Let's get the particulars out of the way. I was one of two assistant coaches for the Bring It Promotions (BIP) team representing the United States in Vietnam for a volleyball tournament, Binh Dien Cup. As far as I know we are the first USA team to play in a volleyball tournament in Vietnam. Spoiler, we lost in finals and won silver. If you follow me on Facebook, you probably saw a bunch of pictures, links to video. Anna Church has a nice run down of our trip, complete with photos, and interesting stuff. You should check out her online journal/blog thing.
This was a 16 day trek for me. I arrived early to allow my body time to adjust and spent the night in LA on the way home to allow myself to decompress from the Transpacific flight (go to In-N-Out Burger). Now the time lords get to keep two of those days because I spent them on a plane and factor in the international date line nonsense.
My goals for this trip fall into two categories personal and professional. I wanted to pack light and rely on my phone for snapshots. Normally I would pack 3 cameras for a trip like this. My main, my backup, my compact, all with lenses, power and consume all the shots at once leaving zero time to digest the place I was just in. I have a tendency to shoot first, enjoy later. I wanted something different. I wanted to be present.
I wanted to experience volleyball from the bench at a high level. I wanted to test my process and practice being a little more nimble in my analysis and decision making. I wanted to be in the gym with competitors and personalities that I wouldn't get to work with normally. Not to say that my team isn't competitive, but these are professionals, it's their job and they are damn good at it.
In true adventure form, I was stepping out of my comfort zone and having to bond quickly with the staff and the athletes. I know that meeting new people and connecting is not a strength of mine. To the untrained, it seems that speaking to prospects and their parents doesn't seem to bother me. I'm somewhat at ease with it, but what most people don't realize is that before and after I go to recruit somewhere I need to isolate myself and cache my alone time so that I can cope with the general public.
Part I: Getting to Ho Chi Minh City
I read "Where the Wild Things Are" on the flight out to LA to a random child. I find that while I dislike small children, a few of them find a way to connect with me. Children, infants especially are a total mystery to me. Hell, I'm a total mystery to me. This kid in the waiting area must have seen me reading in the waiting area. It's a Southwest flight so there's open seating. I neglected to check in early so I was in one of the last groups to board. I'm wading through the aisle and I feel this tug on my trousers. It's this little boy asking me to sit in the aisle seat next to him. But, I can only sit there if I read to him. This kid is going places. Not only does he love books, but he already appreciates other people that like books. I was sold. Best flight ever. I can forgive the nose picking and sticky juice box fingers. Mom, Auntie were tending to fussy sister. Grandma did not have her glasses. I could get used to kids like this.
I feel for tall people and their smashed knees in small spaces. Here's something that might not occur to you. On some planes, my feet don't actually reach the ground fully. On some flights, I have to slouch in my seat to plant my feet comfortably on the ground. My back hates this. My legs hate to dangle. So, I'm that person that is up any chance they get on long flight to stretch, to walk about, and just not be in a seat. When you're in the middle row of the center group, this takes some finesse. I tried to time my breaks with the lady watching movies next to me. That worked really well because I think she was just a squirrel-y as I was. It even got to the point where she asked me if I needed to get up after her movie was done. Well, she didn't say it, but she pointed at me and then the aisle. Kindness is a universal. I gave her my pineapples.
Taipei Airport restrooms are like being on holiday. They are well lit. They are clean. There is no gap in the door. There's plenty of room for you and your bags. It's quiet. Props, to Taipei and their lavatories.
Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City consisted of passport control, getting bags, and finding the dude that has a sign with your name on it. While Coach Val and I wait for our ride to the hotel, I'm struck by how hot and humid it is. I peel off a layer, but I'm still sweating. Okay Vietnam, Game on.
Motorbikes are the primary mode of travel. Cross the street cautiously and confidently. Look both ways. That's my best advice. Oh, and motorbikes like to take shortcuts on the sidewalk, so it's best to have some eyeballs in the back of your head.
At some point I got a massage at our hotel. It was billed as an upper body massage with paraffin hand treatment. I had never had a paraffin hand treatment. I mean I played softball and volleyball and my fingers are so mashed up they don't fully straighten at the tips (mallet finger) and other hand injuries are common, but have never had this done before.
The massage started great. She wasn't any taller or bigger than I, but she did a great job working out the massive tension in my shoulders. I probably should have warned her about the soft spot on my skull. That didn't occur to me until she gasped while she was massaging my neck and the base of my skull. The surgeon used titanium mesh to repair the hole in my skull after having a tumor removed in 2002. While it is soft there you can't poke my brain, though my family has tried. I told her in my best terrible Vietnamese that I was okay and to keep going, please. After her initial reluctance, she continued with the kneading of my head skin although with less vigor than before.
Next, the paraffin treatment or hot wax for your hands. I'm not gonna lie, the wax is hot. I have a high tolerance for pain, and I thought the wax was hot. [I've been shot, torn both ACLs (though not at the same time), rucked 5k on sprained ankles (yes both), jumped into icy water to retrieve keys, and hit in the throat with softballs, floor hockey balls/pucks and I drive on every time.] It might have been the exfoliation they did prior, it might have been the room we were in, but it was super uncomfortable at first. They wrap your hands in plastic wrap after applying the wax and peel it off like a glove. That alone was worth the price of the massage. To peel a layer from a substrate in one motion with the entire layer completely intact is one of the single most satisfying actions one can witness.
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