Hanoi and the life of the Goldfish

I can’t believe that goldfish can survive in there. I am sitting on the edge of one of the many “lakes” in Hanoi, amazed that any living organism can survive in those conditions, let alone gold fish. I mean, among the rubbish and cracked china and bowls and deck of cards that are scattered in and across the top of the water, among all that there are so many fish! But they were not acting normal. Something was different. I noticed one fish, perched still at the top of the water looking up at the sky and sucking in gulps of air, gulp, gulp GULP…as if oxygen was going out of fashion tomorrow.

Then as my eyes panned across the water I saw so many fish doing the same thing, obviously the polluted water blocking any oxygen that the fish had to survive on. Small little baby fish being taught by their parents how to scavenge through the green slime and rubbish to get their food, others chasing each other around the shattered bamboo chair lying half submerged in the water. From the moment these fish hatched out of their eggs until now this lake is all that these fish have known. The slime, the pollution, the broken plates and soggy cigarette butts, this is their world. But I am sure they are happy there, because some of them look happy. Others look like they are about to die and give up hope, but because it is all they have known, they seem to accept it the way it is. If only they knew that their “world” is a stinky, stagnating pond in the middle of a polluted city. Imagine what a difference it would make to that fish to, just for one day, get taken out of that pond and driven out into a remote, untouched beautiful place where the water is pure and clean and clear and full of plants and other fish and shiny stones and flowing water! What would it feel? Maybe it would think thoughts like “All those years I spent in that disgusting polluted pond not knowing what possibilities were out there, not even caring or wanting to know the truth, but happy just going through the motions of generation to generation, surviving, but only just. If only the other fish knew that a reality such as this existed…how different things would be!”

As I’m sitting here by the pond thinking these things, its hard for me not to draw conclusions regarding us humans living in this world. Every day seems to more and more pollution, earthquakes, famines, war, betrayal, murder, pain, sadness, depression and hopelessness. And its funny how even despite all that, we can walk around living our lives as if this is the way things were meant to be. Some of us seem to deal fine with it all, doing our day to day routines with no issues. Others sit at the top of the water gasping for air just to survive each day, often with no one there to help them. But if we could only see that this is not what we were designed for. This kind of life is not all that there is. Outside of this world is a loving God who is waiting for the right time to put an end to all of this misery and craziness and to set things right and put us in our real home. A place where there is no pain. A place where we don’t have to worry for the safety of our children, or watch tsunamis come and wipe out entire cities. A place where people don’t hurt each other because of misunderstandings or jealousy. A place where we can breathe in the deep, clean and fresh waters of freedom and love and never have to fear anything ever again. All it takes to get there is a desire to know the One who will take you there Himself. But only if you let Him.

..

Street Fight in Hanoi

I have never seen anything like it. Nor do I think I will ever see anything like it again. Today when I was riding my bicycle down the busy main road back to work after my lunch break, I noticed that the traffic was slowing and a small group of curious commuters were gathering looking at something on the sidewalk. If I was in my home country, I would have slowed down, looked and then kept on driving but because I know that everyone stops and has a nosey here, I decided to do the same. As I stopped just far enough away to see what was happening, I saw an angry guy holding another by his shirt. There were another couple of angry guys walking around looking very edgy. There were around 3 or 4 random people casually trying to break up the argument but most other people were just standing around. I tried to figure out what exactly had happened, and when one of the other guys started violently kicking over every sign he could see, another guy grabbed his own motorbike and started to try to drive away. Two guys stopped him and started punching him in the face, repeatedly and for a long time. Then things escalated to a point I never would have imagined. One man fell to the ground, probably from a punch to the face and so the two men started beating the crap out of one other man, over and over and over their fists went into his face until he lost his feet. Then while one of his attackers looked around for a weapon, the other went to the man fallen on the ground and took the biggest kick I have ever seen into his face and kicked him over and over again. I was so angry that noone was really going over to break up the fight, I knew there was nothing I could do because I can't speak Vietnamese, and there were even two army men there who were just standing, watching. Then I was horrified when I saw one of the main attackers come back with a huge brick, and by brick I mean it was 40 x 20cm and the guy could hardly lift it, but in his anger he lifted it up and up and I saw praying, no , please no, but yes, he brought it down with all of his strength onto the mans head. At this point I couldn't believe that all of this was happening on the street, and so many people were standing around just watching, not doing anything. The three guys got back on their motorbike and slowly drove off, right past the army men, and the man lying on the floor who had been round-house kicked to the face struggled to his feet. I couldnt recognise his face for all the blood. He didn't stand for long and at that point I felt so sick in my stomach that I turned and left, as still noone was helping them. What makes me angry, so angry is that how society can be like that, that no one helps, even when someone is at the point of being killed?! The attackers had no weapons (apart from a brick that was too heavy to do anything against a conscious person anyway) and it would have been so easy for a bunch of 4 or 5 guys that were standing around to say, ok, you grab that one, we will grab this one, and we will wait for the police to arrive. But the army guys were there. What use were they? I just cannot fathom how anyone can just stand around and watch that take place. A friend said, well yes Charlene, they were too scared to get involved. Who cares!! there were enough men around to easily overcome all those involved, its just that noone did it. I have lost all faith in this society. Maybe just today while I'm so angry, and yes, I know things like this happen in our countries sometimes, but no, most of the time people do help others, especially in a situation like this with so many people watching etc. Isn't it our human in built duty to protect eachother??? Or maybe I'm just dreaming of a society like that because in recent disaster videos I heard so many people saying, no, lets just help ourselves and save ourselves. Why are we like this?? Is there any way we can change this?? I would like to hear your comments below. For me, I will spend the rest of the afternoon trying to focus on work, but with flashes of the violence coming back into my mind. As a Christian, I am drawn to the bible text that says- "I have told you these things, so that in me (God) you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." So, I know where I will find my peace in this crazy world! How about you?.

