Ready To Leave

I leave Nha Trang in three days, Vietnam in five. It has been an interesting learning experience being here for nearly six months (less a month off to return home for Christmas). I survived Lam, barely. Still feeling horrible guilt over my cowardly departure. I made many good friends. Enough so that I would never have to feel lonely here. And I've found something to do with my education, teach English.

I got the opportunity to teach poor university students and then teach at a Five Star Hotel on Vinperl Island. I got a big kick out of being employed by someone for the first time in nearly thirty years. (Still not sure that they are going to pay me. I haven't seen any money yet, and this being Vietnam.)

I did learn this while I was here:

One  People everywhere are really the same. The biggest thing that makes people different (in general) is economic situation and opportunity.  It is easy to be nice when you have a roof over your head and food on the table. Take that away and people do what they have to do to survive.

Two People everywhere are really pretty messed up. Human beings are crazy. We do stupid things. We think stupid things. The things we believe are just plain wild. I swear to God, we have no clue as to what we are doing on this planet.

Three Since we are all essentially the same it is a waste of time to judge people as good or bad. And since we are all crazy, we might as well relax and enjoy the ride. Accept the fact that the world and we humans in it are incomprehensible and just do your best. 

A short prayer from A Course In Miracles is what I say to begin my day and how I try to live my life. "I am here only to be truly helpful." The world is beyond my ability to understand. People, even apparently well adjusted people, have all kinds of personal issues and problems we don't know the half of. So, if I can live each day trying to be truly helpful, I can't ask for much more.

I am really looking forward to spending the next six months back home in Westerly with my family and life long friends. I'm sure I'll have trouble finding something to do since I won't have teaching to keep me busy, but there will be a lesson to be learned in that too. And when the summer is over, I wonder if Vietnam will call me back. I hope so.