A Special Visit

Yesterday, I had a special family visit me. Five years ago, when I was visiting the Museum of Anthropology in Ha Noi, a twelve year old boy came up to me and said, "Hello. Can I speak English to you?" His name is Nam and he was with his mother, and elementary teacher and part time English teacher. I was impressed with his pronunciation and breadth of vocabulary. Every year, his family visits. His father's name is Tran Ngoc  Vinh, mom's name is Nguyen Thi My Binh, and his little brother's name is Nam Vu.

These five years we have all kept in touch, talking about English, school work, our families, and our friends. And we have been lucky enough to visit each time I come here. Last summer, Nam spent time in America in an English immersion program and visited the East Coast. We are all proud of how well he is doing. Right now Nam is going to be a senior in high school. He has taken the SAT with pretty darn good scores, and this fall he will take the U.S. History subject test. His is in an excellent high school and hopes to go to the U.S. to study either engineering or English.

In the picture you  can see Nam, Teacher Gary, Nam Vu, Fr. Bo, Binh, and Vinh. I am blessed to know them.