Thursday, October 23, 2008
First Lady of Greece
Recently I had th privilege of meeting the first lady of Greece at Lang Hoa Binh. May Panou Papoulia is the wife of the president of Greece, Karolos Papoulia. She has a degree in psychology from the Sorbonne and worked as a psychologist for forty years before retiring in 2001. She has a keen interest in the education of the developmentally disabled.
Mrs. Papoulia announced that the Greek government was giving the school 40,000 euros during her visit. She also spoke about the suffering of Agent Orange victims and the need for the international community to become more involved.
I was very excited to talk with her for about five minutes, as well as other members of her party, including a French official from UNICEF who volunteered in Vietnam for five years. Mrs. Papoulia is a very dynamic individual while putting you very much at ease. The event was very exciting for the children and she gave each child t shirts commemorating the 2004 Games in Athens.
An exciting day!
Mrs. Papoulia announced that the Greek government was giving the school 40,000 euros during her visit. She also spoke about the suffering of Agent Orange victims and the need for the international community to become more involved.
I was very excited to talk with her for about five minutes, as well as other members of her party, including a French official from UNICEF who volunteered in Vietnam for five years. Mrs. Papoulia is a very dynamic individual while putting you very much at ease. The event was very exciting for the children and she gave each child t shirts commemorating the 2004 Games in Athens.
An exciting day!
Labels: education, Viet Nam and the West
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Mid Autumn Festival--mooncakes
Recently I got to celebrate the mid Autumn festival in Vietnamese style. After going to the party at Lang Hoa Binh, we had activities all during the week. It was especially interesting to visit Xuan Dinh, a neighborhood where many shops bake "mooncakes." Mooncakes are a treat associated with the festival. They come in a variety of flavors, including "lotus." (That's my favorite.) Some are baked, others are served unbaked. Westerners have a variety of reactions to them. Many don't like them, especially the unbaked variety. It is quite different from what you might imagine a "cake" to be--but it is quite rich and one small mooncake is quite filling. I'm including some of the more interesting photos from the bakery.
Labels: festivals, Vietnamese culture
