Hanoi and Nguyen Dinh Chieu School

 (the two images show the red painted bridge on green Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, as seen through weeping willow branches, and a classroom of bright happy second graders at Nguyen Dinh Chieu school-which Hai attended as a child!)

It is our second day in Hanoi, so many senses are filled as we are staying in "the old qurter" where streets turn into one another and overflow with small businesses of every variety. It has been an adventure to get a little lost as we navigate, we have managed to find Hoan Kiem lake, delicious pho shops and small open air coffee shops. Markets densely packed with vegetables, fruit and meats. The growing excitement as Tet (the Lunar New Year) approaches, and red and gold decorations fill the streets, there seem to be flowers and oranges everywhere. The city is also celebrating it's 1000th birthday and we are grateful to celebrate with it. Our most moving experience so far was the visit to Nguyen Dinh Chieu school, which we found out about almost by chance, we asked kind ms. tinh (she works at the guesthouse where we are staying)if she knew of any schools for blind students, and she said,maybe nguyen dinh chieu? 1000 students attend , 150 of whom are blind, k-9. The blind students attend the same classes as the sighted students and a few additional classes.We toured their computer center, met some students and teachers, and just as we were leaving a teacher approached us, to have translated that she remembers Hai! The translator asked "Do you remember coming to this school," and Hai said,"Now I do, yes!" All the way from Ba Vi (100km) Hai had a brief chance to attend this sleepaway(at the time) school, and ms. nguyen remembered that shy student! We will post pictures! thank you to all the teachers who can remember students, and who reach out to shy children! We are so grateful to have some ground returned to under our feet. Tomorrow we will visit the orphanage in Ba Vi. It is possible that no one is still there from 1992, but we again are feeling so very moved that we can stand in the places where Hai was a child. We couldn't be here without all of you dear readers, thank you so much-in vietnamese "cam on rat nhieu!"

To Vietnam

(the image taken by Friend Carl Hersh shows Hai and Youme with our dear young reader friend, she came in so sweetly and opened her arms to hug us as we took a moment to appreciate our signed certificate. There are flowers and a green ribbon on Hai's cane.
We depart on February first for two weeks in Vietnam. Hai's first time back since 1992, when he was ten years old. We fly into Hanoi. We have contacted some friends of friends who live in Hanoi,also the Sao Mai Computer Center for the Blind and Cherie Clark who has worked in Vietnam with adopted children for many years. We will be documenting our trip and look forward to sharing with you. We are so grateful for your support and encouragement!

From right to left Yana Landowne, Youme's sister, she made sure that everything and everyone was in the right place at the right time, bringing so much love, Dear David and Edith Landowne, Youme's father and mother, luminous and supportive, Youme and Hai, Dear Uncle Joe Landowne with his hands on our beloved and brilliant Grand Dad Milton Landowne's shoulders, and our heart and soul little brother Lionel Vital. Behind us the garden of the Miami Friends Meeting House and the palm frond that walked the mile with us from home to meeting. The sun is shining and so are the people. Photos by the radiant Samir Bitar!

This is the sunrise from Miami Beach where our wedding day began! Silhouetted seagulls in the golden pink dawn, our wings of joy.





Joe, Youme, Hai and Grand Dad!
We are very much in Love! This is us smiling and so grateful for the community support from near and far! We feel it, we love loving you!

Thank you Friends

In keeping with the Quaker wedding tradition, we had a wedding certificate which was signed by all present as witnesses of the union. The message of our certificate can be found below.

Whereas Hai Nguyen and Youme Landowne, having declared their intentions of commitment with each other to Miami Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends held at Miami Friends Meeting, their proposed union was allowed by that Meeting.

Now this is to certify to whom it may concern, that for the accomplishment of their intentions, this First day of the First month, in the Year 2010, they Hai and Youme, appeared in a meeting for worship of the Religious Society of Friends held at Miami Friends Meeting. And taking each other by the hands did declare, each speaking in turn, that they took each other,promising with Divine assistance to be unto each other loving and faithful husband and wife as long as they both should live.

And moreover they, Hai and Youme, did, as further confirmation thereof, then and there to this certificate set their hands.

AND WE, having been present at the ceremony, have as witnesses hereunto set our hands.

In case you still have questions about the traditional Quaker wedding ceremony:
Quaker wedding explained

Write Us

We are getting married!

A small Quaker wedding in sunny Miami, Florida January 1, 2010 and our lives together on the path of loving kindness.
What is a Quaker wedding?
Our shared joy made possible by your friendship and your kindness to one another. We know that we are who we are because all of you have contributed to our characters.
In these moments before the wonderful date, excitement is mounting and questions that seek answers have somehow managed to find solutions, we welcome the new questions knowing there will always be more. A common goal has been to determine what of Vietnamese wedding traditions to include,
Vietnamese wedding traditions
We thank everyone for your continued support and look forward to hearing from you.

Contact us

We

have the great honor of sharing our wedding and life together plans here with you. Hai Nguyen (a.k.a. Dave Wright) is the person that Youme dreamed of in 1997 (and even earlier), a generous and patient soul who walks with optimistic joy. Hai's name means ocean in Vietnamese, his first language. He is currently studying adaptive technology and psychology at the University of Illinois, Chicago and working for Handy Tech North America,

Handy Tech North America

where he is the representative in Chicago and the East Coast, as well as their technical support specialist. He is the kind voice on the other end of the help line. His goal is to work with blind and low vision young people and their families worldwide to encourage active independence and to promote positive change.

Youme Landowne is the other half of the circle Hai has been searching for, tender and caring she seeks the positive aspects in every situation and is committed to social justice. Youme's name comes from the English words you and me, representing her first language and early concepts. She is currently producing artwork for children of all ages, with three illustrated books, many years of mural painting, and teaching in public schools and community centers. Her work addresses universal and personal experiences of finding strength and solace in community and culture. Her goal is to nurture the storyteller/creative problem solver in each of us, celebrating that which makes us unique and recognizing that which we all share.

Youme Landowne

We met in August of 2008 at Cat Macdonald and Charlotte Capogna's beautiful wedding under the stars and full moon in Western Massachusetts. A timeless memory that will remain with us forever.
Hai and Youme plan to marry under the care of the Miami Friends Meeting in South Miami, Florida, January 1, 2010. All are welcome. We realize that the announcement of our wedding and the date are very close together, and if you are unable to join us on that day, please know that our doors are open to celebrating with you all of our days. We are every day grateful to share our lives with one another and we know that we are who we are because of all of you, the truly dazzling and loving community with whom we share our memories and futures, without whom we would not be ourselves.

For our honeymoon we will be visiting Vietnam (and possibly Laos) from February first until the fifteenth 2010, including hopefully a visit to the BaVi orphanage where Hai spent ten years of his life. We want to offer our support and gratitude for the care they provide to our extended family.

We are nourished by your loving support and good wishes, truly the greatest gift that you can give us is to nurture your local community and to do something nice for yourselves in our name. If you are moved to contribute in other ways, we are setting up a foundation to support our work and joy, currently an account linked here

We will keep this blog active, that we may share with you the accomplishments of the foundation and the ways in which we hope our partnership will benefit society.

We are very much in love with one another and with this world full of potential and tenderness. We are grateful to the love which unites and abides, and to each day a new opportunity for love's greatest wish, more love!

Please leave messages to share with all here and/or email us at:
HaiAndYoume@gmail.com
with your mailing address so that we may thank you personally!

And/or ring the bell!

Hai and Youme
4876 1/2 N. Ashland Ave
Apt3S
Chicago,IL 60640

To all of you who have joined us here, thank you!

HaiAndYoume@gmail.com