“Every day you can find something perfect” (Vera, 28, Russia)
Across from my apartment there’s a small Japanese-owned burger joint. A Volkswagon bus sketch adorns the wall, with the motto Keep it Simple, Surf More. Ume, the owner, makes delicious burgers, but his favorite thing to do is to DJ street parties. Returning from a late night walk I saw a small crowd bopping to Ume’s beats. I decided to start this project, grabbed a microphone and approached Ume’s girlfriend, Vera.
Vera teaches English in District 1, the center of Saigon.
I tell her about The Perfect Day and she’s uncomfortable being recorded. But she loves the idea and she’s happy to talk.
Her perfect day is to meet people from all walks of life and to hear their stories. Just the other day, in the Japanese part of Saigon, a foreigner told her and Ume stories about his 5 wives, which she found fascinating.
She notes some days are better than others but that “every day you can find something perfect.”
We bobbed in silence, looking up at the stars, feeling Ume’s last song, Call Me by Aretha Franklin.