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Magic in Vietnam
I found magic
in many places in Vietnam. This is a story of one such place. China Beach (Danang).
It is a hot spring day. China beach is beautiful. I walk south from my group.
There is a large group of teenage Vietnamese boys. I learn that they are on a
school trip with their teacher. The teacher has a camera and some of the boys
want their picture taken with the American with the Happy Buddha belly. Maybe
they think I'm a movie star! And so they take my picture with the boys. At the
end I ask to take a picture of the class.
Back home, when I develop the picture I find it to be my favorite. All the boys
are smiling, some wave, some give me thumbs up, some the v sign. They have their
arms on their friends shoulders. The teacher looks so proud of his students! I
hang the picture on the wall in my house. Each day they smile at me and I have
to smile back at them. For they are the future of Vietnam.
After saying goodbye to the school boys I walk north. My bare feet in the South
China Sea, picking up seashells to remind me of this place. After while I must
get back to my tour group. Turning away from the water I walk toward the road.
There are a group of Vietnamese men sitting under umbrellas drinking beer. As I
walk by they call me over. A man gives me his glass of beer and they have me sit
down. They want to know where I'm from, am I married, do I have kids, what is my
country like. I tell them how cold it is at home. One man tells me he went to
school in Siberia and THAT is cold. I think they are Vietnamese military but I
don't ask. I think how lucky they are to spend their time off on such a
beautiful beach. I keep telling them I have to go. My friends are waiting. They
keep filling my glass with beer. At last I had to say goodbye. The tour group is
waiting for me. Sometimes I hate the tour bus! I could have
drank beer with those guys far into the night. Magic!!
Copyright 2002 James Murtaugh
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