A special girl...... a special day.

Early last year I had arranged to take the children on a visit to the Hanoi circus. At the last minute my interpreter fell through, 25 kids and their carers, none of whom could speak English, and me - who couldn’t speak Vietnamese …… it was quite a dilemma!

I contacted a great little organisation known as "Hanoikids" a voluntary group of Hanoian university students who enjoy taking tourists around Hanoi, free of charge. The students have an opportunity to practise their English and at the same time share their culture with visitors. I explained my dilemma to them and even though I wasn’t a tourist going to see the sites, they happily sent someone along to accompany me and the troops to the circus. A delightful young woman, …….. miss Nguyet Anh.

We had a wonderful day and Anh turned out to be not only a great interpreter but also a real hit with the kids, they had great fun with her! Afterwards Anh & I went off, somewhat exhausted, for a coffee together. We exchanged stories and contact details and when I returned to Australia we kept in touch.

With subsequent trips to Hanoi, Anh came along with us on excursions and visits to see the children. She also joined us as an interpreter at meetings with the Blind Association and she soon got to know Quan, Dat and the children. Over time she has become a great friend to Rose & I and a wonderful contact in Hanoi for ACCV, we're so pleased we got to know her.

She is now a valuable member of the ACCV team ................ and today is her birthday.

Happy Birthday Nguyet Anh!