As mentioned previously, it was hard to tell how much change occurs when you are surrounded by it. I'm on my way back home, currently laid over at LAX, and I already feel something pulling me at me. We will see where this goes.
It will take a long time to sort through the complexities and repercussions of Vietnam, but I figure now is as good a time as any for reflection.
For me, I don't think that anything encapsulates Vietnam more than my hat. Designed and created by my friend Loan, it is a frank expression of my time in Vietnam.
Vietnam was both beautiful and devastating. A temptress, her splendor could swallow you up, and take everything from you. She was at once organic, and increasingly artificial. Evident in only the most invisible ways, her touch was subtle, yet always bold. It is tempting to simplify her, to give her one dimension. She could be your ally in growth or your nemesis, oppressing you every step of the way. But she is more complex than either caricature.
I never understood why the French fell so hard for the romance of Vietnam. After living there, I now see why. Her beauty is exotic, her turmoil frustrating, and her contradictions mystifying. The intrigue is, at the very least, intoxicating. I'll admit it, I fell for her too. Punch-drunk love, indeed.
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