Returning To Vietnam

I often experience anxiety when I travel. But usually that happens after I've arrived. This trip to Vietnam I'm feeling it at the airport before departure. I could be in bed now instead of going through all this. The plane prepares to take off and I'm wondering why I do what I do. What drives me?

On the plane to Hong Kong, the anxiety is gone. 15 hours in the air, and I still will not be in Vietnam. But at least I'm relaxed and have plenty of movies and books loaded up on my iPod, iPad, iPhone, Macbook, and Kindle. I'm going to buy stock in Apple and Amazon when I get home.

The flight isn't all that difficult. I watch movies and sleep. Before I know it I'm in Ho Chi Minh City again. This is my 7th trip in 3 years. My friend Loan meets me at the airport. I've brought her over a computer because it is 25 percent cheaper in the States. She's my oldest and best Vietnamese friend.

I take a taxi to my hotel and feel the anxiety again. It begins to subside as I speak to the driver in Vietnamese. I realize that all the studying is paying off and that you do not have to be young to learn a new language. I do wish though that Vietnamese were easier like Spanish and not a tonal language.

Thanks to a sleep aid I've brought with me I get a few hours of sleep before the morning light and traffic wake me. Surprisingly I feel joyful and rested. I'll go for a run now and to the market for coconut water and a fresh durian.