Extended family came from near and far to be together with their grandmother, mother-in-law, or mother. They were so gracious. My tea cup wasn't empty very long. Many school-age cousins played and brothers and sisters talked about many things. We snacked on sunflower seeds while my contact person,Thuy, in the left foreground, translated. Nobody spoke English except her, and I certainly couldn't speak Vietnamese except one sentence: Your village is surrounded...no just kidding. That attempt at humor referred to a long time ago when we were not at peace, but now we are and the Vietnamese people are very happy in their lives that focuses on family. They don't think about their own government much nor America either, for that matter. An old Vietnamese saying is: The emperor's rule ends at the village gates.
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