Clipped Wings.

Portraits of Hanoi, Part I.

Hanoi, Vietnam – Today was one of those challenging days you come to expect, particularly working internationally.

In many ways, this is one of the reasons opportunities to work abroad are so beneficial: with an open mind, you can gain a greater appreciation for other points of view, concepts of time and how other cultures manage their day-to-day lives. And you develop your soft skills.

None of this is to say I wasn’t mildly frustrated as I sat in my cubicle awaiting my 9:30 appointment this morning. When she finally arrived at 11:30, she explained she hadn’t been briefed on what she was supposed to do, and left anew.

I began to think the meeting had actually been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. EST.

Instead of returning, she was replaced by Mr. Viet at 2 p.m., and I was finally able to get down to a couple tasks on the day’s schedule. I was at least able to use the found time to begin crafting a workshop I plan to deliver a couple times toward the end of my mandate. Flexible, I can do.

I capped my day off by shedding some of the Hanoi heat from my scalp. In the middle of rush hour, I stopped at a roadside barber and peered into his mirror, nailed to a tree. We didn’t share a language, but I’ve become decent at pantomiming what I need.

In a matter of minutes, we had gone from his thinking I needed directions, to shaking my hand in appreciation.

Plugging the clippers into an extension cord slung over a concrete wall, my hair fell to the sidewalk, and with it, the day’s frustrations. Tomorrow is a new start.