I Love Tết (but I missed it)

Tết, the Lunar New Year festival, is a time when life in the city calms down and everyone seems to be in a good mood. Hanoi is noisy and over-crowded, but when everyone heads back to their hometowns for the holiday it's so peaceful! (Imagine what it would be like if everyone in NYC or Atlanta whose roots were in another city left town for a week.)

I've come to really enjoy the peace and quiet of Tết but this year I missed it because I spent the 2-week school holiday with my kids and grandkids in Hawaii where our youngest daughter lives. No regrets, though. There will be another Tết, if I live that long, but I don't always have the chance to be around when my grandkids are born.

Hello USA!

This afternoon I was one of four judges for the "Hello USA" competition at school. Three teams, representing the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, the Center for American Studies at Hanoi University and the University of Social Science and Humanities, competed in games that tested their knowledge of American history and culture. Hanoi University won. They were quite impressive. We were a distant second. The photo below is some of the students setting up the rehearsal (Both photos were taken from one of my student's Facebook album - the guy sitting at the computer.).

Christmas 2009

For the first time, Christmas in Vietnam seemed as hectic as Christmas in the United States. Many people in Hanoi have begun to celebrate Christmas as a time to have a party. Unfortunately, most don't seem to "get it" any more than I understand the reason for having a party on St. Patrick's Day.

Two "Vietnam: Christmas traditions have developed for Nancy and me. One is making Christmas cookies with students. It's incredible how artistic they can be.

The other, which dates back to the 2007 VTF team, is helping to wrap and deliver presents for the preschools sponsored by CAMA Services. (The kids memorize lines from the Christmas story and put on a little play.) It wouldn't feel like Christmas in Vietnam without it.

 

(L to R) Innkeeper, Mary, Joseph

Shepherds and Angels

Magi

Twitter

Someone suggested that in order to understand Twitter, I need to try it out. So, here goes. But if you're in North America and you get tweets on your phone, you'll want to check out Setting sleep time for text messages. No one likes hearing their phone in the middle of the night!

Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor

Part of the curriculum for my reading classes is the US Declaration of Independence. The document ends with the signers fully committing themselves to the cause. Last week I told the students to write an essay explaining what they are committed to. I thought I'd share with you one of the more articulate answers I received.

If you read the Declaration carefully, you will not forget the last sentence, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." In this occasion of 1776, 56 signers of the Declaration committed to devote their lives, their fortunes and their honor to fight for their country's independence. At this time, if asked to give my life, my fortune and my sacred honor, I would give them to my family - the closest and meaningful thing to me. If there were no family, I would not be in the world. In addition, my family has given me everything, from materials to spirit. It is always my support when happy or sad. As regard with 56 signers of the Declaration, fighting for their country, emancipation it from the oppression of Britain is getting freedom for their family and themselves. I was born when our country was independent, as for me, at this time, my family is the most important and most sacred thing in my life. What I give to my family is to repay what my family has been giving for me. When I contribute my life, my fortune and my honor to build my family, I make contribution of my life, my fortune and my honor to my country as well, because the prosperity of each country is built by one of each family. It is also the way I seek to my own independence and happiness. Because, when you know what you would give your life, fortune and honor to and know about give and take, you are really grow up and it is time you achieve your own independence.