majestic memories
I just finished wrapping up a consultancy project, working with three universities in Vietnam on an assessment of their labor relations education program. On my recent work trip to Saigon to meet up with representatives from a university located there, I had an early morning phone conversation with my mom before heading to a 8AM meeting. I mentioned to my mom that my consultancy had booked a week-long stay for me at the Majestic. In that week, I experienced luxury, privilege, and guilt, but also a delectable memory from my mother’s then emerging adulthood.
The Majestic is a historic 5-star luxury hotel, located in the pulsing center of the city overlooking the Saigon River. The hotel is adorned with solid warm wood floors and cabinets, art deco moldings and columns—a modern-day preservation of the old charm and elegance of French colonial architecture. This hotel was established in 1925 and has evolved and remade itself through periods of tumult, from the French occupation, Vietnamese independence, the American War, to post-war building.
At first my mom did not recognize the name because the word Majestic was pronounced slightly different by a Vietnamese tongue in her era. Her voice immediately rose when she recognized that name. She shared excitedly that as a teenager she had crossed the Saigon River—the same river I saw every morning on the fifth floor at the breakfast buffet—on the now defunct ferry and walked by the Majestic every morning going to work, past the Notre Dame Cathedral and to her minibus station. I mentioned that the hotel is on Đồng Khởi Street. During her pre-1975 days, she recalled that the street was known under a different name. The street was once called Tự Do—Freedom Street.
During that week when I walked down my Đồng Khởi version of the street, I examined the even pavement, the mixture of young and old tourists, women selling iced tea in plastic cups, and laborers resting by a half-finished construction site in the early evening. I gazed at tall stately trees lining the street, modern storefronts selling high-end clothing, and small shops with classic touristy knick knacks. In the midst of this overwhelming blend of tourism, consumption, wealth, labor, and sweat, I paused to imagine what kind of vibrancy she had seen almost 40 years ago on this very same street—her Tự Do version of this street.
Although I was uncomfortable at staying at such a luxurious place and was constantly negotiating my position in this landscape, I was able to explore past those qualms and appreciated that moment shared with my mother. This hotel—and the street on which it resides—is a relic of the past, a symbol of change and adaptation, and surprisingly, a storybook weaving seamlessly together memories between generations.
old Majestic
new Majestic
shifting perspectives
Dear |||||||,
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Immediately after obtaining my master’s in June 2011, I left for Vietnam through a fellowship with |||||||, working with an organization in Da Nang, Vietnam on issues pertaining to women with disability, mostly with research and program design. I have always strongly believed in the tenets of social work, but my experience in Vietnam has deeply reinforced to me how imperative it is to strive for social change holistically, at both micro and macro levels. Witnessing the need for the development of social work education, as expressed by practitioners in Vietnam, and also sensing the importance of social work practice and the lack of literature in and about the Vietnamese American community, I feel that is necessary for me to gain substantive experience in clinical social work in order to fully engage and serve the community.
I will be relocating to the Bay Area by April and will then register to be an associate clinical social worker in California. I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you about my enthusiasm, eagerness to learn, and commitment to provide holistic and community-based direct services for API communities. I have also attached my resume here for your review. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best,
(job)seeker
portraits of my uncle
Sharing lovely images of a lovelier person, my uncle–the embodiment of conviction, humility, and humor.
springtime is near
Currently sitting at a eclectic yet charming cafe in Hanoi trying to finish up some reports for my consultancy work this month, but I couldn’t resist sharing this moment of inspiration. Despite the impending deadline, I’m surrounded by an undeniable calmness and tranquility. Broadened perspectives, future possibilities, and upcoming adventures planned and envisioned this past week have brought me back to what I wrote almost a year ago.
Springtime tends to bring with it a rejuvenation of life and accordingly the imagination of new possibilities and new ways of examining the seemingly old.
glorious sunflowers I saw recently:
