticed that I was the other one in Hanoi traffic wearing a helmet and no doubt that people were smiling at me. Anyway, after an hour or so, I started to feel quite comfortable. Loan was an excellent driver, not using the horn like most drivers here, although she among other drivers drive in one hand only when their mobile is ringing!
We went to see our house which was still under construction, wall painting etc. And we went to see another expat area which is quite isolated and surrounded by – if not slums, so nearby. And we see the famous Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, part of Old quarters, West Lake etc.
In the morning I had gone to a lake which is near our hotel, a small lake called SaltLake. A beautiful place, where I have to take my friends when they come here at Christmas and New year. I am so happy that Anja and Seppo are coming over. But today on the motorbike and lake trip I realised how much I already like Hanoi, and what an interesting place this is to live. Life is actually quite wonderful here. What is also surprising me, all the foreigners living her, whom I have met here or at home, just appraise this place so much!
Well, what else? Toivo is turning 6 months today. Time has gone so fast. He is a wonderful little boy. I am hoping that he would speak vietnamese after 2 years.
What I also thought the other day, is that this is totally a different mission from my previous ones to Bosnia, Kosovo and Estonia. Not only because I now have a family and have to be more settled, but also which I did not realise that I work mostly with Vietnamese colleagues. Surprisingly my office is not that multinational as I thought, most of my colleagues are local people. But I am sure that from this mission I also get life-long friends, like from each previous missions as well. Oh, I want to thank all my friends, I have got so much from you. Like Angela in England, who now is a godmother to my son, or Katy in Norway, whom I meet nearly every year. Or wonderful Branka in Belgrade – needless to say, that I am thinking each of you…..Just keep in touch and write comments below. Looking forward to hearing from all of you! Without the great mission to Sarajevo(Ilidza) in 1998, I would not be here. Because there I learnt what a richness it is to work in a transnational environment.
