Max's birthday!

Last week Max turned 20 years old! Being far apart means that he celebrates without us and we try to be creative in sending a present. This year Max celebrated with close friends on a chilly Canadian evening. They went skating then to Starbucks to warm up. And our gift this year was a painting by local artist Amanda Rhodenizer, who also happens to be a friend from Nova Scotia.

Tet Holiday

We have just concluded one of Vietnam's biggest family holiday times. Tet is a celebration of the Lunar New Year and the Vietnamese people have a lengthy holiday to give thanks for the success of the old year and to pray for luck, health, and prosperity in the new year. People travel to the town, village, or neighbourhood where grandparents and extended family live.

We chose to stay in HCMC during Tet because the city is very quiet after most inhabitants have left for a week or more. Before leaving the city there are parties, decorations, fireworks, and flower displays to mark the new year. We have spent this week touring different parts of the city to see decorations and to try new coffee shops and restaurants. We also shared meals with friends in our home.

Each year is associated with a Vietnamese Zodiac sign. 2018 is the Year of the Dog. People born under the sign of the Dog will be trustworthy, prosperous, protective, and judgmental. Tim is a Dragon (talented, energetic, passionate, and tactless). Lisa is a Snake (compassionate, persistent, charming and short-tempered). Simon is a Cat (ambitious, tender, sociable, and secretive). Max is a Tiger (brave, smart, risky, and indecisive).

Happy Valentine's Day

February 14 is a bit overshadowed by Vietnamese New Year's holidays. Before the school break the Booster Club also had a Valentine's Bake Sale and photo booth. Candy Grams, heart shaped cookies, brownies, and lots of laughs!

And on Wednesday we celebrated by having brunch with friends at one of our favourite Coffee Houses (iced mocha and avocado smash!).

Watermelons

One of the Vietnamese traditions for Tet (Lunar New Year) is to buy beautiful and tasty watermelons. We have Vietnamese-Canadian friends who have a farm and grow several varieties of watermelons to sell for the Tet holiday. They sell for two days of the year and this weekend Simon was invited to help with selling watermelons.

Our friends grow watermelons that have red flesh or yellow flesh, and seeds or seedless. After the melons are picked at the farm, they are brought to the city in the middle of the night. Simon, his friend KaRoi, and a group of men were on hand at 2am to unload the watermelons from the truck to the shop. At 6am people were banging on the shop door to begin purchasing watermelons.

What we didn't know is that watermelons are part of Vietnamese ancestor worship. Watermelons are sold in pairs and displayed with the photos of deceased loved ones. The watermelons are best if they are the same size and colour for the symmetrical display. After New Years Day the watermelons are eaten.

After the first day of selling we met Simon and our friends in China Town for lunch and a bit of sightseeing.

Moon Spectacular

Last evening we joined friends on the Crescent Bridge near our home to watch the incredible SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON.

At 6pm we could see the big beautiful moon low in the sky. It was a SUPER Moon because it was close to the Earth and looked very big and bright. It was a BLUE Moon because it was the second full moon in the month of January.

At 7pm we saw the shadow of the Earth pass over the moon face and begin to change its colour to copper. It was a BLOOD Moon because it was a lunar eclipse. By 8pm the moon was a blood-red colour as it reached the total eclipse. (The above photos were taken with Lisa's Canon Rebel camera by our friend Hannah.)

Vietnam U23

This week the city has been talking about soccer! The Vietnam team has been in China playing for the Asian Football Confederation U23 competition. On Tuesday the team won the semi-finals (beating Qatar) and advanced to the final game against Uzbekistan. All week the country has been excitedly preparing for Saturday's match.

We made reservation at a favourite Pub with large viewing screens. We joined thousands of others wearing Vietnam flag t-shirts to cheer on the team. It was a disappointing loss in the last 2 minutes of play in the second overtime. But, even still, people were still smiling and chatting at cafes for hours after.

Daily Life

This week Lisa was looking for a printing company to produce some small books for a study group. She found one a short distance from home. It is a small operation where two competent young women quickly put together various projects for the University students across the street. It was a pleasant outing and very inexpensive -- just 75 cents for a 70 page bound booklet!