The first schoolsMy kindergarten was located in the alley where I entered for the banana trees. The alley was later named “Thanh Long” (Blue Dragon) after a local printing company. It was a small dirt road; cars would have had difficulty passing. The school probably had no more than three classes with about 50 children in total. I don't remember the cover of my “Vần Quốc Ngữ” (ABC National Language) but only its first pages. The letters were printed in large black letters. I learned to write with chalk on a small slate that could easily be broken into pieces if I accidentally dropped it. I was told that I would only attend that kindergarten for a couple of weeks and I went to Hong-Bang to finish school. year. My new school was on Aviateur Garros street, about two kilometers from home. My first experience with writing in a notebook was in this school. Ballpoint pens didn't exist then; all pens were equipped with steel nibs. Before writing I dipped the tip of the pen into the inkwell. One day I dropped my pen on the brick floor and the nib was bent. As the teacher continued to ask his students to write the letters he wrote on the board, I sat there, worried and petrified until he came down and helped me set up the pen. The Father and the Avant-Garde Youth The father ran home from somewhere and spoke briefly with the mother. Then he went up to the roof, took his sword and left. I hadn't seen dad in a while. I was too young to understand what was happening. I stayed at home with my mother, aunt Sung, brothers Vinh and Hung, and my maternal grandmother. Mom had a stall selling wool and fabrics at the Saigon market. He left home early in the morning and returned late in the afternoon. Sometimes my aunt went with her. Saigon Market was the largest market in the capital. One afternoon, I didn't know why the people who lived on both sides of the street and in the nearby alleys threw away what little they had on the street: beds, wardrobes, tables and chairs. . Ultimately, I knew they wanted to slow down the advance of the French troops who were arriving with armored vehicles and tanks.