-^-for posterity-^-

haven’t said anything about construction workers or auto mechanics.

the mechanics set up on street corners with a small drum to drain oil into and a few tools. they make the most of a very small amount of space. they set up in the middle of foot traffic and have people moving among them all day. they wear shower shoes. they are white, plastic sandals that are black from the grease. these mechanics are normally seen on their haunches next to a wounded motorcycle.

construction is a bit more interesting. everyone works with small plastic sandals on. i was always under the impression that, to be save, everyone must have calf high, steel tipped boots. there is a construction project going on at my university and i often sit and watch the men work. it looks very medieval. they have wheelbarrows. square and short. the one wheel is metal and bangs and clanks along. they have small carts that a single person can haul. they are worn and wooden with metal wheels. they shovel sand and rocks from different piles and mix them all together. all in their shower shoes mind you.

there are normally very many people working on any given construction project. there is a demolition project going on near my house. i walk by it every day on my way to lunch. there are maybe twenty workers all swinging sledgehammers and crowbars. they are all constantly moving. as you walk you must watch for flying stone and i’ve already been hit by a sizeable chunk. just smile and keep walking. the building could be taken down with one bulldozer in half a day.

i’ve also seen road demolition crews. sometimes they don’t have jackhammers. they use large wedges and large steel rods which are driven into the asphalt. men work with out shirts in the heat of the day prying apart the road. it seems unforgiving and i feel nothing but empathy as i walk by.

electric crews are also quite a sight. all of the electrical poles are concrete. they are home to a nest of wires. about ten to fifteen individual wires run from pole to pole and they tend to bunch up. the workers wear a loose blue uniform and helmets. they also have sandals on. the electricity and phone lines go down fairly regularly. right now the phones are not working.

at the yokohama tire dealership, i was given a song to learn. the words go something like this (loose translation): uncle ho, to respect and love. (that’s the title)

“who loves uncle ho chi minh more than the little children. who loves uncle ho more than the little ones. our uncle stands very tall and bright for our people. our uncle stands for the brown skin because it is the wind and the dew.”