Super Woman Sunday

Entrance to the Temple of Literature- Hanoi, Vietnam

Calling my Sunday jammed packed with activities is an understatement. I woke up on a boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam and had a small breakfast on board. I was scheduled to take a smaller boat into the harbour, but was delayed due to some mechanical malfunctions. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I finally set foot on land and took a bumpy, 3 hour long ride in a rickety old van back to Hanoi. After we got to Hanoi, I had to hustle to make a graduation ceremony my friend, a law professor at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Vietnam, was in. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to pack dress shoes - all I had were neon green flip flops and tennis shoes. The ceremony was held in the Temple of Literature, a 1,000 year old building home to the oldest school in Vietnam. I had to be seated at at 5:30PM and all I had on were jogging pants, an athletic top and sneakers.

Do I abandon my friend and wait outside? Do I attend the ceremony in my pathetic clothing and bring shame upon myself sitting amongst the elite and inside a building of such high honor?  At 5:15PM I decided to go for it. I had on sprinting flats, might as well put them to good use! I ran around the Temple, across the busy street (narrowly getting ran over my mopeds and cars), down the crowded avenue and into a shoe store. I was feeling like The Flash, but a more sweaty version. "I need at pair of black pumps, this size (as I held up my sprinting flats)! I need this now, please!" The shoe store owner and her daughter looked at me with wide eyes for 2 seconds and quickly sprung into action. Within 60 seconds, I had tried on a pair of patented leather pumps that was a Cinderella-worthy fit. I paid for the shoes, ran back to Temple, snaked my away around to the back where the professors in the procession were gowing (and where my friend had stored our suitcase) and changed right then and there. I put my dress over my tank top and removed my pants from underneath. I felt very, very wrong for changing in a place of worship with a few men lurking around. By U.S. standards, no biggie. But my traditional Vietnamese standards, what I was doing could be considered appalling! Thank goodness everyone was too busy to notice me. By this time, it was 5:29PM and I was fully dressed. I even had pretty pearls around my neck to look a little more formal. I was seated by 5:33PM by a volunteer and more guests were still being ushered in.

The Flash!!

The ceromony lasted a little after 7PM and after the waiting for my friend to finish his photo-ops with graduates and other faculty members, it was time to catch a cab and hustle back to my friend's apartment to pack. After that, I had to hail another cab to the airport to catch my flight back to the United States. I also had to write some last minute postcards! After bidding my best friend a sad goodbye, I made it the airport with exactly 1 hour to get my plane tickets, make it through customs and find my gate.

When my butt hit the airplane seat, I sighed one of the biggest sighs of relief. No more running. No more huslting. I felt like Super Woman. I kicked of my shoes, wrapped my purple airplane-issued blanket around me and sunk into my seat. I put on my headphones and started to watch the movie Eat, Pray, Love.

So within the span of 12 hours, I had traveled by sea, by land and by air. I am exhausted, but a little proud of myself for getting so much squeezed into those 12 hours.

I'm currently blogging from Icheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea. Yet another flight to catch in about half an hour. Good thing I can see my gate from here! Tune in for my review of Incheon! This has got to be the best airport in the world! For very little money, I was able to eat, drink, nap AND shower in a private lounge! Gotta down this cappucino and grab my luggage...until next time!