A few years ago I was taking a driving course. Like most Americans, I got my driving license as a fresh faced 16 year old. But then I moved across the ocean and spent most of my adulthood in a country of manual cars and traffic signs with pictures and no words. And if I was going to live here permanently, I decided I needed to drive. Legally. And safely. Plus H had been bugging me for years to do my Czech driving license.
I enrolled in my course. My instructor was a police officer that called automatic cars "baby cars". I was entertained on each and every drive by his passenger seat philosophy. Being taught to drive as an adult is nerve-wrecking, at least it was for me. And I was so relieved to pass the exam on the first go and be able to put those 2 months behind me.
But I'm sitting here writing this because as I was driving home one night, I was keeping my eyes on the road and the other drivers and I had this idea that driving is a very national activity. It ties you into the fabric of a place. You feel the tempo of the national heart beat. Czech drivers are, fairly or unfairly, categorized as notoriously bad drivers. But as with all things Czech, I find an interesting dichotomy to Czech national driving.
On one side, I think Czechs are much more courteous drivers than their Ohio counterparts. When I'm back home in Ohio I'm amazed at how many people don't use blinkers, pass on the right side, slide through stop signs and don't make any signal of "Thanks" when you let me over. Czechs seem to have all these little politness-es down pat. And most Czechs hold fast to the zero tolerance rule of drunk driving.
On the other side, Czechs can be aggressive drivers. Give them just a little tiny provocation and they'll be drag-racing past you to prove their masculinity? bravado? coolness? Annoy them by having a license plate number from a different city or region and suddenly they will speed up and slow down to prevent the offending car from getting where it needs to go.
And all these cultural nuance I can observe as an Ohioan, behind the wheel of my Czech car.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Bookworm: Vietnam
When I'm in a new country, or even a place I've been many times before, I always find a local bookstore and ask for a popular local writer's book in English. It's a good way to get insight into what makes the locals tick. Literature reflects subtleties in culture, in the way people think and what they value.
In Vietnam I picked up three books that all reflect Vietnam in different eras and from very different view points. In fact, I'm still making my way through one of them. Here are my reflections.
Catfish and Mandala
The author, Andrew X. Pham, was born in Vietnam in the 70s and escaped with his family as "boat people" to America after the war. His book is the personal journey back to his homeland. I expected demon chasing and deep epiphanies, but what I read was more of a journal. He gives harsh realities of growing up as an immigrant in America and the harsh reality of going "home" and finding that there is no such place. It is a well written and raw book that I would definitely recommend.
The Quiet American
Going to Vietnam I knew there was one book I had to pick up: The Quiet American by Graham Greene. He was not Vietnamese, but he was a journalist writing during a very tumultuous and dramatic time in the history of that nation. But I chose not to read it while traveling because I purposefully tried to avoid The War. I wanted to see this country for it's long and elaborate history, not as a violent period.
So, I've started reading The Quiet American this week. I'm halfway through. What I can say at this moment is that Graham Greene can create a world in one sentence with his use of words. I am reading the book with a pencil just to underline the beauty he constructs, one line that tells more than most paragraphs. Even the title "The Quiet American" comes from a beautifully written sentence with in the first few pages. I'd like to read more by Mr. Greene to see if his style is consistent. As chances would have it I read an article about him on the BBC this week and his travels in Africa, so now I have two good reasons to pick up another book by him.
***I have now finished The Quiet American and it is the best book I have read in 2013. In fact, it will probably end up in my top favorite 20 books of all time. What a good read!
In Vietnam I picked up three books that all reflect Vietnam in different eras and from very different view points. In fact, I'm still making my way through one of them. Here are my reflections.
Catfish and Mandala
The author, Andrew X. Pham, was born in Vietnam in the 70s and escaped with his family as "boat people" to America after the war. His book is the personal journey back to his homeland. I expected demon chasing and deep epiphanies, but what I read was more of a journal. He gives harsh realities of growing up as an immigrant in America and the harsh reality of going "home" and finding that there is no such place. It is a well written and raw book that I would definitely recommend.
The Quiet American
Going to Vietnam I knew there was one book I had to pick up: The Quiet American by Graham Greene. He was not Vietnamese, but he was a journalist writing during a very tumultuous and dramatic time in the history of that nation. But I chose not to read it while traveling because I purposefully tried to avoid The War. I wanted to see this country for it's long and elaborate history, not as a violent period.
So, I've started reading The Quiet American this week. I'm halfway through. What I can say at this moment is that Graham Greene can create a world in one sentence with his use of words. I am reading the book with a pencil just to underline the beauty he constructs, one line that tells more than most paragraphs. Even the title "The Quiet American" comes from a beautifully written sentence with in the first few pages. I'd like to read more by Mr. Greene to see if his style is consistent. As chances would have it I read an article about him on the BBC this week and his travels in Africa, so now I have two good reasons to pick up another book by him.
***I have now finished The Quiet American and it is the best book I have read in 2013. In fact, it will probably end up in my top favorite 20 books of all time. What a good read!
Dumb Luck
So in Hanoi I popped into one of the many tiny bookstores that were selling copies of books. And when I say copies, I literally mean a bookstore full of PHOTOCOPIED books. You can get nearly anything you want for a few dollars or less. There are copies of Lonely Planet guides, the newest prize winning books, classics.
In the bookstore I asked the young shop assistant what she recommended. She said that Dumb Luck by Vu Trong Phung was a classic. Written in the early 20th century, it has a farcical and slapstick feel about it. I enjoyed the book, especially after reading the academic introduction that gave insight into the times of the book, the development of its popularity, then banning by the authorities and ultimately a resurgence in popularity in recent times. It's a good read if you know the history behind the jokes, otherwise it can get a bit tiresome.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Opposite of Anticipation is Homesickness
In November I wrote about how I love Anticipation of travel. But what about when the trip is over? When the planning has turned into experience? When people you hugged a few days before are just images in photos?
Well, for me the opposite of Anticipation is Homesickness. Right now I am Homesick for a place I've only ever spent three weeks in. But that place held on to a piece of my heart and would not let me bring it back to Prague with me.
I have lots of Vietnam blog material swimming in my head. I want to write and write and write. But first, I'm waiting for this wave of missing to pass. I'm waiting to not crave fresh red chili peppers so much, to not desire sun so hot it feels like it melts all the winters that ever were from your bones, to not miss those sweet conversations with new friends who have much to teach and to give you.
Ok, I'm going to go find some ice, a can of condensed milk and some strong French-pressed coffee to drown my sorrows in. That's what the Vietnamese would do....
Well, for me the opposite of Anticipation is Homesickness. Right now I am Homesick for a place I've only ever spent three weeks in. But that place held on to a piece of my heart and would not let me bring it back to Prague with me.
I have lots of Vietnam blog material swimming in my head. I want to write and write and write. But first, I'm waiting for this wave of missing to pass. I'm waiting to not crave fresh red chili peppers so much, to not desire sun so hot it feels like it melts all the winters that ever were from your bones, to not miss those sweet conversations with new friends who have much to teach and to give you.
Ok, I'm going to go find some ice, a can of condensed milk and some strong French-pressed coffee to drown my sorrows in. That's what the Vietnamese would do....
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