After 11,000+ air-miles with stopover in Dubai (United Arab Emirates aka UAE) and 30+ hours of travel time, I have returned to Saigon.
I have arrived in Saigon just in time to celebrate the Chinese Tet (February 10) holidays with my Vietnamese "Phamily" (-- thanks to my daughter Kim for this "slang" reference) and other Vietnamese friends!
This trip is really focused on my friend Linh Pham. As her "US Sponsor", I helped Linh apply for admission to James Madison University's (JMU) M.Ed. (Masters in Education) Graduate program (with concentration in "Equity and Cultural Diversity in Education). Linh WAS admitted to JMU's Graduate School. The next step in this complicated process is for Linh to get her US student (F-1) visa which involves her being "interviewed" at the US Consulate in Saigon. Even though she has been "formally admitted" to JMU's graduate school, Linh's US visa is NOT "guaranteed" - 30% of Vietnamese US Student Visa applications are "turned down" with no "explanations"! So, my #1 priority is to help Linh apply for and get her US Student Visa.
IF Linh gets her US Student Visa, together WE will return to the US on/about April 6th - she will start the JMU Summer Session on May 6th.
Between now and our return to US, I intend to travel throughout Vietnam as well as northern Thailand and possibly Malaysia. So - look for blog updates!
Btw - the above is a recent pic of Linh - to remind everyone who she is!
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