-^-for posterity-^-

another wonderful display of affection from the students.

jack couldn’t make it to their last class. it was the last class that they would have together before jack went on vacation. they said that they would come up to our room and say goodbye to him there. mind you, jack’s going to be away for a whole two weeks.

they said they were coming at seven o’clock. they didn’t show till ten minutes after. they marched up our stairs like a troop of soldiers. there were about thirty of them in all. round faces, beautiful smiles. twenty five girls, the rest boys.

they all piled in my room and we moved their furniture into the other room. in their dorms, they sleep eight boys to a room. four sets of wooden bunk beds in the size of my living room. i have a bedroom too.

the girls brought up all kinds of fruits and candies. they put them in dishes and placed them in a neat row on the floor. one girl swept my room and another organized my desk. the rest were hurdled around pictures on my wall. they were especially curious about my parents and a picture of rachel kissing me on the cheek. they giggled and pointed and spoke vietnamese quickly and beautifully.

another girl passed out balloons shaped as hearts and we all spent the next minutes blowing them up and batting them around. some boys spent the time popping them. the loud thunder pop was always followed by a blood curdling squeal from a girl that echoed off of the blank walls and tile floors. they wanted to wish jack off on his trip and they were more than happy to speak with me.

we sang songs, learned vietnamese words and generally talked about life. it was real and refreshing. i can’t believe how wonderfully receptive the students are. they don’t see me as someone trying to act older than i am (that’s how i feel, you see). they treat me like a demigod.