Green Green Grass of Home

Lina at one of her old haunts - Ben Thanh Market. Some of the people there still remember her!!

Sofia and Nazzim in front of the People's Committee building, near the Opera House.

Lina bargaining. She used to bargain in Vietnamese!!!

Masitah and Sofia.

Rozina, Ariffin, Solehin (Sofia's brother) and two friends. Rozina, Ariffin and Solehin are cousins.

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Over Christmas weekend we went to Vietnam, a place where we spent more than 3 years living in the late nineties. I was too busy working to have planned for any other vacation and with the last of my the points from an airline's loyalty program, we managed to scrounge four tickets to the land of what was probably the most famous war in the world ever.

We met Masitah, who looked after Nazzim and Sofia all those years. Sofia was less than four years old when we left and now she is taller than Masitah. Back then, on her first day of work, first day of work, mind you, Nazzim sliced her finger, deep to the bone as a result of him pulling back the knife which she had already held, after thinking that she had managed to coax him into handing it over. But Nazzim had other ideas. Four year olds usually do. She looked after both Nazzim and Sofia and forever I will have this vision of her carrying Sofia whenever we are out in town and she had strict orders from Lina not to let anyone take Sofia from her. Masitah later had children of her own, including a daughter. I don't have to tell what is her daughter's name, do I?

It was a good trip, just three nights there. Enough to do some shopping and see some people who meant something to us. It was sad to leave but I guess we will not wait another nine years to return. One nine-year wait was enough. Maybe we will go again for a visit next year. Yes, we'll do that....

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