The books are finally out. A friend bought a few copies and took the photo when he got the delivery. I am very pleased to know that everything went well to this point. Hopefully, readers will enjoy this book as much as we enjoyed writing it. The book comes with a CD. I listened to some of the sound files. They are fantastic. It is definitely a big "plus" for readers who need some real life modelling from the native speakers.
Here is the link to a site where you can get the book online.
http://www.kingstone.com.tw/book/book_page.asp?kmcode=2018052518495&lid=search&actid=wise
If you have any questions, you can also follow us on Facebook: 這時候,美國人會怎麼說?
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記一段難得的友誼:
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One night when I went out for a walk in Bucharest, I saw a little girl no more than 6 years old out on the street after 9 o’clock at night. She was holding a picture of Jesus and sitting alone around the street corner by the hotel begging for money.
I know the situation in Romania is dire, but we have people panhandling in all major metropolitans in North America, too. My friend insisted that he would definitely give money to those panhandlers because it is a profession that those people choose. Really?
Many panhandlers we have encountered here in Toronto are homeless drifters who chose to live that way. There is government social assistance available to some extent to help those people, but many of them have decided to opt out and panhandle on the street instead. So, for some of them, it is a life style decision by choice.
For the panhandlers in Romania, it is a complicated situation because the whole country is going through the growing pain of social and economic development ever since the fall of Communism. Some older Romanians are still romanticising with the social stability and the security that the Communist government used to bring to the old country. Right now, the social security is literally non-existent.
]]>For some of you who struggle to cram through boring English textbooks, here is something really different for your learning style. This book is full of fun and practical examples that you may not be able to find in the regular textbooks. It will be an interesting read to kill your weekend! Have fun reading it.
I was on a yard-duty before the school started. Most of the students at this time were usually hanging out in the school yard. Different grade levels tend to hang out with their own respective group. The grade two and three boys have been heavily into basketball, so they like to hang out and play by the basketball net. Some of the older boys like to get involved occasionally and grab their ball just to torment them.
On this particular day, Abdulla came to me suddenly with a scowling face to report an encounter he had with two grade 5 boys. He explained that the boys were bugging him for his soccer ball because he left his soccer ball unattended under the basketball net. They told him that they would give him “3000 boogers” to trade for his soccer ball.
Now, we are dealing with kids here, so it is pretty gross for a little guy to hear that. Plus, this is not a new incident. Some of the little guys often have to put up with this type of nonsense jokes from the older boys. Plus, those two boys, though not considered as bullies at my school, are the usual suspects for enough share of schoolyard mischief.
I know they might be just teasing the little guys, but they surely needed to be taught a lesson. So, I told Abdulla that I would help him settle this matter but he needed to play along with me. He looked at me with a puzzled look, but then he smiled at me and agreed with an OK.
]]>I was shopping for a laser measuring device a few days ago. I called around and finally found one on Home Hardware's web site. I called the local store and got hold of a sales girl. I asked her to check if the item is available at the store. She was not sure if she could do it on the computer. She asked another woman next to her and the woman answered yes. I could hear the whole conversation when the other woman was trying to instruct her how she should work on the computer. But, then she told me on the phone that she could not do it, and it would be better for me to drive to the store to check it myself. What?! I told her it would be a long drive for me just to find out that they don't have any in stock.
I used to be in sales. I don't understand how people such as this girl can keep her job. It would be so easy for her to check her computer for their inventory. Anyway, lazy birds get nothing. She was too lazy to do it on her computer. So, I drove to another hardware store that is closer to my house, and paid a fortune for the gadget. It might not have saved me money but it did save me the long drive and all the time and bother. Big loss for her company.
I was skeptical but didn’t disbelieve him right away. I was somewhat curious about how he got hold of my personal information while he was trying to tell me that I had a computer virus and I needed to let him solve my problem. He wanted me to verify my name, address and phone number. Well. Well. Now, this is always a funny part when I get any telemarketing phone call from who-know-where. I immediately replied, “Wait, you should know my phone number and my name because you are the one who called me! I didn’t call you! So, why should I verify my information with you? I should ask you to prove yourself and how you got hold of my personal information." (I could be very blunt, or pretend to be comical when I played this chatting game on the phone.)
