The Laws of Neutrality

Here is a picture of Dalat, Vietnam's version of the Eiffel Tower.  It is still used as a radio signal for the city. During the Vietnam War, Dalat was a neutral zone. Soldier from both north and south Vietnam as well as American soldiers used this city as a place of rest and relaxation. Acts of war were strongly prohibited and none of the summer homes of the colonel frenchmen from the early 1900s were destroyed. Now, this place is a national treasure and tourist destination in Vietnam. It's known to be the city of love and the place for honeymooners. It is the home of the only wine made in Vietnam, and it is the only area that grows strawberries, artichokes, and other vegetables we can find in our own backyard, etc. The weather is 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the country. French is spoken by some of the older vietnamese who still live here. It was one of my favorite places to visit while in the country.

While I was there I was incredibly amazed at how the people of Dalat were very proud of their french influence. It is very clear that anyone who lived in the neutral zone at the time were spared a lot of hardship in comparison to other neighboring cities.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there were tons of unknown war crimes, spying, and espionage occurring, but for the most part both sides of the army placed nice in Dalat.

My family's history were shaped greatly by the war, and as I get older I find myself thinking about it all the time. I see what my parents and my aunt had to go through to get to the U.S. and I wonder how much of their experiences has shaped who I am today.

My dad went to college in Dalat to study electrical engineering. When the war started, instead of staying inside of the neutral zone he went home to his family. When he got there he found out that his father was thrown in jail for helping American intelligence. Dad was given an ultimatum from both the north and south armies: Join the army or go to jail with your father.

So what did he do? He ran away to Saigon and spent all of his money on a ticket on a packed boat to the Philippines.  He wasn't sure what was going to happen but he knew this was better than joining either army. Every time I ask him about a particular time during the war his face kind of turns into stone. I never press further than this because you can see the pain he endured. No words need to express this.

One thing I realized that I take after my dad on is that he's very steadfast with his beliefs and sticks to playing fair. His life is built on principles that people who work hard should be rewarded and those who are trying to cut corners in a dirty way should own up to their actions. What you see with him is what you get. There's no two-faced politics to play with him. You are either in or out.

I recall several times while growing up that he was quite upset that he was passed over for a promotion. I never really thought about it until  I was passed over on taking on several interesting responsibilities at my position. Inside, I was sort of disappointed, but I knew that it was because the position would not play to my strength. The position required a person who knew how to maneuver well between several groups of personalities and positions and then make sure to reach a goal set forth by the owner of the company. I realized that in order to be in that position you need to be able to play for both sides of team, listen well, and also be able to build trust between all of the groups in order to make those goals. With every job there are politics involved and you need to be able to work through them to your advantage. Both fortunately and unfortunately for me, I realized I am terrible at being neutral and I really don't like office or government politics.   I'm very similar to my dad. My mind set is very " in or out" on a lot of situations.

It dawned on me at that point that this mentality that both my dad and I shared is both a blessing and a curse that governs our lives. It will be something I will continue to deal with in both my personal and professional life until I die.

On this note, I do want to reiterate that I am capable of compromises and negotiations. Although I am extremely stubborn, I do try my very best to try to stay open minded about people's opinions and actions in relation to my own. Trust me, it's not easy to do as each day is a new challenge. And I can see why others who can work through this better than myself would be called into positions of leadership or management.

The other side of playing on both sides of the fence is the two-faces you put on. For some this is easy to do. Personally I believe people who rise into roles of leadership need to be able to deal with different sides of the fence. Conjuring hope and motivation, working to earn your trust, but sometimes a little low on keeping promises at times. I know for a fact that this is not a game I can play. What you see is what you get. And if I get passed up on opportunities to take on new projects I may be interested in I guess that is meant to be. Afterall, my dad did not choose the neutral zone, and its in my blood to forego neutrality and stand firmly on the ground with my own research, thoughts, and gut feeling.

An Interesting Ride Home....

I'm finally home from going to Seattle twice in 10 days! It's been mostly for work, but I got to spend time with my dad on his birthday so that was nice.

Traveling between Portland and Seattle is nothing new for me. Ian and I have  been doing it for a long time for both work and pleasure, however, today was a bit different.

While waiting in Chinatown for the 6:00 PM Bolt Bus, two previous Bolt Buses passed us up because they were either done with their shift, or did not have enough gas to make the full trip. Due to the Seattle Mariners/Yankees game, traffic was nasty and the bus didn't show up until 6:38 PM.

The bus was filled to capacity and I was the very last person to get on. Looking around and walking towards the middle I realized there was no seats available. WTF? Really? This is super shitty.
So I walked towards the front and the bus driver looked at a girl's ticket on her phone and realized she bought a ticket for the 2:00 PM bus, not the 6:00 PM. I was relieved that there was a seat but also sad that she had waited long only to find out she is on the wrong bus.

So I took my seat, which was at the very front row. Next to me was a man name Allen. He was a 55 year old Portlander who came up to the Mariners game to see them play the Yankees. I don't really know why but we kept talking about all kinds of things. He a scout troop leader, had 5 sons, a self taught machinist and conveyer belt designer, and he was extremely conservative in his political and community views. We were talking about traveling and I noted that it's when I leave the Northwest liberal utopia that I realize how conservative our country really is. Allen responded, "I'm the conservative one and I am amazed at that as well!"

He told me that prior to the the reign of Sam Adams his neighborhood just past I-205 in NE Portland was a good neighborhood with good schools. Now that all of the low income housing has moved east into his neighborhood, it has really changed the dynamic of his community. He told me he's never seen so much crime go unreported or unmentioned in the media, and the people he talks to feel like they are entitled to government food stamps and subsidized housing, but they do not do anything to lift themselves out of poverty. I then told him that my parents came to Vietnam with nothing and they made something of themselves even though they started out with nothing as well. Any kind of hand outs they took were temporary and they gave my sister and I a great childhood. Flash forward to now, those opportunities are drying up and there's less hope for the people living in poverty, or coming from a developing country to make something of themselves. Those programs are no longer in existence.   Allen only kind of agreed with this point.

"1 in 5 Oregonians depend on food stamps" -The Oregonian.


I don't agree or disagree with Allen's feelings because, yes, there are people who are milking the system, however, when 1 in 5 people in this state are on food stamps, this is not always the fault of the people. Over 40% of the middle class wealth is now gone. It is the fault of the greedy banks stealing people's homes, and also the citys, neighbors, and myself who are not helping enough.

We've become so competitive and complacent with ourselves that we don't have enough time to think of others. Life is precious and giving back is worth its weight in gold.

Life can also be altered or taken away in an instant. I had a big reminder of that today.

Today there was a car accident just 30 meters from Exit 21, the Dike Access Road/Woodland road. The two cars were crushed like an accordian, broken glass everywhere, and on the right hand shoulder was a semi with a bruised front and side panel. Everyone on the Bolt bus held their breath as the we crept by the scene of the accident. There were no signs of the victims in the car, but I know we must have all imagined their state of injuries were. It was not a pretty sight.

As we crossed the Columbia River Crossing Allen told me that early in the 60s/70s Janzten Beach was not a bunch of strip malls. It used to be an amusement park and public pool complex.

"They had the best wooden roller coaster. On the very last they they were in operation they let people ride for free, and I rode it over and over."

It was fun to imagine Janzten Beach without a Hooters or Michaels. Just an amusement park and a swimming pool for the public. I imagined the lights from the amusement park bouncing off the Bolt bus windows as we drove into downtown Portland. It's pretty to imagine, right?

I guess home is where your heart is, but it is also where your mind is most at peace.