Ob-La-Di Vietnam: Vung Tau

I have blogged about Ba Ria, the town where Molly lived, and the time I spent there with her at the orphanage. After the investigation was completed, we were free to move to Vung Tau. Most families have gone back to Ho Chi Minh City at this stage of the adoption, but I had gotten to know the city of Vung Tau, and liked it. Plus, the cost of accommodations was much less that HCMC.

Molly and I moved into a residence hotel that Loan recommended. We had a lovely apartment with a full kitchen and laundry. There was no pool, but the cost of our apartment was about $10 per night, compared to $160US per night for the Somerset hotel in HCMC! Molly and I were very happy there.

The ladies who ran the hotel both spoke English, and there were many other families staying there from France who were adopting babies from VT1. I finally had a bit of a social life, and heard many wonderful stories of how other families were formed by adoption. Some people were there for the second time, and I got to know and admire a woman from France who was single, and back for her second child.

Molly and I would go out in the mornings to run errands, then escape the heat to nap indoors in the air conditioned apartment for the afternoons. Later, we would go for what the French parents called a 'Promenade' - the families would all meet up with the babies in 'poussettes' (strollers) and we would walk through the neighborhood, ending up at the cafe for a blended fruit drink and a chat. Fortunately for me, a couple of the ladies spoke English very well, so I was able to share in the conversations.

I noticed the irony of struggling to communicate in Vietnamese at the orphanage, then getting to Vung Tau where I struggled to communicate in French! There wasn't another Canadian family there until the last week before we left.

We enjoyed walking a few blocks to purchase fruit and vegetables from the street vendors. The food was fresh, tropical and very cheap. I had purchased a 5 kilo bag of rice, and I would cook myself a simple meal after Molly was down for the night. I then would spend the rest of the evening on the computer, keeping in touch with friends and family at home, and catching up on my blog postings. I was able to find a computer store in town willing to let me rent a laptop for the month we were there.

Our apartment at the Binh An 2 was our first home together for Molly and I. We found a new daily routine based on Molly's schedule. She sleeps until 8am! She quickly stopped napping in the morning, instead, we would lie on the bed together while she drank a bottle, then just have some 'quiet time' for about half an hour. Then she would nap between 12 and 2 in the afternoon. (She still has the same routine today, although I'm lucky if she naps more than an hour these days.) We had found a grocery store nearby, had a favorite children's store where I bought bottles, toys and clothes for Molly, plus gifts to bring home for friends here, and found a tailor who made some clothing for me. I could envision living there quite comfortably!

We had toys, music, treats, and lots of people we considered friends. Molly also enjoyed the birds across the street at the first Binh An residence. There was a rooster, chickens and some baby chicks that she loved to watch. There was also a couple of birds in cages hanging from the trees in front of the hotel lobby. Molly learned to imitate the 'Cock-a-doodle-doo' of the rooster by the time we left!

By the time we had the adoption ceremony and were able to arrange for a flight home, I was somewhat reluctant to come home! We were happy there, and home was where Molly was.

But now, 2 months later, we have settled into our life in Canada together. We are happy here, too! But if we had a chance to go back and live there for a year or so, I wouldn't hesitate.