Throughout our phone conversation, I kept pressing for how his company got hold of my personal information without my permission, and I would like to talk to his supervisor regarding the invasion of privacy. I was more annoyed with that than anything else. However, every time when I asked him questions, he would try to come back to my computer problem. It was like he was reading off a script, and he did not like to be steered away from his script. This went on for a long time. I finally had enough and told him that I knew very little about computer technical problems (a computer dummy), and I would have my family call him later. First, I asked him if his last name is Williams or William. He could not understand what I was trying to ask. That is strange, isn’t it? Haha…. Then, I asked for his phone number and address so I could call him back later. At first, he did not want to give me his phone number. He gave me a 6-digit phone number, which did not make sense at all, because our number has 7 digits. I told him that his phone number does not make sense and asked what his area code was. He had no idea what I meant about area code. I knew then this guy with an accent, very likely East Indian accent, had no idea about his area code. In fact, he didn’t know his own last name. Hahara…..
Anyway, after I hung up, I dial *69 to locate him and got hold of the source of a phone number. I then called that number back. A recording message from the federal government explained that the number I was trying to dial was a phishing scam. The government beat me to it and the big brother was watching them already! Splendid!
The fact is Microsoft would never call us for our personal computer problem. These scammers are just trying to gain access to our computer, so they could get our personal information. Shame on them!
]]>He was in and out of the hospital since November. About a month ago, she was hoping to take him home from the hospital for the summer. She told me that she was looking forward to taking care of him and strengthening his body for two months. "The sun would be good for him in the backyard," she said.
She was hired as a permanent teacher last October, a month before he failed ill to cancer. I have been her mentor as well as her grade level partner since last year when she was substituting for a contract position. For a long time after he got ill, she didn't want us to help her at all because she considered it as her family issue. After she used up all her sick-day allowance and then he got sicker, she had to juggle between home and school. The family problem had finally affected her professional work. For the final report cards, she finally broke down and accepted our offer to let us help her finish her class reports. When I saw her a few days ago, she choked to tears to tell me that it was only the matter of days for him. All she wanted was to take him home for the summer.
Her husband died of leukemia yesterday morning in the hospital and left his wife with two kids, aged 13 and 15. He was 57. I didn't get to know him, but I know he was loved.
R.I.P.
Grammy H had her whole family come in and out of the hospital room to visit her everyday. They all spoke so loud that I was forced to take in whatever they discussed in the room. Heck, I had no choice but to listen to her whole family drama during my four-day stay at the hospital. What can we say? When you share a room with a patient like Grammy H, you really have no choice but to live with it. So, I might as well write it down for my blog, and this is how it happened.
Grammy H came into the hospital because she had an earache and an accidental fall at home. Grammy H was almost 91 years old and living with one of her grandsons, Junior. Junior apparently was the main caretaker for her because he was living with her due to his job location in town. In fact, from all the conversations I’d heard, I believe he was the only one, of all people, who truly cared about Grammy H. I got to talk to him and his father when they came in to visit her. The way Junior talked to Grammy H was so genuine and appeared to have no condition attached, which was very different from the other family members of hers.
]]>Living in a town where only a few Chinese are around, Chinese New Year is just another working day for me. So, how did I celebrate Chinese New Year? I went to work as usual, got home, heated up my left-over dinner, stirred fried tomatoes with eggs over a bed of rice, and ate it.
SAD!
Happy New Year to all my friends and readers. Enjoy the special New Year events in Taiwan.
我最討厭放假前生病,因為我的整個假期就泡湯了!大部份的放假時間我都在養病。即使已經痊癒了,我還是得 “閉關自守”,小心再次著涼。我已經不會傳染給別人了,但是身體還是很虛弱。這次的流行性感冒在學校傳染了好一陣子,好多人都受到感染。我算是最後的受害者之一。
今年的聖誕節我就獨自在家中過,連家庭聚餐我也沒去。因為我不想讓去年的歷史重演。去年家中九十二高齡的老姨媽剛搬到養老院裹,一整個院裹的老人流傳嚴重的流行性腸胃炎,上吐下瀉,而她也被感染。我們要她好好休養,但是她堅持要參加家庭聚餐。結果,除了我以外,全家都在餐後中標。所以今年我主動堅持要在家養病,不想當家庭罪人,但是整日實在是無聊之極。
生病的日子是非常痛苦的!
