There were many things worthy of mention today, hence the title. First, it was my first time ever at a massage parlor. We have seen this facility many times in the stadium where we walk in the morning and kept promising to try a massage there someday. Well, that someday was today. We decided we would no longer whatsoever delay enjoying what life has to offer on a beautiful Sunday like this. The price was attractive, only 50,000 VND ($2.6) for a 60-minute full-body session. Another feature that caught our eyes was that the massagers were all visually impaired, so I thought this would be an opportunity to get to know more about their lives. The massage was relaxing, but could also be painful at times. We probably haven’t got used to it or we were not tired out enough to enjoy it fully. But talking to these people was sheer delight. The way they talked and joked didn’t convey any hint of their impairment. I imagine that over the phone you would think they were perfectly normal, as humorous and fluent as anyone else. They reminded me of a friend at Berkeley who majored in Mathematics and Computer Science. The last time we talked, he was working for Microsoft. He even has a blog! Simply amazing.
Now, today’s special treat was at a coffee shop called Education Café. A few days before I had gone there and talked to the owner, a nice and approachable lady who told me about the coffee shop and how its English club was born to provide speaking opportunities for students. This evening I took my bro and cousin (Thắng and Tâm) to this place to see what it would look like. There, we were approached by a cute teenager in staff uniform, who turned out to be the owner’s daughter, presumably helping in this club to get more practice with English and leadership skills. She’s a freshman at International University, studying Industry Systems Engineering. We introduced ourselves and chatted away while waiting for other members to come. Soon Khôi, Nhật, Quang, Tiến, and Lại (the other members) came, at different times, all males, mostly students. Grammar aside, they spoke fluently and understandably, exuding such confidence, enthusiasm, and self-awareness that I wish all English learners had.
Thắng and Tâm didn’t talk a lot at first. But they were excited near the end of our meeting, when a customer sitting near our tables, apparently having witnessed how boisterous we were, decided to jump in and asked to be part of our group. He was welcomed and made comfortable of course. That young man happened to be a student at Elite and his “comfort” level seemed about the same as my bro’s and cousin’s so the three guys spoke at ease with one another. We finally left at 9:30 pm after exchanging phone numbers. We thought the meeting was a real gas. Thắng and Tâm accused me of not taking them here sooner. What’s more to expect from such a day full of new adventures?
Pix:
My “massage therapist” Vũ, from Đồng Tháp. His vision was damaged by an illness when he was three.
The coffee shop
Life. Rediscovered. 