Too Many Flutes (2)

Our first trip to eastern Asia was to Vietnam, a difficult destination for a man who reached maturity during the Vietnam War, and whose every desire was to avoid going to Vietnam, both to stay alive, and also in political opposition to the war - though I am constrained to admit that I was not an anti-war activist.
Everything about Vietnam was surprising, from the intense motor-scooter traffic on the roads to the youth and energy of the population, from the candor and intelligence of our guides to the vigor of the practice of Buddhism as a folk religion, with the burning of incense, the bustle of pilgrimage sites, and altars covered with offerings for the monks. I was also surprised that we encountered no hostility because we were American-born. The Vietnamese have made it a matter of policy to put resentment and the suffering of the war behind them (though there are plenty of museums and monuments to their victory).

The music in Vietnam was a also major surprise for me. We heard live music in several places, and it pleased and interested us. So, when we passed a shop in Hanoi that sold traditional instruments, I decided to buy a flute as a souvenir. This instrument is called a dizi. It's a Chinese instrument, and the writing on the end of the instrument is a classical Chinese poem, which a friend of ours, Andy Plaks, translated for us.
It took me some time to get a sound out of the instrument, but I finally managed, and that encouraged me to take up the Western flute later on. Some time after we came home from Vietnam, I can't remember now whether it was months or years, I decided to buy a used flute from a local music store, and after struggling on my own, I decided to take lessons - and that was the start of an obsession.