Ho Chi Mama: Adventures of a VietMOM: Happy New Year! Chúc mừng năm mới!

Rockin' Out in the Ancient City

Happy 2011! We're wide awake on New Year's day before anyone at home even has watched a firework, raised a toast or counted down to midnight. It feels a little weird.

We went to bed at 2:00 a.m. with strains of Justin Beiber resonating around the rice paddy. Karaoke was in full swing for the New Year's Eve crowd. Ironically this New Year's Eve celebration was largely about appeasing the tourists. The real new year, Chinese New Year or Tet, doesn't arrive until February 3rd. That is when the real celebrating will begin.

In search of some sort of festivity, we spent the evening in the Ancient City where a large number of foreigners were congregating. There were flashing lights, sparklers and balloons for sale and a generally festive atmosphere. With dinner, a pool table, and tasty desserts we managed to keep everyone interested until around 11:00. Foster and Brianna were ready to head home, so we biked them back to the rice paddy before heading back to the river with our party animal, Nolan, for the midnight "countdown."

The countdown was largely non-existent. We listened to countdowns in different languages from different groups of people anytime between 11:55 and 12:05 depending on the time on their cell phones. No fireworks. No great crystal ball. Lots of sparklers being tossed from balconies into the river. By 12:10 we were biking back home. Next up...Tet. We'll see what that version of the new year has to offer.

In the meantime, I am resolving to spend my winter sweating instead of freezing and swimming instead of skiing. I'm also going to try to get out of my "squid and mango rut" and mix up my diet a little. On the self-improvement front, I am resolving to practice speaking Vietnamese more. It's time to ramp up the language skills. Counting to ten and saying "Happy New Year" after four months is nothing to write home about. And, finally, there is the Madagui Trophy Jungle Race (Want in? We'd love company! This will be our Vermont City Marathon this year http://www.vietadventure.vn). You can't do a jungle race in Vermont, so we must try it in Vietnam (although the idea of mountain biking in "wild dense forest with a complete lack of roads" does terrify me given that I'll be training on a one-speed wonder on flat, paved roads). Alas, that's what New Year's resolutions are all about, right? Challenge yourself. Do something new. Make 2011 your year. Chúc mừng năm mới!