A Lesson with Huy

Mary first came to Hanoi in the summer of 2005 with a program called "Travel to Teach". Her placement of two months was in a school for handicapped students. It was there that she met and worked with Huy (now 20). Mary returned to the state of Wisconsin and worked until coming to the island of Phuket, Thailand to learn how to teach English as a foreign language. That is where I met her. After the Phuket class, she returned to Hanoi and reconnected with Huy. She works with him every Wednesday beyond her work hours at a local language school.

Mary has a regular motobike driver who takes her to Huy's house. He quickly found another driver for me and we were off to his home. It is about a 15 minute drive on the main roads and once off, it is a straight drive along every narrowing alley ways. His home, shared with his two siblings and mother (his father died 12 years ago) is about a 8 foot by 15 foot space. In the back corner is a wooden ladder over a small kitchen ledge (one burner/cooking oil/utinsels) that goes up to the second level where there is sleeping for the mother and daughter of the family. Most of the lower level is a sleeping area for Huy and his brother with belongings neatly stacked in every crevice.

Huy has no movement in his legs and arms and has been this way since birth. When his friend, Huong lifted his arms up on the tray, he then can move his hands and has the ablility to write and hold a book. His mother keeps a hot water bottle on his left foot as it is often cold to the touch. At one point she brought it to my feel thinking I was cold.

Huy was every polite and always cheerful, welcoming me kindly and asking many questions (How old are you? Where do you live? How long have you been in Vietnam? What do you think of Vietnam?) He told me he liked my hair and said, "I think when you were young, you were very beautiful."

Huy has gotten quite good at English and he now has his own student, Huong. She was shy, but tried her English out with me, smiling all the while, telling me she is "not very good". Huy's mother always was politely offering hot water and candies as she looked on leaning against the kitchen ladder.

The lesson began. Huy read aloud sentences he had written during the week and words and meanings he had picked up from TV. He also read aloud, taking turns with friend Huong, from a book that Mary brought. Then finally, they worked on a bit of pronunciation work.

Huy must have total care and that mostly comes from his mother. Huy's brother is also handicapped and is still able to attend school (unlike Huy). Their mother also works to support her family at a local store. The father fought in the Vietnam war and it is thought that Huy and his brother's problems stemmed from his father's exposure to the defoliant "agent orange" used by the US. Many children and even grandchildren in Vietnam have effects from this chemical.

I wondered if it might be OK to take some pictures during my time there. I asked Mary first. No problem! When I got out my camera, Huy's mother sweetly brushed his hair with her fingers to one side, straightened the collar on his sweater and moved his body closer to the wall at the side of the bed. When I started to take pictures, everyone wanted a picture--Huy's mother with Mary, Huy with Huong, Huy with his mother. Huy specifically wanted one taken with his new baseball cap. Huy's mother, Huyen, fixed us lunch (fried sticky rice cakes--a treat for the Tet New Year celebration--some chunks of bologna like meat, candy, hot water and tangerines). She then left to pick up Huy's brother from school. After our lunch, Mary reminded Huy about his homework for next week. We said our goodbye--until next Wednesday. As we were leaving, this kind young man with his broad smile wished that this week I would "Have dream happy!"

I wished him the same.