Morning Noises

Where I live it's usually fairly quiet in the morning.  Maybe the occasional bark of a dog, a plain going overhead or the low rumble of a car in the street. Sometimes i hear the early birds singing in the tree. Maybe they've caught their proverbial worm.

Today though the noises are very different.  I hear the constant low noise of an air conditioner, traffic in the street that is likely a melee of bikes, scooters and cars all honking their horns at each other (and at anyone brave enough to cross the street). I cannot hear birds, or any animals, though they are here. I am in Asia. The constant traffic, the never ending beeping of horns in the street (so many different ways to send a message via horn) and the intense humidity give that away.

I'm here for a reason, not just a holiday. I'm here because I believe God has brought me here to learn and to grow. I'm here because I love this city, this country, and its people. I don't live here and probably never will. But every time I visit I become more in love with this place and her people. I'm learning more about it's culture and it's history.

It is time I think to learn more of the language. It's time to step out of my European background and those familiar language sounds and invest time in learning something new and different.  I have a plan, a contact in my home city, that is willing to help me. I know I will be back here again and again.

Where am I? Those who know me well will have already guessed. I am in Vietnam. More specifically I'm in Da Nang. I love this place. It's become as familiar to me as almost any other place. I've come to this country more often than I've been elsewhere and been immersed in the people and the place. I want to learn more and know more. For many of my generation this place was a war not a country.

Recently I've read more of the history of Vietnam. I've read it from a local historian. Why? Because to understand the people you need to understand their history from their perspective, not from ours. We need to see that our best intentions to represent their history will always be biased by our perspective. Of course it works the other way too, but for me, reading their history covering past and present was refreshing and gave me new understanding of this amazing place.

For many I know this place holds memories of war and of horror. But for me, this is a country of wonderful people and wonderful places rich in history and culture. As I think about these things there is more to write, but it's time to rise and begin the day.