So we made our way from Budapest to Munich, Germany - home of the 2006 World Cup, but more importantly it is where Chu Vinh, my uncle resides with his family. I have not seen him or his family for 27 years, and it was a reunion that I had been looking forward to since departing Vietnam in late February. I thought communication may be a problem as our command of the German language consisted of “Dangka-Schene” (thank you) and Hefivisin? Needless to say there was a lot of catching up to do. With no need for guide books or preparation for Munich or the rest of Germany, we were a little lost at the massive Munich International Airport upon arrival but were unworried as we knew we had family that awaited our arrival. Unlike most international airports that we have visited so far where all arrivals enter at a single gate, here in Munich there are 6 points of entry in two separate terminals. So we spent about an hour tracking down the family. My cousin Hai, the third eldest of five was waiting at terminal 2 (the last one that I checked). With a sign in his hand and picture in his pocket, he greeted me with a smile and a “Hello, are you my cousin from Canada”? As I stood there staring at this 6 foot stranger, one thought ran through my mind – he is much too tall to be a Chung. We greeted each other in our native tongue and to my surprise and astonishment he spoke perfect English.
An hour and two trains later, we made our way back to my uncle’s house. He was at work, but his new wife welcomed us with cake. We finally met my uncle that afternoon when he came home for an hour or so like he does every afternoon to check up on Duc, my 9 year old cousin and the baby of the family. He woke us from our slumber and with eyes half open, I swore I saw my own father when I looked at him. His mannerisms, the way he speaks and laughs, and physical demeanor are exactly those of my dad. We did not get a chance to talk for long, as he had to return to work an hour away by train.
An hour and two trains later, we made our way back to my uncle’s house. He was at work, but his new wife welcomed us with cake. We finally met my uncle that afternoon when he came home for an hour or so like he does every afternoon to check up on Duc, my 9 year old cousin and the baby of the family. He woke us from our slumber and with eyes half open, I swore I saw my own father when I looked at him. His mannerisms, the way he speaks and laughs, and physical demeanor are exactly those of my dad. We did not get a chance to talk for long, as he had to return to work an hour away by train.
That night my cousin Hai, Rav and I decided to attend the festivities of the World Cup of soccer to watch Germany play at the Olympic Park which they have converted into a fan zone with huge screen TVs. It was crazy!!!! The number of boisterous fans and the flow of beer was quite the site. Although the game was not that exciting, the pandemonium was a great experience and we were just at one of the many large screen TVs set up throughout the city.
The next day we met all of the other cousins as they lived out on their own. We had a family day in the park with a picnic, beer, and a little soccer. It was a great way to meet them as we talked and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. We found out that Hong, the eldest daughter will be moving in with her boyfriend, Thomas in September with her 5 year old son Allan and getting married next year. The eldest son, Sepie has been attending university for the last 5 years and is studying economics, Mandarin and Japanese. Hai had just moved out a month before our arrival and is working at the Casino. Ling the second daughter loves to bake and is quite good at it. Last but not least there is Duc, the youngest member of the family who is in the second grade. My aunt and her boyfriend and his son Julian also attended the BBQ.
We have not had too much time to do any significant amount of site seeing in Munich, as we have just been acquainting ourselves with my cousins and uncle here in Munich. At Thomas’ generous offer, we went to visit the Linderhoff castle about 2 hours outside of Munich. This castle was quite amazing as it was designed for the last king of Bavaria in the later stages of the 18th century. We spent the entire afternoon with Thomas, Hong and Allan on the castle grounds and drove through some really picturesque scenery. There were some really small towns surrounded by natural landscapes with rolling hills. It was a great way to spend an afternoon. That night we had our first taste of Bavaria cuisine as our gracious host delighted our palates with white sausages, pretzels and beer.
2 comments:
Rav & Chris. Lucky you to be in Germany! What a beautiful looking country! Chris, sorry for the loss of your grandmother. Loss is never easy, but it sounds like you have a wonderful family and partner to get you both through the tough times. Look forwarding to seeing you in Vancouver. Rav? Still counting the days?
Welcome back to Canada, cousins!
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