A group of Vietnamese children who have been adopted by families from the states are learning more about their roots, and it's all thanks to a group of Smith College students.Every other Friday, 9-year-old Phoebe Jessup is a student at Smith College in Northampton. And her teachers are Smith students. The subjects this week are numbers and animals, all in Vietnamese."It's apart of who she is, and apart of who our family is," says Nancy Jessup, Phoebe's mother.Nancy Jessup adopted Phoebe from a Vietnamese orphanage when she was 5-months-old. Once the adoption is official every family is ordered by the government to educate their new child about their Vietnamese culture. That's when Nancy got in touch with Smith College and other parents, and the class was born. "They have games and videos and they have done some cooking," adds Jessup.The group is made up of about 5 students. Some have lived in the states their whole lives, and others are new to the country themselves. They spend every other Friday teaching children about Vietnamese food, clothing, geography and more and they do it all on their own free time. "It's still something inside them that they know they are from Vietnam and they long to learn about the culture, and it's a great opportunity for me," says Smith College student, Lan Phan.The class has been around for about 3 years, and is open to the entire community. So far 10 students from Vietnam and Koreaare taking part. "It's just fun knowing you have other people that are from the same place," says Phoebe Jessup.And it's not just the kids who are learning more about their roots, teachers say they are learning from each other. "I learn more about my culture when I teach the class," adds Phan.
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