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When you have a lot of free time with nothing to do other than groaning and moaning in bed with the fever and cough, you would have no choice but to do lot of thinking. I did it, anyway, in and out of sleep. In fact, for a few days, I was so drugged out that I had hallucinations. Now, I am able to walk around a bit and stay awake for a longer period of time. It is about time for me to kill some time here.
Anyway, these are my grumpy thoughts from the sick bed. Please bear with me.
What is the spirit of Christmas?
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I have a really good group of students this year. Half of the class has been with me for two years, so they know me and my expectations very well. A couple of the new additions to the class, however, might be a bit challenging at times, but don’t we all have one or two students who are sort of the “mission of the year”? Hahah… Anyway, here is what happened to one of those students last night.
The concert started at 7:00, so most students were told to arrive at 6:40. However, I told my class to arrive at 6:30 because we were the opening act and we should be getting ready on stage at 6:55. I warned them not to be late or they would be missing the first performance. It did happen before that some students arrived really late, right after their class performances. It broke their hearts!
All my students arrived on time and wore the appropriate attire. They looked so adorable! Anyway, all of them arrived, except one! The clock ticked and I finally had to give up waiting for her. I grabbed that student’s lights, hat and scarf and lead the class onto the stage. The curtains were drawn and a few minutes before our performance, the girl finally ran up to the stage to join the line, but with a pink and black sweater on! Goodness Gracious! What was she thinking?
We had been through the rehearsals, and in fact, we had a dress rehearsal that afternoon. I even prepared extra white shirts for people who needed a white shirt. Now she arrived late and with a totally different outfit for the choir. I almost had a fit. I could not drag her off the stage since the show was ready to start. I quickly put the scarf and the hat on her, and send her back to the line.
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I felt my heart was palpitating faster than usual over the last three days, but then, I thought that was because I had been busy running around like a headless chicken with errands. Plus, I started my swimming lessons a week ago. The muscle fatigue might have triggered my problem. Needless to say, I was merely guessing and playing doctor. Finally on Thursday night, I measured my blood pressure and it registered 166 over 99. After contacting the TeleHealth, an Ontario health care online support agency, I was told to immediately check in to the emergency room at the local hospital.
Thank Goodness, it was not too busy at the Emergency Room. I stayed in the ER over night, and a few hours later after seeing the ER doctor, I was finally admitted to the hospital. I really respect what these professionals do day in and day out. I know I am in good hands. The hospital staffs are still doing all kinds of tests on me. I have never seen so many sophisticated pieces of equipment in my entire life. Hopefully, nothing’s wrong with my heart or there is no cardio-related problem.
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After all the years have gone past,
I am still thinking of you, and
The time you stood up alone
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[All]
When I get older
I will be stronger
They’ll call me freedom
Although Henry was not the first stranger to contact me for information about immigration, I was still a bit taken back when I read his first email. How on earth did I get an email from a passerby? Years ago, I would probably delete it right away and change my email account all together. After years of blogging and hundreds of emails and messages from strangers later, I’ve learned to be “brave” yet still careful whenever I receive an email like that. I am a very private person. As much as I carry a different persona online, I am still a very serious person in real life.
During our course of communication, I was quite let down by another annoying experience I had encountered at another social site. I was very disappointed how people, total strangers, could judge and criticize one another blatantly online. Honestly, I had a second thought about how much I should get involved to help others.
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Years ago, I pioneered the first study tour for King Car Education Foundation and lead the first group of children and parents to visit Jacksonville, Florida. That was their first time to organize a large group of people to travel overseas for a summer camp at a private high school in Florida. I was asked to be the volunteer to lead the group as an escort teacher. At that time, I was hosting a radio program called Co Co and Po Po Time for King Car. It made perfect sense for King Car to send us as the escort teachers to oversee the ESL program organized by the private high school in Jacksonville.
