On the morning of June 2, 1990, Brother Bertrand drove me to San Jose, exit Berryessa Area East, to “accept the new house.” I was really excited. Bertrand, too, talked and talked while driving his car on the highway 680. Right turning on Maxey Drive, Bertrand suddenly stopped talking. In front ahead on the left side, displayed a row of houses incompletely built. He slowly drove his car towards the house he believed “our house”. He shrieked at the top of his voice something like bad words, “[...] They said the house was completely built, [...]”. He parked his car at junction of Maxey and Lenark Streets. We got out of the car, then walked along the Maxey Drive. No “new” house was completely built, even not roofed yet. Bertrand incessantly uttered vulgar words expressing his anger against the Construction Company. [Brother Bertrand is specially gifted musician, pianist in particular. He is also talented in telling stories and making jokes both in jest and in earnest. I don’t know how he behaves when he drives alone, but I do know that when there is another person on his car, he then talks about anything, comments upon any driver in front, on left or on right, even behind him, as if he doesn’t care a straw! However, he is very considerate to other people around him. He is really kind-hearted. Within SMC property, there are two communities. Two Vietnamese Brothers, Theophane and Bertrand, are living in two different communities, and they used to meet each other several times a week. Although sometimes Theophane was angry with Bertrand, if there was a week without meeting with Bertrand, Theophane feels missing something!]

***

I officially started my new job at the College on June 3, 1990. Brothers Eric Vogel, Supervisor, and Brother Bertrand, Assistant, whole-heartedly explained to me all the tasks to do and to be responsible for as a Manager at ACF (Academic Computer Facility.). Brother Eric took me to see some Deans or Department Heads and some professors who used to send their students to ACF for classes or typing assignments. On the tour meeting with and communicating with the faculties and staff at Saint Mary’s College, I felt more anxious about my English skill. “After nearly five years in the United States,” I said to myself, “Daily contact with American professors and students at LSU, living among American Brothers, and teaching American students at La Salle College High School, my English hasn’t improved much!”

ACF occupied a large room within the Library. It’s quite convenient for students doing/typing their homework or assignments after research at the library. There were nearly twenty IBM compatible 286 computers in ACF large room and two computers equipped with two laser printers in the ACF office. Brother Eric confided to me that the ACF had been opened nearly three years. “It’s a little late,” he said, “but it can respond to students’ needs nowadays.” He encouraged me to update as soon as possible so that “we are not too far behind, compared with the advances of actual technology!” He added, “Don’t worry about financial expenses for up-grading system, hardware and software... Just give me on paper propositions or project planning about upgrading and/or purchasing new equipments, etc. I’ll bring it to the Vice-President, Mr. Raymond White. I think he’ll joyfully agree to approve and sign for the purchase orders...”
Honestly, I didn’t clearly realize what the ACF Manager job required from me. Which specialty or professional knowledge needed was Hardware or Software? Although I had been graduated - just two years earlier - in Computer Science, I didn’t acquire much professional skill in this matter. In reality, I didn’t get many experiences with Software. About Hardware, I must confess that “I have no idea!” So, I was wondering how to administer an Academic Computer Facility at a university or college? In addition, my English was a big problem, even though Brother Bertrand was there to help me. Was my job acceptance too adventurous and risky when I was not competent for that sort of work?

Anyway, as a proverb said, “When you have thrown a javelin, you have to follow it up,” I was contended to look ahead. In addition, I was lucky in starting the job on the beginning of Summer: there were not too many students who came to use computers in ACF. I profited from the opportunity to learn some applications that students used the most, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. I paid special attention to be familiar with hardware, e.g. formatting floppy disks, re-booting the system if it got stuck, and particularly re-setting the whole system if any PC got broken. Even though I didn’t dare “dissect” the “anatomy” of the PC yet - I vowed to do it one day - I felt more confident in my new job. “So far so good” for the three first days working at ACF.

