Settling in Saigon

The past year has been a whirlwind of decisions, planning, moving and arriving, first physically and finally now as I sit down to write this on a simmering Sunday afternoon here in Saigon, mentally.

Emotionally I think I’m nearly there, and I know this mainly because I have finally started to make use of having Roland (my precious Roland FP2 model Electric Piano) here and begun to wake up from the uninspired daze I have been wallowing in to set fingers to keys and ideas to music.  I’m perhaps being too hard on myself there, because most of the other songwriters I know go through a dry spell here and there, even the more prolific ones.  I don’t think I’ll ever fit into the prolific songwriting category, but I think that is a good thing for me, as each song unfolds in my head like a novel and the pages write themselves in their own sweet time once I’ve been brave enough to step up to the keys and give the story music to sing to.

Breakfasting at Hotel Continental on Tet Eve  near The Saigon Opera House 

As soon as I get the mood to write a song it feels like I’m coming back to myself, and the more the song takes shape the closer I get to that ever elusive true contentment, when everything in life slots into place and stops rushing.

Living here is noisy, busy, interesting, a bit overwhelming and sometimes beautiful.  I’ll keep you posted on the first song from Saigon as it comes to me.

music player

Claire Cameron Blog

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