Most of the group members were children, but we also had quite a lot of parents who came along with us. The private school organized some activities for parents during the day when the children were in class. I do not remember the exact number of people we took with us on that trip to Florida. I would guess the total number, including adults and children, was about 52 people. It was not easy to please everybody in the group, I would say. The worst part was to take care of a group of children whose parents did not come on the trip with them.
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When I encourage people to change their attitude about learning a foreign language, I speak strictly from my experience as a teacher. Every time when I read about Taiwan's English testing results, I cringe. Has the learning attitude changed much after I left Taiwan? In some way, yes! In general, it has not changed much. I have seen how students learn traditionally and I would like to see more changes to be made. So, here I will share a little story of my sister who is a good example of a typical Taiwanese English learner. I love her dearly. Hopefully, she will not kill me after reading this.
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We had never flown out of Buffalo, so it was a new experience. The shuttle bus picked us up at 4:45 in the morning, later than I thought. The US-Canada border was already busy at that time. Thank Goodness that we did not have to wait too long at the border to deal with the immigration/custom officer. Our time was very tight. Due to the airport security, we had to be there early for the security checkpoint. It was easy to cross the border, but the nightmare started at the airport. The airport was full of Americans and Canadians who were flying out for their March Break. The lines at JetBlue were long, too long. The flight to New York City was absolutely jam packed. We were quite surprised that people would start their March Break vacation so late like we did. We just did not realize there was another reason why people were travelling to those major destinations such as New York City.
It was interesting to go through US custom security checkpoint. We had to take off our shoes, bracelets, jackets and heavy winter parkas. (We did not have to do that when we flew back to Taiwan last summer.) When I walked through the gate, the alarm SUDDENLY went off. It was my metal-studded belt! After I took off my belt, the coins, and then my watch, the alarm went off again and again! What now? I was not ready to go to the little room to strip for the search. Finally, one officer told me that it could be my hairclip. My clip was made of plastic! Well, the culprit WAS my hairclip all right! The little metal clamp part of my hairclip triggered the alarm. That was just too ridiculous!
Don’t get me wrong. I was happy that they were so thorough about the airport security, so I didn’t have to deal with any crazy nuts like “the shoe bomber”. Anyway, the returned trip was pretty much the same with the security. It took me a couple of times to walk through that sensitive gate. The culprit was always the little hairclip. Next time, only elastic bands will be used for my pony tail. NO more hairclips for me when flying!
We finally got to New York City at 9:30 in the morning. The weather couldn’t be more gorgeous! I had a good sleep in the airplane and was ready to ramble. The JFK airport was not as busy as I had expected at that time in the morning, but it was definitely full of people wearing GREEN. Well, that would be another story.
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First, the agent booked a hotel that is very old and famous, one of the largest hotels in New York City. Without doing any research on the hotel, we just looked at the picture of the attractive building and immediately signed our names on the dotted line. (We are suckers for beautiful old architecture design.) A lesson learned: Never judge a hotel by its appearance!
Later that day after we got home, I went online to read about that cool looking hotel. My heart just sank lower and lower like a rock while I was reading the hotel reviews one after another. Apparently, the hotel has so many complaints against it, particularly, the complaints about BED BUGS!
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First, the agent booked a hotel that is very old and famous, one of the largest hotels in New York City. Without doing any research on the hotel, we just looked at the picture of the attractive building and immediately signed our names on the dotted line. (We are suckers for beautiful old architecture design.) A lesson learned: Never judge a hotel by its appearance!
Later that day after we got home, I went online to read about that cool looking hotel. My heart just sank lower and lower like a rock while I was reading the hotel reviews one after another. Apparently, the hotel has so many complaints against it, particularly, the complaints about BED BUGS!
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I actually have cold feet testing the water here on Nciku. Like many other old friends I met online, I have put a lot of time and effort into promoting the daily communication in English (in all four areas of expressive and receptive language skills). Learning a language is like playing the piano. The only way to improve the skill is to practice consistently. Unfortunately, unlike playing the piano, a language is a tool for communication. You cannot practice the language alone behind the locked door for ever. At some point in time, you do have to put it to use.
