English was my primary and favorite foreign language. I loved it. It's all mine, the only subject unsurpassed by my 2 older brothers. I put my heart and soul, my dream and desire to fly away, my breakfast money and heirloom gold jewelry into its study. After 6 years at the Gia-Long High School and the Baccalaureate I, I left for the US on AFS scholarship to attend high school in NY. At the end of the year, I returned to Vietnam, back to Gia-Long to prepare for the Bach II. I remember vividly meeting co Quoi, my idol of a teacher in the courtyard. Her deep set of eyes were dark and bright looking straight at me, her high cheek bones were rosy, her dimples deepened with her smiles. She was radiant in the sunlight and so beautiful. She asked me if I wanted to return to the States. Of course I did.  She said she had been saving a scholarship for me for 2 months and handed me a letter from Sr. Marie Pierre from Marian College. That was the Autumn of 1963.

I attended Marian College the following year, never contacted her, never sent her a word of thank you. As the years passed, the war raging in Vietnam, there were times I wondered if she was alright, feeling sad and guilty. Then one day I saw Chau's email address in Marian's Newsletter. Impressed by the last name Phan, I took a chance, wrote him and asked if he was related to her. His reply “she is my sister” filled me with delight. “She lives in Seaside” shocked me since I lived in Seaside too, but different states! I phoned her and we talked for a long time. I was so happy to have a chance to say “thank you.”

I look forward to co Quoi's visit to Oregon in June (2012). We have nearly half of a century to catch up with stories of our lives and a new state of the union for her to discover!

Thank you, co Quoi! I love you.

Nguyen Thi Trung, Gia-Long 1956-62
Seaside, Oregon
May 21, 2012