Things change. Nothing is truer in this case.

I took the taxi down on Ly Tu Trong. I absolutely didn’t recognize anything, and didn’t realize I was on Gia-Long till I saw the garden Vuon Tao-Dan on the left. And the only reason I knew was because there’s is not too many gardens in the city. The street is scarily crowded. Saigon is a huge beehive. From every intersection, motorcyles and cars speed towards you like bees swarms. To cross the street, my trick is to look the other way so I don’t see traffic flowing towards me.

The street took me to the T-section, which is my high-school. I’m surprised it still looks very decent after all these years. The gate is closed. The walls have a new paint. The statue of St Vincent de Paul is still watching over the school front yard. The side alley leading to the school’s backyard is now filled with shops and stalls.

Continue on Cuong-De, then left turn on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai which used to be Hong Thap Tu. I passed by the church Martino where I was forced to go to mass every Sunday. Father Thinh has already passed away. He used to go to each row, and would point his finger at me. Come to think of it, I doubt he meant anything with that finger. But back then, I was horrified that he knew I had skipped confession or talked during mass. Going to confession was a misery. I had to invent sins so the priest wouldn’t yell at me for not thinking hard. The idea of committing sins is still hovering over my head …

Pho Cao-Van on Mac-Dinh-Chi is still there. Still the same store front. Still the same owner.

The Police Station is now Hotel Sommelier Chancellor. I looked hard for my house but couldn’t find it. Couldn’t find it at all. The same address, 40 Hong Thap Tu, is now the Center of Asian Education.

It used to be the house, front yard, and fence. Now it’s a wall with posters. And the rest of the house looks like a box with 2 windows. I felt so depressed. I know I shouldn’t have. We left the country. What do we expect? Things to remain the same waiting for us to return to? And yet, seeing the house you grew up is no longer there gives me sense of loss. The river of time in this country flows at a much faster speed.

I suddenly felt tired, and lost the desire to further explore the city. Took the taxi back to the hotel to brood, nap, and forget about life …