Hendrik

For the last 9 months Hendrik has been with us here at AGU. He was a postgraduate IT student doing a project with the library. I learnt a lot of things about Germany and German culture. He really was a great guy, not what I would expect from an IT student. I also learnt the correct way to drink those German beers. The big ones. At Oktoberfest last year, which coincided with Hendrik’s birthday, we went Lang Toi and ordered litre beers. Metta, a Danish girl was also there and they wanted to have a proper Oktoberfest drinking comp. After much instruction I followed their lead and found myself with a sore arm. How can these guys lift a litre of beer with one arm. I thought it was crazy. They proceeded to tell us that there were barmaids capable of carrying 8 of these glasses through a tent of drunk Germans doing there slap dances.

Occasionally when the mood was right Hendrik would do a slap dance. Of all the crazy memories I have of Hendrik, one dance he did etched in my mind forever and when I picture Oktoberfest I am sure this is what all the people are doing.

Saturday Hendrik departed for the Middle East then off to Germany. We heard he arrived safely and did some things we wanted to do. On Wednesday last week was his official send off. He had a private dinner with his boss and the head of the university. By about 7.45 I was starting to feel my stomach eat itself as I could no longer wait for the food at the after party. I went to contact Eric yet his yahoo message was perplexing making me feel that I should not contact him.

Eventually Eric was starting to feel the pangs of hunger and contacted me and we quickly made our way to Truyen’s. At the restaurant Lillian and the family were there waiting. Next along was Sabrina. She is from Switzerland and is working for the pesticides department of the department of agriculture and rural development. She is doing her internship for here degree here in Long Xuyen.

Truyen had cooked up too plates of beef. If the beef had of been Australian it would have been divine. All the same the flavour was great if a little chewy. There were some really good deep fried mushrooms as well.

After everybody had arrived, I started to wonder if Hendrik was coming. He contacted us to tell us he was on his way yet this was about 30 minutes ago, and nothing takes 30 minutes to get to in Long Xuyen. I met Jack for the first time that night, he is the long term defacto of Kirsty, the other AVI who is newly arrived. She is working with the English dept. Jack kind of reminded me of my uncle Mick, a good bloke to have a drink with.

When Hendrik and his girlfriend Thu, arrived they were carrying a special present, a bottle of Johnny. We continued to eat and Truyen was well and truly beyond the great unknown expanse of drunkenness and kept ordering food. We kept drinking and then left at the latest possible moment.

Saying goodbye to Sabrina, with Truyen watching.

At the guest house the party continued and we drank the whiskey empty. Hendrik was even brave enough to pick up a guitar and play. I was starting to feel tired myself as I did not sleep well the previous few days and by this time I could tell Hendrik had had a long day and the whiskey was taking its toll. We had a mission to complete, finish the bottle. I struggled through the tiredness and together the three of us finished the bottle and called it a night.

Playing the Guitar

The evidence makes us guilty