Holding Hands

Location: Saigon (Ho Chi Min City), Vietnam
Date: May 22, 2010

Saigon is a very very busy place. Everywhere you look, motos and cars are zooming by and it is nearly impossible to cross the road. Today, after I left Ben Thanh market and then grabbed a quick bowl of pho, I walked up to the corner in order to cross one of the busiest streets in District 1. There is a giant roundabout with about 6 streets coming off of it, and just thinking about crossing made me nervous. But, I needed to cross, so I stepped off of the sidewalk into the street. I noticed a Vietnamese woman next to me, wearing the typical garb- a pointed "rice fields" hat and patterned pajamas (for some reason, this is the style- matching pajamas, which are worn day and night), so I slid alongside of her so I could cross with her. She didn't take a look at me, but she noticed I was there because after her first step she motioned with her right hand for me to follow. I did, and together we made our way through the first few meters of road. Suddenly, she reached back and grabbed my hand, and in this way, we crossed the road safely. At the other side, she let go of my hand, and we went our separate ways. Never did she look at me, or utter a word, but after saying thank you and just being in shock of the woman taking the initiative to reach for my hand, I just had a giant smile on my face that lasted the rest of the day. Vietnam is such an interesting place- culturally, there exist many differences in everything from food to hygiene, and truthfully. is has been difficult to make meaningful connections to many people here, but today, she reached for me, and I held her hand as together we crossed the street.


Happy Birthday Tracy!