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the lung soup vendor
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
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In South Vietnam before 1975, we used to nickname the good teacher as "lung soup vendor", as we considered those who picked education field as career will have to talk whole life long, to transmit their knowledge into their pupils. A long-term talk won't cause a callosity to the lung as if you get your sole of foot hardened. Instead, they pay the price of having tuberculous or hemoptysis in exchange for the knowledge for next generation.
This is my new friend Bui Hoang Sang, who runs his free LOVE CLASS to teach Vietnamese language for children of Vietnamese prostitutes and poor families in Siem Reab city, Cambodia.
He entered my attention after I ran into the online articles listed below. Since they are in Vietnamese, I am trying to either translate or publish his charitable work here, hopefully you can give him a hand in his current burden. Thanks.
ngythanh
The articles that connected him to me;
*From Red-light District to the LoveClass/Nguoi Viet Daily
*The Viet language afar/Tuoi Tre Daily
*The shaky Viet language/Saigon Markerting Magazine
To make it short, my friend created a "classroom" by renting the front-yard space of several housing units within the red-light district. He went around begging for odds and ends of timber to build furniture. Mornings, he goes to "English as Second Language" to learn, then teaches back to his students in the evening. Afternoons, he works as licenced guide to the Angkor Wat complex. His income, after covering for his own life, he spends for the class. Free. Period.
There is a long story about the effect of the above online articles—positive and negative. I hope you will have enough patience for this topic.
Thanks.
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rychousmama has marked this note useful
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Wow, what an amazing man Thanh. It is so wonderful to hear about people who really live up to what they believe in and try to do actual good for others. I can see he cares about his community and is passionate about helping others. The photo itself is actually pretty good. I like the flat, simple background with the gridlines as the backdrop for Bui Hoang Sang, which emphasizes his role as a teacher and educator. Although I would have preferred you had not used flash since that gives a very flat, unappealing look to the subject. But I guess I can understand the circumstances. Excellent framing and composition with Sang off-center, and balance between his face and his hand holding the book. You caught him in the middle of teaching and that's great. I think it would have been even better, though, to see this from a point of view that includes the students. It would then really emphasize the wonderful relationship he has with the students, and that he cares about them. Great shot though, well-done, and I like the way that chalk writing on the board seems to frame him. Thanks for sharing this photo and that great note!
-Lara
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