no, the seagames are not an aquatic event, they are the south east asian games, similar to a mini-tropical-olympics. the powerhouses that will be coming include cambodia, laos, thailand, malaysia, vietnam, indonesia and other relaivly un-important nations. they will meet in vietnam. they will play, win, lose, feed the economy and generally feel good doing so.
the country is incredibly excited about hosting the seagames. i have already posted the lyrics of the song (i think i did) which is played in coffee shops all across the country. the posters that hang above the roads that normally extol the virtues of good family and society have all been changed to remind people how excited they all are to be hosting such an event. in the middle of hanoi's hoan kiem lake, one of it's most famous and historic sites, there is a giant neon sign that says, 'welcome 22nd seagames'. in the middle of ho chi minh city there are also a number of signs and banners that flutter quietly in the hot wind. at the ben thanh market, one of ho chi minh city's tourist hot-spots, there is a large sign that counts down the days to the seagames. there are 19 days left.
the mascot of the seagames is equally hilarious. he is a bull or water buffalo, depending on how you look at him. the bull is orange and yellow. he is usually positioned facing his left with one hand stretched high above his head and the other hand across his waist. his feet are spread. around his waist is a superbly positioned, red loin cloth. there are also shirts with the bull participating in different sports. there is the bull kicking a soccer ball, the bull playing ping pong, the bull doing gymnastics and the bull in some sort of karate stance.
i have been getting into the seagames spirit too. i routinely ask taxi drivers if they and the city are ready to host the seagames. i watch them fiercely and wait for their answer. they all assure me that they will do their best to make the seagames wonderful. no one has ever hinted that the city is anything less than fully ready and capable to host the games. everyone is on board.
and this is the bull...
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