A social site, either Nciku or the “orange one”, is a great place for people to come practice their language skills through the exchange of different opinions. People, however, are funny creatures and like to fill in the blanks in their own mind. A rumour is such a nasty thing! Just because I always write and post my articles in English, it does not mean that I snub writers in Chinese. Some readers like to read the conversation posted between two people and immediately fill in the blanks with assumption of their own. Dichotomy continues to be at play in many instances; if I were not black, I must be white. What kind of logic is that? Do I really have to pick a side for “either or”? Why can’t I be somewhere in between or simply offer a totally different third opinion? I always think that different opinions and voices should be heard and respected as long as with good intention and courtesy. Respect should be valued and practiced!
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I would like to post my reply here to share with all of you since a lifelong reading habit should be highly promoted and fostered when the children are young.
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At the line-up by the cashier checkpoint, an IKEA cashier loudly bragged to a couple of customers that he finally finished his education a week before Christmas while working full time at IKEA. Da Pong chuckled and muttered to himself that why the young man would consider that as a big deal- a newly graduate with a college degree but still working at IKEA as a cashier. I elbowed him hard (trust me, I have very strong right arm ) to signal him how inappropriate his comment was even though I was the only one who had heard his mumbling voice.
I know Da Pong’s jokes may be truthful but very inappropriate for the time and place. When we came out of the store, I gave him my after-fact complaint (the typical Julia1492’s fume) and told him that it was not very kind to mumble comments like that even though he did not mean to insult the young man. The fact is we do not know the circumstances the young man is in. The young man might be very proud of his achievement because he had worked at IKEA to pay for his schooling. Now, he would have a better opportunity to aim for a better career choice. For all we know, he could be in transition right now for his career.
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One fairy tale that I love to share with my students at this time of year is The Little Match Girl, written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1845. The story has such a profound impact on my view about child poverty in the past and the present. I often read this story to my students before I launch the Community Food Drive in my school.
The setting of this story was taken place between Christmas and New Year, the most joyful time of the year for every family. Nowadays, how many children can really relate to the main character who was selling matches on the street in the cold New Year's Eve? However, some of my students are occasional food bank users, or they know somebody who uses the food bank. So, they certainly can understand how the hungry girl must have felt when dreaming of that fat juicy meal on the table.
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The First Nation Peoples' ways of living are very much attached to the land and Mother Nature. I always like to read a book of the Mohawk Thanksgiving Prayer to my class before I teach the unit. I want my students to understand why the first Nation Peoples are very respectful to the earth that provides them with the materials for food, clothing, shelters and transportation needs.
Unfortunately, I could not find my book to re-post it here. I discovered a few similar First Nation's prayers online. The first one below was adapted from the Iroquois tribe. The second and the third ones are the Mohawk prayers which are very similar to the book I usually read to my students.
]]>After four days of walking around Taipei City, Da Pong and I finally got a day off. We decided to accompany my mother to visit one of the Tzu Chi Hospitals. My mother somehow travels far to this hospital every month for her monthly checkup. It is quite a distance for her to travel by bus from Sin Zhuan to Sin Dian! I wanted to tag along to see her health report. Plus, I really wanted to see this hospital and, furthermore, my donation dollars at work, I guess.
I don’t mind disclosing a little fact that I do donate to many charities regularly and Tzu Chi is one of them. A close friend of mine is an active member in the town I live, and I donate the money through her to Tzu Chi every month. I have heard many stories about how they helped build the hospital, but this would be my first time to visit one. Honestly, I was quite impressed with the size of the hospital and how orderly the process was wherever we went.
I never like hospitals because it always reminds me of the time when my dad was in and out of three hospitals. You would get to hate it as well if you had to visit the hospital everyday. Anyway, I was very impressed with what I saw at the Tzu Chi Hospital. I don’t know how the quality of the service is like for that size of a hospital though. The large number of patents and the number lights made the place look just like conveyer lines to me. Can a doctor really get to know a patient well at a big hospital? I don’t have the answer but, at least, I know they’ve got a happy patient- my mother. My mother obviously is happy enough to visit there on a monthly basis.
