The “captain” of the ship named Hanoi – Amsterdam

But this is not my personal anecdote. This is the story of Mrs. Le Thi Oanh – the strongest “captain” to generations of Amsers.

It was after class at noon, I rushed to her room to ask for her autographs for my examination documents. I thought that everything would take as much as around 10 minutes and that she would only sign my documents like every other ones.

What astonished me was how that noon dawned on me a whole new perspective of our principal. She asked me what class I was in, talked about all of the difficulties one might have when preparing for an exam; with calmness and compassion, she also asked what my intentions were in the forthcoming examinations. To be honest, I cannot remember exactly how that conversation went because everything sounded just like the advice I had been given throughout those examinations.

Nevertheless, there was something special. Every teacher would talk about the examinations with so much seriousness, but Mrs. Oanh did not. She would always smile, not the typical casual smile, but the smile of confidence and illumination – not bright, yet enough to shine in the dark. At the end of our conversation, she wished me good luck with my decisions and reminded me to try to succeed wherever I may go.

After that noon, every worry I had had disappeared. She seemed to understand her students and know what to talk about, how to make them more confident, more mature, and more “Amser”.

I am sure my story is one of many anecdotes about Mrs. Oanh because she has thousands of children – generations of Amsers. There was one time when she caught a glimpse of a student whose home was far from school, which forced her to go to school early to quickly have breakfast and take a rest. She almost immediately told her: “Remember to eat and rest well!” Or that one time when she caught a student secretly sitting by himself and looking at the beauty of the school, she said: “Are you tired like Ams is?” Although I have yet to have these experiences, I can totally imagine her smile and her typical aura whenever I remember those stories.

We consider her as a woman of strength and somewhat strictness, of power who always wears red and a distanced principal. It’s true that she is our principal and she has a lot on her hands, but a mother will always take time to care for her children no matter how busy she is. The thing most of us don’t know about her is the consideration she has for each Amser – the characteristic of a mother which cannot be recognized by just looking at her giving her speech on the podium. What we usually take into account is just the surface of her characteristics which is concluded through the rules carried out by her – with the intention of helping Ams improve as much as possible. It comes as a surprise that she is so friendly; she is like a real friend, who always shows up in times of need and gives inspirational advice in our everyday lives.

If only Ams was small so that Amsers could feel the love she has for us. But Ams is too big, making it difficult for us to truly understand it. Perhaps that is why the ones who were fortunate enough to directly meet her will keep the memories to himself/herself.

After 3 years of highschool, or 4 years of junior highschool, or even 7 years under the roof of Hanoi – Amsterdam, when we succeed in the path we choose, we should always remember our teachers, the ones who taught us and spread our wings. However, we should not forget that there is a woman – a woman who always stands there, watching our every step from afar because she is the mother of us all.

Thank you for all the greatest moments and also the little things you have given us till this very day – the moments we will cherish under our home called Hanoi – Amsterdam.

Reporter: Le Minh Trang – English 1 14-17

Ho Thi Mai Trang – Physics 2 14-17

Translator: Hai Dang – English 1 15-18