I want this to be fairly low key, so I added this a few days after the anniversary.

About one year ago, a former student of mine disappeared while she was on a working holiday in New Zealand. She was found about 2 weeks later. She had been murdered.

However, to talk about the way she died gives the person who committed this crime too much importance. I want to talk about the person I knew and have not forgotten.

She was a very fun, loving person. She loved studying English and was the hardest working person in her class. Outside class I discovered that she had a beautiful voice for singing. She could sing enka well enough to bring tears to my eyes, even though I didn't understand the words. She loved Gospel music, during Show and Tell class, she played a tape of a gospel song for us. She was madly in love with Jon Bon Jovi and would often talk about him. I'm afraid I used to tease her about her dream of meeting him.

I can still see her in my mind's eye, and I can still hear her say"Helen, what does ' mean?"

Her mother showed me a picture of her on a rock in front of a lake with her arms stretched out and a look of pure joy and excitement on her face. She looked like she was about to fly, she looked like a mischievous angel, and that's the way I want to remember her.

Back to September 11,1999 entry.