2011: Thankful Gerard got to meet his Grandma in this lifetime. RIP.
We love the food, we adore our culture, but ultimately, this trip is significant because it’s G’s first time here. Ever.
You could say it’s an important one, a pilgrimage so to speak. G’s never met his Ba Ngoai (Grandma on his mom’s side) or the rest of his family in Vietnam and it is important for us to make the 6 hours drive from HCM to Chau Doc located southwest near the border of Cambodia during our 10- day stay in Vietnam.
G get’s it from his Grandma. Check out that nose!
[SinglePic not found]I guess it runs in the family
[SinglePic not found]Ba Ngoai’s house on stilts and visiting Ong’s (G’s Grandpa) grave
[SinglePic not found]Uncle (dad’s brother), Uncle (G’s uncle- in- law)
Lucky for me, Long Xuyen is 3 hours outside of Vietnam and on the way back from Chau Doc so I get to see my Ba Noi (Grandma on my dad’s side) and the rest of the family, too!
And even though I only got to see a few of my Aunts (my dad has 10 siblings) I was pleased to know I didn’t have to remember ranks. Gotta love Vietnamese and their number system!
[SinglePic not found]Ba Noi, Auntie 11 & 9
My mom’s sister resides in HMC and are always our host family whenever we visit. This trip, G and I stayed at my Ba Ngoai’s house because it’s 5-stories high that can accommodate us. And.. has air conditioning!
[SinglePic not found]Auntie 7 (mom’s sister), cousin, niece & nephew, Ba Ngoai (mom’s mom)
And then there are these crazy people I love so much — my extended family — whom I call aunts and uncles but are really childhood friends of my mom.
[SinglePic not found]Uncle Be & Duc and Auntie Xuong & Trang
Always the first to greet us at the airport and the last to drop us off. They are the ones who will drive us around town, take us on tour after tour, organize Lang Nuong dinners for 20 and invite us to neighborhood weddings.
They don’t have much but they’ll go above and beyond for us and are always ready to open their doors and wallets. And for that, I am beyond grateful because they made this trip more memorable.
Ultimately this trip is all about family and we’ve got some of the best around!
What was your experience like visiting family abroad?
*Sigh* Family will always be there no matter what. Great post!
always a good feeling to know that.
*Sigh* Family will always be there no matter what. Great post!
always a good feeling to know that.
Seeing my family overseas in the Philippines is always great and they sure do look after you! The only issue is sometimes a communication barrier since they don’t like to speak English and I don’t speak their dialect – do you both speak Vietnamese as well?
Yes, we both speak Vietnamese. Though my mom has a hard time understanding Gerard some times. He’s what you call Viet-glish. Bahaha. =P
I thought PI is all about the english over there!
In the bigger cities perhaps, but my family is in a small village. They can speak English quite well but are insecure about making a mistake and embarrassing themselves which is a shame.
Seeing my family overseas in the Philippines is always great and they sure do look after you! The only issue is sometimes a communication barrier since they don’t like to speak English and I don’t speak their dialect – do you both speak Vietnamese as well?
Yes, we both speak Vietnamese. Though my mom has a hard time understanding Gerard some times. He’s what you call Viet-glish. Bahaha. =P
I thought PI is all about the english over there!
In the bigger cities perhaps, but my family is in a small village. They can speak English quite well but are insecure about making a mistake and embarrassing themselves which is a shame.
Great stuff…No doubt you’ll remember that experience forever…
Most definitely. Always a good experience to see where your history comes from.
Great stuff…No doubt you’ll remember that experience forever…
Most definitely. Always a good experience to see where your history comes from.
I was googling some info for my upcoming trip to Egypt and ended up visiting your blog – Great stuffs ;)! I love travelling too (35 countries on my list) and it’s always nice to get to know other people who share the same passion. Your blog is really cute (and you both are cute too – I’m talking about the proposal in Prague ;)!); I have always wanted to write a blog of my own but been kind of lazy :(. Also, what a small world – I’m Vietnamese myself and I’m also from Long Xuyen :). Keep up the good work!
I was googling some info for my upcoming trip to Egypt and ended up visiting your blog – Great stuffs ;)! I love travelling too (35 countries on my list) and it’s always nice to get to know other people who share the same passion. Your blog is really cute (and you both are cute too – I’m talking about the proposal in Prague ;)!); I have always wanted to write a blog of my own but been kind of lazy :(. Also, what a small world – I’m Vietnamese myself and I’m also from Long Xuyen :). Keep up the good work!
This is so touching and lovely, I don’t even know you guys, but I’m so glad G got to meet his grandma <3 Thanks for sharing!
This is so touching and lovely, I don’t even know you guys, but I’m so glad G got to meet his grandma <3 Thanks for sharing!