I had my first class on Friday. I didn’t realize that the majority of the students were second-year English learners, so I felt quite embarrassed when I told them to copy the “Days of the Week” chart that I had written on the board. What I’ve noticed about Vietnamese students is that they know quite an extensive amount of the English vocabulary. Putting their knowledge to use, though, is the difficult part for them.
Since it was my first day and half of my students didn’t have their books, I spent the majority of the session getting to know them better. I asked them each to write five sentences about their life as a student. I learned that many of their families are hours away. They live in boarding houses during the school year with other students. More than a few had written “I miss my family very much” in their five-sentence description of student life.
I ended class early and got a drink with three girls and one boy, Jack. That is not his Vietnamese name, but for my sake, that’s what he goes by in English class. They also took me out to lunch afterward. And when I say took, I mean they paid for me as well. When I protested, one of my students said that it was a traditional thing in their culture to pay for a foreign visitor’s meal the first time you meet them. I said I would accept it this time, but next time was on me. They just giggled at that, which is what they seem to do every time I say something to them outside of class.
It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon, but Christine and I have much to look forward to this week. We’ll be flying to Hanoi on Tuesday and coming back Thursday afternoon. It’s only a two hour flight from Can Tho, which seems like nothing after it took a day just to get to Asia!
Wednesday is Vietnam’s day of Independence, so Hanoi will certainly be busy and lots of fun. Apparently there will be lots of fireworks and celebrations everywhere. I was hoping to hear that it would be a bit cooler in Hanoi during this time of year, but supposedly, it’s even hotter than the South! Right now is the rainy season for Can Tho, and in Hanoi it’s dry. Oh well. At least our hotel will have air conditioning. Hopefully.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Gettin' Affiliated, Acclimated...All Those A words
Eating at different restaurants around Vietnam is quite like eating at the Melting Pot. Before you, there is an assortment of fresh vegetables, rice, a variety of different dipping sauces and of course, the meat. Or fish. And last but not least, the pot to cook it all in.
Having thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Melting Pot in Albany, NY, I’d have to say that the experience here is just as good if not more interesting and more fun. The food is way cheaper, and tastes even better. The ambience is the best part, though. Most restaurants in Can Tho are set outside, with tiny tables surrounded by even tinier chairs (for big Western butts, anyway) and the food just keeps on coming. Food is a HUGE deal in Vietnam. It brings family and friends together in the best way possible – through a good meal and a tranquil atmosphere. Everyone here is always smiling and no one ever seems to be hungry. A pretty impressive feat considering that this country was in shambles less than thirty years ago.
Yesterday, An took us to a swimming pool. I didn’t think that I’d be getting many, if any, aquatic activities in during my stay in Can Tho, especially not within the first few days. But I’m quite glad that I did. I hopped on the back of her motorbike (only my second time ever on one of those) and enjoyed the scenic route on the way to the water hole. We drove over a couple bridges, and through many cute side streets. I say that as if the majority of the city wasn’t made up of these “cute” side streets. Everything here seems so much smaller through my American eyes, but then I realize that this size of daily life is the norm for them. “Cute” is probably an insult.
Once again, the madness of the motorbike drivers in Vietnam never ceases to amaze me. How there aren’t a hundred accidents every day is astoundingly ludicrous. There is only one rule to follow here whether you are crossing the street or cruising along on wheels: NEVER stop moving. Just go.
Once we got to the apartment complex, I was disappointed to discover that the pool water was slightly warmer than I imagined it would be. However, that didn’t stop myself, An, Christine and Zen (a boy from Belgium who has an internship with the Aquaculture department of Can Tho University) from enjoying the pool and the fact that we were the only ones using it. (Since many Vietnamese don’t have much access to a swimming pool, many of them still have not yet learned how to swim.)
Today, Christine and I went to breakfast with Zen. Get used to eating rice and chicken and soup for breakfast if you ever plan on visiting Vietnam. It might seem weird in the beginning to eat these typically Western-dinner items in the morning, but think of the benefits: everything is way healthier, and a lot less expensive than it is at home! And to top it all off, everything is of such formidable quality: I have only eaten ONE thing here that I didn’t like so far, and I felt a lot better when An told me that most local Vietnamese hate it as well. It was a dish of fat, ham and some other product that I’m forgetting, all stuck together. I was impressed that I kept it in my mouth for as long as I did before I (hopefully) discreetly spat it out into my napkin. Gross!
