-^-for posterity-^-

the bluffton students had a profound effect on the an giang students. most of these students haven't been out of the mekong delta and have had little contact with foreigners. jack, julie and i are the first foreigners that they've been able to spend some serious time with. having a large group of english speakers come over is a wonderful treat for them and they had a lot of time to interact.

i also gave a test today. it was a final. i sat behind a large desk and important people milled behind me. students walked in shaking. they bowed and forced a smile. they were in their sunday best. i furrowed my brow and pretended to be concentrating for focusing. must look important. they presented dialogues and then i asked them questions. their dialogues were about any topic they wanted. here is one of the dialogues.

t: hi, what's new?
h: nothing much, and you?
t: er... er... maybe, i'm falling in love.
h: really? i'm eager to hear. what happened?
t: you know, many students from bluffton college have visited our university for two weeks?
h: yea, i know.
t: i met such a good man. i think he is my. . er... er... what's the word i'm looking for?
h: you want to talk about your ideal boyfriend, right?
t: yes, that's right.
h: so, what's his name?
t: he is... er... er... the name escapes me. it's on the tip of my tongue.
h: refresh your memory. let me suggest eric, cory, charles, randy, josh or... dr. dan?
t: now that you mention it, his name is _________________.
h: wow, i couldn't believe it.
t: yeas, i thought so. but you couldn't imagine my feeling when i saw him at the first sight. i was shocked like lightening and said nothing. something to that effect.
h: umm..... and...
t: yes, i'm telling you. it seems that i have met him before.
h: oh, when?
t: maybe, in my dreams. umm, whether he has any girlfriend or not?
h: who knows.
t: he couldn't know i like him so much. he is so sweet. not only that, he is intelligent and honest.
h: tell him your feeling. what have you got to lose? i mean, it's a piece of cake. you can do it.
t: but how should i say? i'm afraid he has a girlfriend, laugh at me or doesn't want to see me anymore.
h: no, really, go for it. i think you stand as good a chance as any.
t: oh, i hate myself. i'm too shy. he'll leave here tomorrow and he'll never know how much i am thinking about him.
h: you never know until you try.
t: yes, i know. oh, my god. here he comes.
h: come on, give it your best shot. it's now or never.
t: yea!!!

i'll leave the name out and let you all guess or imagine or hope. in one of the other groups, a student said this: "i like to swim but i don't know how." that made me think.