***

On June 5, 1990, Brother Bertrand drove me to San Jose welcoming Brother Phong who, alone, had driven a U-Haul trailing his old car from Philadelphia and was expected to arrive in San Jose in the afternoon. We were waiting for Brother Phong at the junction Maxey Drive and Lenark Street at about 3:00 P.M. Mr. Quyeàn had been there inspecting new houses building up. He showed to us the new house that the Company “had given” to La Salle Vietnam. It’s the house whose front entrance door is oriented towards the Lenark street. Bertrand mumbled, “Two or three weeks ago, they showed me not this one, but the one over there!” If looking on the map, the house that Mr. Quyen pointed out is the first on Maxey Court, and the house that Brother Bertrand noted onto his notebook is the last on Maxey Drive. Perhaps Brother Bertrand is right, but why is there such change? Nobody could answer to this question. While Mr. Quyen and we were still talking about the delay completing building these new houses, Brother Phong drove the U-Haul advancing towards our direction. It was about 4:00 P.M. Seeing Brother Phong coming, Mr. Quyen excused himself for leaving immediately, and left when Brother Phong just parked the U-Haul nearby Brother Bertrand’s car. I was a little shocked noticing Mr. Quyen’s behavior, but I didn’t suspect anything.

I could see Brother Phong getting out of the U-Haul and going towards Bertrand and me with disappointment and despair reflected from his face. I also noticed that Brother Phong looked quite haggard and wasted after three days and nights on the U-Haul for a so long trip. However, he tried to be calm and in high spirits when he saw us joyfully welcoming him. Brother Bertrand shook his head then said, “Truly because they cannot sell this house to anyone, they gave it to us!” Brother Phong and I shook heads, forcing a smile... [Several weeks later, some former students who had come to visit us said, “You know why the Company gave you this house instead of the next right one? That’s because this house is open straight towards the Lenard street, and it’s a sign of bad luck. No Vietnamese or Chinese people can accept it. But you, Brothers, you don’t believe in such superstition!”]

The actual problem was “where to unload everything from the U-Haul because Brother Phong had to return it next morning.” Brother Bertrand suggested that we come to Dandini, borrowing the downstairs rooms of the La Salle Sisters. “It would be for a long time,” he added, “because the new house would not be completely done until at least July.” No other options. The La Salle Sisters were so nice welcoming us and left all downstairs rooms for our use. When finished unloading, Brother Phong told me to drive the car that that he had trailed from Philadelphia to SMC. “It’s a good idea for you, An, to drive back and forth to SMC from San Jose,” said Brother Phong. But I insisted that he use the car for many other things to do in San Jose.

***

A week later, Brother Bertrand and I went to the San Francisco Airport picking up Brother Benilde Tín coming from Australia. At that time, controlling passport formality was really easy and quickly done. But, at the custom’s services, Brother Benilde encountered trouble. He brought two big boxes containing electronic stuffs. Despite any explanations from Beùnilde, the custom officer opened all boxes and displayed everything on a table, and wanted to tax the electronic materials. Looking at these “antique” materials, I told to the custom officer, “How can you tax on these old items?” She looked at me with antipathy, then asked, “Who are you?” I replied, calmly, “I am his friend.” She asked, “You are an undocumented person, aren’t you? Your ID?” I was quite startled in fear because I was really unprepared to such a question. I submitted to her my driver license. At a glance, she asked, “You are from Philadelphia?”
- “Yes.”
- “Do you have other ID like green card, or citizenship?”

“Damn it, what to do now?” I said to myself. Searching on my wallet, I luckily found the appointment letter “to be interviewed on July 29, 1990.” (Cf. page 204). She unfolded and read on the paper, then said, “It’s not that kind of paper.” Although I trembled in my deep interior, I still calmly replied, “ Please, read it carefully! On July 29 I will be interviewed...” Brother Bertrand stood nearby, inquired, “What happens?” The custom officer looked at him then asked, “Your ID?” Brother Bertrand calmly submitted his driver license, his SMC’ staff photo ID card, and his US citizenship card. The custom officer showed Brother Bertrand’s citizenship card to me, then said, “That’s this card I want...” I wide opened eyes looking at her, knowing not what to say. She suddenly left us and entered a small room nearby. She came back after a while, and surprisingly returned all papers to me without saying a word. However, she told to Brother Benilde, “Leave your two luggage boxes here. Come back tomorrow!”

On the road driving Brother Benilde and me to Dandini to drop Brother Benilde where he was to live with Brother Phong, at the Sisters’ house, Bertrand had opportunity to “discharge” his anger against us for trouble-making at the airport. I was used to experiencing his talking and commenting on anything, that’s why I was not much affected by his “discharge”. Brother Benilde, too, had been so familiar with such outbursts that we looked at each other and smiled, indifferently. [Brother Bertrand Duc Duc is Brother Benilde Tín’s uncle!]

