How to Convey Your Pain 〜A Local Pharmacy in Hue〜 (Written by Ho)

From my home in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I flew to Hue.

I joined the company trip organized by my husband's employer. Since it was a family-accompanied trip, I got to greet the employees' fathers and mothers as well. I could really feel how Vietnamese people put family first. Even young couples brought their children along, so I could see both their workplace side and their family side. Vietnamese people don't seem to draw much of a line between "on" and "off" — they basically interact with the same expression either way. It made me think of the Japanese concept of "dividuals," having many different faces — this seems different from that. Pretty interesting, isn't it? The hotel we stayed at this time was Lang Co Beach Resort.

Right outside the room, the shallow sea is calm and beautiful, giving the illusion that you could walk on forever. Once you fall into this trap, it's kind of a hassle.

Inspired by the young people out there enjoying themselves playing soccer and volleyball however they like, the blood of my former track-and-field days starts stirring. I told Sei (my husband), "I'm gonna go out for a bit, it's been a while!" and went for a jog, running slowly by myself. I wanted to go farther and farther, to somewhere with fewer people. Once I passed about the 1km mark and started feeling good, I even tried breaking into a bit of a dash here and there. I really can't run like I used to anymore~~ ah, lack of exercise, I thought. But even so, my excitement just kept building, and this time, getting carried away, I went and did some high-knees right at the water's edge... and then—clomp clomp—aaaahhh~~~~~~ I took a spectacular tumble and ended up covered in sand. I guess you really shouldn't do things you're not used to. Owww ow ow ow... uh oh, I think I heard some kind of sound... like a snap. My calf feels off... The area around the shishamo's belly feels tight, like a gizzard (I wonder if that description makes sense). When I slowly stood up, I couldn't put my heel down — could this be a mini calf muscle strain??? I limped back, causing trouble for everyone. (Especially for my husband Sei...) Oh man, this is bad... While hoping and praying it heals, I ice the injured spot, and the next morning I rush to the pharmacy on a rental bike.

Making full use of Google Translate, I successfully bought a support brace, medicated patches, and ointment. At the pharmacy, both the parent and child peered at us with curiosity and did their very best to listen carefully to what we were saying.

And what's more, they applied medicine to the injury right there on the spot and even wrapped a supporter around it for me. So kind... it made me really happy.

Getting all excited at 50 years old — this is what happens. Sigh... deep regrets. But the very next day, I'm out at the sea again! Playing on the sand, swimming in the pool, having a blast. The hotel is amazing. ●Lang Co Beach Resort Khu Nghỉ Dưỡng Lăng Cô Beach Resort 463, Lạc Long Quân, TT. Lăng Cô, Phú Lộc, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam Expat Life Ranking