During the Vietnam War, Americans tried unsuccessfully to win over the “hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese people. They might have fared better if they’d traveled with 10-month-old Francesca Ferraro.
A few days after Melissa and I arrived in Vietnam, we were joined by Francesca and her mom, AJ, dear friends of ours from DC, for a month of sightseeing. AJ is a veteran vagabond, and Francesca is proving to be a real trooper herself. During 24 hours in transit from the United States, she cried for less than an hour! She got over her jet lag in a few days and proceeded to charm almost everyone she met.
Francesca is a very happy, smiley baby and an adventurous eater (a trait she shares with her parents). She’s also very comfortable around strangers, which is lucky because the Vietnamese seem to love little kids.
Every time we go anywhere, people want to say hi to Francesca, hold her, take her picture, play with her, and introduce her to other babies in the neighborhood. It makes “the slow road” even slower, in that it’s hard to go five steps down the sidewalk without someone wanting to stop and make a fuss over her. But that slow pace is fine, because we meet lots of people that way, and because we’re generally only up for a few hours of sightseeing a day anyway (between naps and meals).
This is a tough thing we’re attempting: living with a baby in a series of hotel rooms for a month and eating out at least twice a day. I think most parents would consider it crazy, but so far, it’s working pretty well. One big reason is that we can scarcely sit down in a hotel lobby or cafe without some staff member wanting to dandle Francesca while we check in or eat. If only parents had this widespread a support network back home!
It’s great to see what joy Francesca brings to the people she meets, especially when she laughs or claps or waves bye-bye (skills she’s perfected on this trip). People having a dull day at work seem to perk up when they have the chance to interact with her for a little while. And groups of Chinese tourists slogging through the heat also seem to gravitate to her for a photo opportunity and a little play time.
It’s been especially sweet to see how many Asian men and boys of all ages (even teenagers) want to hold and entertain her. That’s not something you see as much of at home.
