Do you speak Vietnamese?

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Do you speak Vietnamese?
Of course we don't. Robert thinks both of us are constitutionally incapable or learning a second language.

After the years of high school and college French, Latin and ancient Greek in college, Spanish courses in grad school, a year living in Japan (including lessons), numerous fits with Pimsleur and Berlitz, buying enough reference books to fund another year abroad (we even have one on Egyptian hieroglyphics), scribbling on a mountain of flashcards and endless mortification in front of nous amis internationale, basically all we can do in any foreign language is order coffee.

On her previous trips, Ilene has had Thuan and Trieu Vu as travel companions and translators. This trip she plans to go to a language school every day.

And we're both on a two-week crash home-study course. Wish us luck.

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