Visiting the local high school

Also traveling with Peace Trees Vietnam, was a high school group of 15 students from the Athenian School in California. The group had set up a visit to the local school, which had about six hundred students from the ages of 5 to 18 years old. When we arrived there was a large banner, welcoming the group, and a large number of students waiting for us on the steps. I felt a bit like a celebrity, and wasn't sure how the day was going to go. Quickly after the principle welcomed the group, individual students would come up and start trying to talk in the English. They were the upper level English students, and spoke very well, but had never had the chance to speak with a native English speaker. They could not have been any more friendly, and intrigued by us. It was like some exodic animal had been released on the grounds of the school and they were lining up on the balconies to get a glimpse.
There was a soccer match, and a lot of touring around the school. We also planted trees in the courtyard with some of the students. After leaving the school, we later met up with the upper level English students for lunch. We sat in small groups and had the chance to talk and get to know students further. That evening we had a cultural exchange with this same group. It was a chance for them to perform some of the traditional songs and dances of the area. The American students sang a nice version of Imagine, and a few other popular songs. It then turned into a hard core Karyoke session, which seems to be the norm of this part of the world. I couldn't understand their songs, but the energy of these kids was amazing to experience.
There were a lot of email exchanges and whatnot, and my friend Jeff, that I am traveling with, pretty much broke a lot of hearts when we had to leave. He managed to score one nice picture to remember a nice student by...awww. I later found out from the head of the English department that the students talked about the group for the next few days, and that many of the girls thought they were in love...With Jeff...Not me.