Back to SMC, Bertrand phoned to the lawyer of the District and presented what had happened at the airport. Next early morning, he drove, alone, to the airport and brought two electronic boxes down to San Jose. I later congratulated Brother Bertrand, saying, “How come that you can solve such a problem and that fast?” He, again, had opportunity to launch into strong language as usual, then said, “I had to pay one hundred dollars to the lawyer! You guys, you must pay me back!” I laughed, as usual, saying nothing.

***

From the second week working in ACF, i.e. from the second week of June, although it was Summer time, there were many different sessions at SMC, like Paralegal Programs, or Seminar Sessions, or Summer Camps, etc. There were also many professors who phoned to ACF and requested to reserve a number of computers for their classes during a certain times, or asked me to give their students a certain lectures about how to use the computers or how to enter data then print it out, etc.

There were at least three times within a week, I made a mistake in mixing up the time and professor names scheduling them to use ACF computers. It provoked no less dissatisfaction and anger from other students who didn’t attend any of these sessions but who had been using computers for their work. I realized that in talking face to face it was already hard to understand each other, but talking through the phone line it was definitely much harder to hear, particularly the numbers e.g. the hours (times) the professor wanted to reserve, or the names of the classes and of the professors.

I was thinking of finding a way to avoid such mistakes. At the beginning of next week, I got one which, I knew, was not appropriate to college environment, but, who cares, it would be quite ad hoc to my actual “deaf-mute” situation. I posted at every front door of each classroom and office:

NOTICE
Ref: Request for ACF computers use.
Because of the limited computer availability for use,
Faculty and Professors are requested to write down: class... date... and times... they would like to use ACF computers for their class, and send them to ACF at least 24 hours before the requested date.
Thank you for your cooperation.
ACF Manager


And it worked fine. Thank God!

I was more “blind” about Hardware. Since my first “click on the mouse” and “typing input, output” on the keyboard of the computer at La Salle University, I never knew nor saw inside any components; therefore I could not visualize the CPU, Memory chips, Mother Board, etc. “Brother, the computers in ACF are too slow!” many students complained when they used them for their homework. I thought about upgrading some of these computers in buying, for the start, a computer 386 and “anatomizing” it. It took three days for me to minutely examine, test, and by pulling out pushing in component by component, I could at least understand which component is for which function... I asked Brother Eric to purchase separated parts or cards, and at last I could assemble and setup myself five computers 386. I was so happy - Brother Eric, too - that we decided to gradually replace the old computers 286 by 386.

At that times, computer virus was really intimidating - not only intimidating but realistically affecting - the running of computers. I could not imagine such a virus. The first time I heard about virus was when a student asked me to help him retrieve file.doc from his floppy disk. When I opened this file.doc, I heard strange sounds from the floppy drive like it was reading or searching the file.doc. More than three minutes had passed and it didn’t display anything on the screen. I told to the student, “Is your floppy disk in good shape?” He answered, “Absolutely positive because I just opened the file from my computer at home!” I had no idea about such a strange happening, thinking that the floppy drive at this ACF computer was broken. The student said, “Maybe it’s a virus!” I asked, surprised, “What? Virus?” The student replied, “I heard that there is a kind of virus which destroys all files, even the hard disk...” I wondered, “Virus? What’s that?” The student continued, “It’s ‘contagious’, too. I heard that it can be transmitted from the floppy to the hard disk...” It was difficult to imagine that the alive virus could transmit “illness” to the computers, just like any organic virus can cause illness - even death - to any biological body.

I opened some other computers on the same row with the one the student and I were working, and at my great surprise, three of them could not boot. It displayed something like “... the system halted...” I shouted, “What happens?” The student shook his head and said, “These computers have been infected by a virus!” The only thing I could do at that time was to reformat the hard disk then setup the system again and re-install all necessary software programs - thanks to the idea of upgrading the computer 386 I had done a few days earlier so that I had known how to setup the system for a computer. It took more than one hour to revive the dead computer. I clearly recognized that it was just to temporarily restore the broken computers. Anyway, temporarily solving some urgent problems, e.g. reviving dead computers, while looking for ways to wipe out a threatening and killing virus, was better than to post NOT AVAILABLE at the screen of each dead computer.