]]>Ever Since the report of Typhoon Morakot hit the news, I have glued myself to read news after news on the computer everyday. I don’t really have the mood to write anything, not even my trip reports. All the past memories for the places I had visited suddenly became heartaches. It was only about a week before August 8, I visited A-li-shan for a few days and toured around Kaohsiung City and the County with my family. When I read about the places I visited may no longer be there, I just couldn’t bring myself to write about the trips.
Today, I read about the damage of the highest elementary school at A-li-shan, Siang Shan Elementary School. I remember the day when Da Pong and I were standing outside a temple by the beautiful school, reading the banner on the wall and discussing about the possibility of going back to reside in Taiwan. We were jokingly hoping that we might be able to teach or volunteer at Siang Shan Elementary School or any aboriginal school one day. Now looking back and thinking of those children we met at A-li-shan who may not be able to return to their school in two weeks, it is just heart wrenching.
After three days in Taipei, we were beginning to get used to the persistent heat. When I said “get used to”, I basically meant that we simply accepted the facts that; One, there was no use to keep our shirts dry because it was not going to happen; Two, there was no point wiping our sweat because they would keep dripping down like going through a car wash. Three showers a day would not be enough for us. We were simply perspiring profusively, literally like pigs throughout the day.
After the day trip to Taipei 101 and Dr. Sun Y.S.’s Memorial Hall, we decided to visit the Guang Hua Shopping Centre to get a few memory cards for the cameras. In my old memories, I still had this impression of a dark old shopping area with many used book stores in the dingy basement under the bridge. On the contrary, I was surprised to find this new building of this electronics shopping centre quite nice, bright and airy.
We got to the shopping centre too early, one hour before the opening time. It was not fun to hang around an empty place. We were like two hungry kids outside a closed candy shop; we could only look in but couldn’t touch. No fun at all! Finally we found a shop that opened early and they did sell memory cards for the camera. Da Pong went for a card with 16 Mg., but little did we know that our camera would not read a card that big; anyway, that would be another story for another time.
]]>Taipei 101 was the first stop on our list to visit. I was at Taipei 101 last year with my mother and two nephews and very impressed with the massive structure and engineering technology. On the observation deck last year, we also had the most expensive ice cream cone that I had ever had, which my two nephews still talk about it till this day. This year I was the seasoned visitor to lead Da Pong around to visit the building of Taipei 101.
We took the subway and buses to get to Taipei 101. Although we had obtained our international driver’s licenses before we left Canada, we decided not to rent a car in Taipei. My brother also offered us his car for our stay in Taipei but we just didn’t feel comfortable driving in Taipei. I have to say that my driving record has been excellent, but I am not so sure that I can ever adjust to the Taiwanese driving style. What I don’t need is to have an idiot driver changing lane illegally to pass me by and scratch the car, which is rampant in Taipei anyway. The Taipei subway system is excellent in my view, and the bus system connected to the subway is quite good. On top of all, the taxi is not too expensive, either. So, risking our lives to drive in Taipei is out of the question.
The wealth that Taipei 101 displays is beyond our comprehension. We were there on a Monday which might not be the busiest day for the retail business. We were in awe to see all the expensive shops under one roof and wondered how the stores could have stayed alive in business. Then we soon found out how.
]]>Our flight landed at 5:30AM! Days before my departure, I already told the family not to bother to come pick us up at the airport. (For God’s sake, it was 5:30 in the morning!) Anyway, we really took our time walking through the corridors, waiting in line for the immigration and claiming our luggage since we figured that no one would be waiting for us at the gate. By the time we stepped out the custom, it was about 7:30AM. Suddenly, I heard, “Julia!”
No way!
My brother and my sister-in-law had been waiting for a long time for us to come out. (Some people just don’t listen, especially the loved ones! ) My brother was supposed to fly out to Vietnam later on the same day, but he delayed his departure just for us. Luckily, he and I got to spend a whole day together with the whole family. I really appreciate their efforts for us.
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