Hanoi Traffic Food Chain

I am shocked to notice that each day I am forced to ride my bicycle through crazy traffic to get to work, I am finding that subconsciously (well, until yesterday when I realised) I have been playing games in the traffic. Which is quite interesting because technically these games could end up with me with a mangled body, or with my body as a nice covering for the front of a bus. But this is the situation. I ride a bicycle. Which puts me at the bottom of the Hanoi Traffic Food Chain (HTFC) which means I have to give way to EVERYTHING else and am a pleb of society. I am not even required to wear a helmet, but I do, so that makes me the nerd of the plebs of society, but a safe nerd. So back to the race of life on the streets of Hanoi. After work, everyone tries to get home as fast as they can, because the longer you take, the more traffic joins in the race of life. Generally at a figure of 52 metric tonnes a minute. So, if you are unlucky enoughto still be on the roads at 5:34pm or 8:46am, you are likely to be crawling forward in a mass of thick pollution (enough to make ur doctor think u've been a heavy smoker for 8 years) and a clanging of bikes as they all "gently" encourage eachother through to the finish line, wherever that is. Well, lately I have been stepping up my game. i have lost all inhibitions recently harboured by fear of crashing, and have put on my "boots of precision" and "helmet of boldness" and have been driving like a real Hanoian. I don't look behind me, I just go and merge and force other drivers to move around me. If someone is about to swerve into me or merge into me I refuse to move, and therefore take the advanced position when they realise I'm not going to budge. When the traffic is stopped, I use my size advantage of a bicycle to squeeze thru small spaces between moving cars and along the edge of the pavement where bikes can't fit, and I HAVE BEEN VICTORIOUS! HAHA! Often I actually laugh and declare victory chants under my breath as I overtake other competitors....I can actually travel faster than cars and motorbikes now and this gives me a feeling of competetive victory. Unless there is no traffic, and I go back to being the slow pleb on the traffic road of life......... But yes, I have been enjoying travelling to and from work every day. And Mum, if you are reading this, don't stress, I am a very aware driver. I mean rider. Pleb.

One thing I have learnt to master is the use of shields. When crossing a busy flow of traffic, it is vital to use other commuters as shields, and if you are at the top of the line, it is your humanitarian duty to be the shield. Which means you have to push out into the oncoming traffic knowing that they will veer around you, HOPING they will veer around you, and you lead you and your "team" to the other side where you merge and go on your merry way again. It's actually quite a beautiful experience, kind of looks like half of the flying V of ducks. Nature at its best. Although I discovered a problem yesterday when using a huge black car/4x4 as a shield, cos i couldnt see past it. And as I was using it as my shield, it suddenly accellerated and left me in the middle of the road with oncoming traffic coming my way...note to self..... only use shields you can see through.

Anyway, that is alot about traffic, how boring for my readers, I promise a more interesting post next time!!! Love to you all!!!