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| MVCC Visiting Professor Hoa Ngo stands by a sign with ducklings for Easter. |
First time celebrating Easter
The first week I was in
the States, I was surprised with many kinds of chocolate candies and things
that are shaped like rabbits and eggs. I didn’t understand that
people were preparing for Easter. In Vietnam, Easter is not very popular and it
is not a holiday. However, I had a great chance to enjoy Easter.
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| Hoa Ngo has her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. |
A week before the holiday, Carol Dinger took me to learn about palm weaving and egg decorating. I had my
first American breakfast with her. The food was different, but it was worth trying. Then
she took me to Chester’s – a flower shop, where I was able to take photos with
the Easter Bunny. And the rest of the day was an extremely wonderful
experience. I was instructed by a nice lady in how to decorate the eggs.
Unfortunately, I am not very skilled at that, so it ended with a terribly-decorated egg. Then, I also tried the palm weaving. This time I succeeded in
weaving a kind of flower (I was told that it was a rose, anyway!). Watching
people make lambs with butter was the most enjoyable.
On the week of Easter,
Jennifer DeWeerth was so kind to take me out to church. I was introduced to people at the church, which I didn’t expect. It was very moving. They
also talked to me after the service. I am really thankful for all. Then, she took me
to her house and we enjoyed Easter dinner. Her husband was a good cook, and
their children were so cute. One
more thing I shouldn’t forget about the Easter celebration was that I got two
Easter baskets! My sisters were so jealous of me. One single thank will not be
enough for including me in such a special holiday.
First time watching a baseball game
I have been
teaching students in Vietnam about sports for a long time. Theoretically, I know about soccer,
basketball, baseball, lacrosse, softball, etc. I recently learned that baseball and softball games are the same, except that baseball is for men and softball is for women.
I had my first time
watching a baseball game with Jennifer Krohn. The game is slower compared to
soccer, and I was trying to understand the rules. Although it was chilly out and
there weren’t many people there, it was really exciting. Now I can
tell my students that I watched a baseball game in America. Now I
understand why it is so important to have real experience. I will be surely
more confident with my lesson about sports in the future.
