Hoang Nhut My, or just My for short, is a young Vietnamese girl who lives near Saigon. Her home is a tiny shack which she shares with her mother, father, and baby brother. She has been Maine West's foster child through PLAN for the past two years.

My is fortunate enough to be one of the few Vietnamese children who can attend school. She became 11 years old on November 8, but because the children in Vietnam are considered one year old when they are born, My is only 10 by our computations.

Maine West sends $45 every three months to the PLAN center in New York, and My receives $15 of this a month. The money is used for food, material for clothing, and other things that she and her family might need. Sometimes soap and other articles that are hard to obtain in Viet Nam are sent along with the money.

Tet or the Lunar New Year occurs on February 9 and is like Christmas for the Vietnamese children. Student Council is planning to appropriate $10 to buy a gift for My on this holiday according to Debbie Hower '67, treasurer. Debbie also acknowledged that a drive is being planned to collect picture postcards and Christmas cards for My because she enjoys looking at the pictures. The cards will also be a token to My that the students at Maine West care.

My's father has tuberculosis, and her mother has just recovered from a recent illness. Yet My is a very happy child. Joy is reflected in her letters. She especially likes to tell about her baby brother as in this excerpt:

"My little brother, Qui, has started to walk by himself this month. He grasps to pieces of furniture as he moves with slow steps and refuses to grasp anybody's hands. There were times when my mother gave him a little money; he held it in his hands and pulled me to go out with him to buy goodies and mostly rice cakes he liked best. When I helped him buy them, I took him home and he stuffed himself with the cakes. He is a gay baby who smiles very often and makes my whole family happy."