Tuesday Tales - The Mythical Library

I have a dream. Not a dream for me, but for the students at my school.

If you were reading my A-to-Z challenge, you may have read that my husband and I have opened an English language education center in our town. It's to teach English to Vietnamese kids - something everyone wants in our touristy area.

I dream of a library. Not a big one, just a small lending library of English books for the kids to practice and hone their reading skills.

Just a small library - that wall of shelves on the left. Is it too much to ask?

 

My sister, the one who died in 2020, was a librarian. So I've reached out to one of her librarian buddies to inquire about the possibility of having books donated to our school. 

Today I got a response! They are interested, but not sure how it works to donate overseas. I'm not sure either. (We have no physical address, so advise friends and family to never send anything.) My Vietnamese business partner is looking into it - she's not sure how to receive shipments from the USA, either! 

Isn't it exciting when everyone wants to do something, but no one knows how, and you all have to figure it out together? Like a school group project, but with better teamwork.

I know first-hand how much a library would help. After I reached a certain point in my Mandarin classes, I pulled out my set of Frog & Toad books in Chinese. I'd bought them on a whim in Beijing, in the hopes that one day I'd be able to read and understand them.

Let me tell you, books - children's books, that are designed to impress on the brain certain words, phrases, or grammatical structures - are phenomenal in piecing together a second language! I still need my classes. That's where you learn how the language works and build vocabulary, but a book is where you can put it all together! 

Right now, this library is a myth. 

It's a pipe-dream. 

It may end up happening piecemeal as we accept donations in drips and drabs, and supplement when we find suitable English books here. 

If my sister's library can at least give us a kick-start with a healthy donation of children's books, we will be on our way!

Now, does anyone know how to run a library?