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Welcome to my site!

Check out new video clips:

Liem's latest dance clip.

Lan's dance at Boston Art Festival, August 24, 2004.

Sad news! BTU e-Bulletin #45 (2005-06), August 25, 2006

We regret to announce the sudden and tragic death of Abbie Schirmer. Abbie died unexpectedly from a pulmonary embolism. She was a good friend and an inspiration to many people. Above all, Abbie had an overriding sense of social justice and dedicated her life to that cause. Abbie's energy knew no bounds. Her family, friends and students all benefited from her commitment to improve the world around her. For her, politics and teaching were the same, the world had to be a better place and she had a responsibility to make it so. After teaching in England., Abbie came to Boston and taught at the Higginson in the early 1970's. In 1984 she began teaching at the Fenway and has taught there ever since. Her career at the Fenway included a variety of activities. She taught, she wrote curriculum,., and she was active in promoting student government. She co-founded the Fenway-Museum of Science partnership. She will be dearly missed by her friends, family, and colleagues. She leaves her husband, two children, a sister and a brother. (Boston Teachers Union)

SCHIRMER, Abigail Boone

Age 62, of Cambridge, MA, died suddenly at home on August 23, 2006. She is survived by her husband, An Nguyen; her two children, Liem and Lan; her sister, Audrey Schirmer of Montreal, QC; her brother, Joe Schirmer of Madison, WI; her nieces and nephew, Danielle, Jacqueline, Zoe, Maria, Eleni and Nicholas; and her aunt Judith Bell of England. A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, September 30, 2006, 1PM-6PM, at the Friends Meeting House, 5 Longfellow Park, Cambridge, MA. Contributions can be made to the Cambridge Peace Commission, 51 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139, which she helped to found.

Boston Globe, August 30, 2006

Abbie's Memorial

Please go to http://abbieschirmer.com , this is a website dedicated to Abbie.

Posthumous tribute from the Cambridge Peace Commision at the 10th annual peace and justice awards, October 29, 2006:

Abbie was an educator, an anti-war activist, a union organizer, a mother, a wife and partner, a lover of beauty and nature, and a passionate advocate for justice and social activism. With her mother Peggy Schirmer as part of the Cambridge Peace Education Project, she created the Cambridge Peace Commission. As a math teacher and technology coordinator at Boston's Fenway High School, she mentored young people and inspired both staff and students by example to make a difference in their community and in the world. One teacher remembers Abbie as the most unconditionally loving person she knew. All her life Abbie held, taught and lived the values of social justice and nonviolence. A gardener at home, she planted and nurtured seeds of peace and justice everywhere.

"I see incredible potential for change in the voices and faces of young people"

5 Minutes by Lan Nguyen ( Abbie's daughter)

If I had just five minutes to spend with my mom, I'd tell her how beautiful she is. I'd tell her that seeing her smile always made me smile, whether she could see it or not. I'd tell her that even though we had bad arguments, I never wanted to stay angry. I'd tell my mother how I sometimes wore her shirts, and how I secretly wanted to wear some of her jewelry, especially her wedding ring. I'd tell my mom that I appreciated all of the times she would call my school saying I was sick, even though I wasn't. I'd tell her that I loved seeing her name and number show up on my caller ID even though I would constantly complain about my minutes. I would tell my mother how I wanted to dye my hair with henna after I saw her doing it first. I would tell her that I always would purposely save the best news for last, hoping that she would be proud of me. I would say that I loved the fact that she met with all my teachers at school, even though I knew it was hard for her to go because of her job.

I would thank her for always picking me up, no matter what time or where. I would thank my mom for bailing me out of tough situations. I would thank my mother for worrying about me, even though it stressed her out. I would thank her for introducing me to Starbucks, and for always getting me a giftcard there. I would thank her for running special errands for me, and bringing home food for me, even though it was out of her way. I would thank her for meeting my friends and asking about my business, even if I didn't always want to talk. I would thank my mother for giving me little gifts and lending me money, even though it always took me forever to pay her back.

If I had five minutes with my mom, I would tell her that I cleaned my closet, and that I was working on cleaning my room. I'd tell my mom that I wear the ring she gave me everyday. I would tell my mother that I was doing great at work. I would tell my mom that she has a lot of friends and family who care about her. I would tell her how lucky she was to find someone like dad. I would tell her that the pond was finished and that it looked great. I would tell her that I think about her all the time. And I would tell her how much I miss her. I would tell her how happy I am that she gets to be with her mom and dad again. I would tell her that I'm still in school and doing my very best work. I would tell my mother that even the littlest thing reminds me of how much she meant to me. I'd tell her how I loved when she tucked me in at night. I would tell her how grateful I was when she would take time out to talk to me, even though we both had school the next day, and even though she was tired. I would tell her that I appreciated her buying me Monopoly and playing with me, when nobody else would. I would tell her how much fun I had when we would buy gifts for dad, and how much fun I had when we took car trips together. I would tell her how great it was to go to the wedding reception with her, even though it was in the middle of nowhere and I listened to music the whole way up. I would tell my mom how fun it was to go to her school. I would tell my mom how great it was that I switched guidance counselors. I would tell my mom that I was going to visit UMASS Amherst just for her. I would tell my mother that I felt bad for making fun of her stick bugs. I would tell my mother that I wanted to go out to lunch with her and that I wanted to spend Christmas with her. I would tell her that I wished she was still here and that I missed her like crazy. I would tell my mother how sad, upset, confused, and lost I felt. I would tell her that every night I think about her before I go to sleep. I would tell her that I finally did my own laundry. I would tell her how I'd miss her at my wedding or when I had children. I would tell her how nice and caring she was. I would tell her that I wished she could have seen me on the first day of school. I would tell her that I was doing gymnastics again.

If I had just five minutes, I would tell my mother everything I could think of. I would thank her for looking out for my family, friends, and I. If I had just five minutes with her, I would tell her that I couldn't explain how much I love her. I would tell her that I'd need more than five minutes if I even wanted to start trying to explain to her how much I love her. I would tell her that I understand that everything happens for a reason, and that there must be a pretty huge reason that she had to move on. I would tell her that I was glad that she would be there waiting for me, when my time came. I would tell her how I wished that we had more time with each other and how grateful I was that she picked me as her daughter. I would tell her that I would give anything to have more time with her or if I could bring her back, I would. I would show her the locket I had made, at the store that she introduced me to.

If I had just five minutes I would tell my mom all of things I love about her. But the truth is, five minutes isn't enough time. The truth is, I can't have five minutes with her. The truth is, my mom knows everything I have to say to her. She knows all of my feelings, and she knows everything I thought, but didn't say aloud. The truth is that no matter how lonely I feel without her, she is still in my heart making sure that I am okay. The truth is that she aleady knows that I love her. The truth is, even if I had five minutes to spend with my mom, she's still smiling no matter how many minutes I have. The truth is that a mother never really leaves her daughter and that she will stay alive in my heart forever. So saying that, I think I'll pass on the five minutes and just know in my heart that my mom loves me and that I love her back.

You are also invited to see:

Cape Cod pictures ; Lilies
Liem's latest (5/2006) video clips: part1 and part2
Liem's video clips (part 1) of his crew's competition at UConn, Connecticut, 3/18/2006 (approximately 5 min. long)
Liem's video clips (part 2) (~5 min.)

Check out Liem's cool site! Liem

Lan's Floor Routine (~2 min.) at the GBL gymnastic competition at MIT, February, 2006:

Lan

Enjoy!