Bingh, Vinh, and Nam Vu

Every year I not only stay with Bonh and Vinh Nguyen in Hanoi, but they also come to Phat Diem and help me teach. Binh is the master teacher and she immediately brought both classes together for a pep talk.

 

She lectured them about how even though learning another language might be difficult, it is rewarding. Binh told stories about how others struggled to learn English and how it changed their lives. She had everyone enthralled.  

The rest of the day was spent on vocabulary. She first had the. Crest vocabulary word flash cards of words of their choosing from their books, the English on one side and Vietnamese on the other.  

Finally, they played cards, with the person guessing the most vocabulary word winning chocolate cars. I have to say they worked hard for a little bit of chocolate.  

Things got hot and heavy, especially in this class, the advanced class. Smack downs were the order of the day. At the end of the afternoon class, everyone was exhausted. Each class memorized over 70 words perfectly. 

Spaghetti!

Fr. Vong decided that for the dinner for all of the sisters on retreat here and the students we should have spaghetti with dinner. I slaved in the kitchen all afternoon. OK, the sisters did most of the work, but I "supervised." Here, the tomatoes are getting ready to be puréed.  

Because we are in Vietnam, even the Italian bead is French. Each table got a half a loaf.

Getting the spaghetti plated was a lot of work. I didn't get to the kitchen in time, so the sisters cooked the spaghetti for 10 minutes an hour before dinner. It was almost a huge sticky mess, but I mixed in half of the sauce with the pasta, so the day was saved.  

 The spaghetti was a hit. You can see all the sisters and seminarians having a great time. Here, some of the students are toasting Fr. thief who is soon to go to America to study English.

Fr. Hoa

Today I had lunch with Fr. Hoa, a member of my first English class in Phat Diem. It was the day of the feast of John the Baptist, are. Hoa's patron saint. So as is the custom, there was food and drink. Here he is (in the blue shirt) being lauded by friends.  

The room was filled with the men for whom he is spiritual director. They range from high school students to seminarians to deacons and priests.  Fr. Hoa is easy to like, relaxed and easy going, but firm when he needs to be. He is an excellent role model for young men.  

With Fr. Hoa in the right, you can get a better idea of the food. All is very simple and bland, but the spices are in the table, sauces and the like, that you can add to make the taste your own. This really helps an American. Oh, and the bread is Out of courtesy to me...they know I love it.  

Here I am with Fr. Hoa. He is pastor of Khiet Ky parish along with overseeing a growing mission parish nearby. All told, he has 2,900 Catholics between the two. Luckily, there are many men in the pipeline to the priesthood. At the present moment, Bishop Joseph figures that all the parishes will be full staffed with priest within ten years. That's far different from our situation in the U.S.  

Here are the priests and seminarians I am good friends with.

Confirmation at Tin Thuan

Yesterday I went with Bishop Joseoh to confirmation at Tin Thian parish, about eight miles from Phat Diem. As always before an important ceremony, there was a procession here you can see the boys who are to be confirmed the girls are on the other side of the boys.  

The elder women always walk last in the procession showing the importance in village life. The wear the ao dai (ao zai), the traditional formal dress of Vietnam. Umbrellas are a must in the hot summer sun. Even though it was 9:30 a.m., the temperature was already 90 degrees and humid.  

In the front of the procession is the traditional complement of drums. These go first to ward off the evil spirits. They are loud and I can tell you the musicians take this job seriously. The sound ranges from the very deep large drum to ear-shattering cymbals.  

Tin Thuan church was built by the people and beautiful inside. The Gifts of the Faithful were placed at the entrance of the church to be taken up later by two of the confirmed. Everything was simple and prepared with care.  

Here is a view of the interior of the church. The large book you see contains the words and rhythms for the song being sung for the choir. Traditionally, there had been little money for sing books, so this was the work around. The calligraphy is beautiful.  

After lunch, the local priests and elders had a small lunch with us while the families went to thir homes for celebrations. These are the times I get to see my old friends from all over and laugh, some I have known for ten years. It's always a good time with Fr. Phong as our host at Tin Thuan parish.

Going to the Philippines

This afternoon I was weeding the bonsai when Huy (left) and Khoa (right) came up to say goodbye. I had no idea they were off for a year to study English in the Philippines. They are fine students, and after the time abroad they will begin their studies at the major seminary in Hanoi. I have known then for years now and I'm very proud.

Rain for Sue

Each year I visit I put up a video for Sue where it is raining. You see, that's her favorite weather to relax in side, read a book, and take it easy. So, here it is, a downpour that came during lunch today.

Afternoons

So, after lunch and a good siesta, it's time for work around the grounds. Here, Truong is cleaning the large bird cage. While Fr. An has small bird cage, this large one holds three birds, including two doves. It needs to be washed and restocked with food and water, not a very pleasant job.but it's better than digging up trees.

This new small building will be the home for the retired bishop of Phat Diem. To provide some shade, trees from the back of the house are being replanted to block the afternoon sun. It's dirty work in 95 degree heat. They'd much rather be cleaning the bird cage.

The soccer field is getting a much needed leveling. Heavy equipment was brought in. I don't know the operator, but he wanted his picture taken. I have to say he was expert at moving the dirt.

Yes, that's Fr. Vong, the rector of the seminary, up in the mango tree. He wanted to get a bird's eye view of the grading of the field and decided this was the next best thing to going up in the press box.

As always, soccer is #1. The field is being torn up so there is no alternative. Some scraping of knees and a little blood, but it's soccer, so no excuses.

The afternoon is the time for the sisters to make dinner, and I always volunteer to help. This time they made the mistake of saying yes. I was assigned to beat the eggs for the omelette. As usual, it was done with style and panache.

As always, Hien and Han manage to take time out from soccer to mug for the camera. I'd get mad, but they are two of my best students.

Quy is the right hand man here at the seminary. He is the student who can fix anything and willing to do whatever it takes to get things done. We rely on his expertise to keep everything running smoothly.