A busy time

As we get close to leaving, activity is picking up. Yesterday we held a formal meeting with education officials for the district and exchanged evaluations, gifts and words of mutual praise. Any negative information is saved for long after meetings.One delightful idiom is that people say, "We wish this meeting could go on forever...but.." One specific outcome was that the district people have resolved their misgivings and now want all schools in the district to have teacher aides! A big shift since we only got our approval letter the day we arrived.The headmaster mentioned that this is one of the most sensitive regions (Quang Ngai) because of heavy war activity (and My Lei)and our visit was a small step toward our shared peace. That felt good. Then we all went out for lunch with multiple toasts to shared success.

After that meeting, Our friends from Madison Quakers, Doh, Mike B. and Noel and a young education journalist from the city -proposed going out to the area where first the French, and then the Americans had quarters overlooking the sea.First we stopped at a remote memorial to nurses and doctors who were working in an underground hospital for the wounded VC. The clinic was discovered and then blown up by Americans, killing patients and nurses. Some of the tunnel to the hospital is still intact and we made a solomn and claustrophobic decent down the ladder.A memorial stands in front of 60 graves with no names. We burned incense and placed some on each grave, and prayed together.

Then we drove on to the cliffs overlooking the sea. Marge stayed on top to write while we clmbed down to hang-out at a beautiful bay.

Today we met Luu, our teacher friend for breakfast and then went to visit her family which includes her husband's grandfather of 99! When we took his picture he insisted on putting on his "dress" glasses. He has so many stories since he fought against the French and then the Americans.It is hard on this area to talk with anyone over 50 without a war story.A lot of sad stories,but also pride that Vietnam won and kept its Independance. Now they worry about the Chinese who already are making territorial claims on a few islands. Tomorrow we go tovisit compassion houses.