After breakfast we walked along the streets of Can Tho. Being that this is a university town, there are Internet cafes everywhere, and many young people putting them to good use. What I find so funny is that the computer game World of Warcraft (one that my boyfriend and his roommates are huge advocates of back in the States) is quite popular here. As are many American movies and TV shows. Walking around two nights ago, I noticed that many Vietnamese crowd together and watch American films on a big TV screen outside a store or in a bar. America seems to be quite the popular guy on campus here.
It’s obvious that a culture which promotes wealth and beauty and many other desirable things to be attractive to a culture that has very little of them. In a way, though, that’s sort of sad. I won’t say that I’m not happy to have the Internet and be able to connect with folks at home. That is certainly a plus for me, as well as this otherwise would-be-empty blog. But the fact that America seems to be infiltrating every corner of the Earth, causing these remote places to become less and less original and more and more similar to what we know at home, is in a way a form of extinction; an extinction of different cultures and different customs that so many people in the West have very little idea about. Vietnam is certainly special in many ways, but is also becoming very much the same as home. All I can say is, get here to see it before there is not much more “Vietnam” to see.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Good Morninggg, Vietnam!
8/25/09
Saigon. I can’t even explain it. The chaotic yet weirdly systematic traffic flow boggles my mind. Whole families pile up on top of each other, riding one motor bike. Infants! Some smile at me when they pass, others just stare. Not necessarily rude, not necessarily pleasant. Just looking at me because I’m…not like them.
When we arrived at the hotel that Kristen and An (employees of Teachers for Vietnam) had booked for us yesterday, I noticed that the buildings in Saigon are all about UP. What I mean by that is, the floors themselves are very narrow, but the levels keep going up and up…and up. It utilizes space, for sure. And with a city that’s constantly bombarded with foreigners, they need all the space they can get.
The first beer I had in Saigon was called Tiger. It’s actually imported from Singapore, but just as popular as Saigon and 333(pronounced “bababa”), two of the biggest domestic beers in Vietnam. Tiger is quite good, and I had quite a few with dinner, and afterward as well. However, still feeling jet-lagged and a bit tipsy, I called it a night by 10 P.M. Normally, my nights haven’t don’t even start by then.
We caught the bus to Can Tho at 1:00 PM today, and the ride took about five hours. I didn’t get to see much countryside (actually, none at all) because we followed one continuous road the whole way down. Highway 1 didn’t offer any scenic views until we got to the ferry, where we were in full stop traffic for about an hour. On the ferry, though, I did get a really cool view of one of the soon-to-be biggest bridge constructions in Vietnam. The only piece missing was the middle, and I got a pretty good picture of that.
It’s too hot to continue writing right now, but I will say that the part I’m loving most about Can Tho is definitely…the food! So many different flavors and spices all rolled into one. Awesome.
Saigon. I can’t even explain it. The chaotic yet weirdly systematic traffic flow boggles my mind. Whole families pile up on top of each other, riding one motor bike. Infants! Some smile at me when they pass, others just stare. Not necessarily rude, not necessarily pleasant. Just looking at me because I’m…not like them.
When we arrived at the hotel that Kristen and An (employees of Teachers for Vietnam) had booked for us yesterday, I noticed that the buildings in Saigon are all about UP. What I mean by that is, the floors themselves are very narrow, but the levels keep going up and up…and up. It utilizes space, for sure. And with a city that’s constantly bombarded with foreigners, they need all the space they can get.
The first beer I had in Saigon was called Tiger. It’s actually imported from Singapore, but just as popular as Saigon and 333(pronounced “bababa”), two of the biggest domestic beers in Vietnam. Tiger is quite good, and I had quite a few with dinner, and afterward as well. However, still feeling jet-lagged and a bit tipsy, I called it a night by 10 P.M. Normally, my nights haven’t don’t even start by then.
We caught the bus to Can Tho at 1:00 PM today, and the ride took about five hours. I didn’t get to see much countryside (actually, none at all) because we followed one continuous road the whole way down. Highway 1 didn’t offer any scenic views until we got to the ferry, where we were in full stop traffic for about an hour. On the ferry, though, I did get a really cool view of one of the soon-to-be biggest bridge constructions in Vietnam. The only piece missing was the middle, and I got a pretty good picture of that.
It’s too hot to continue writing right now, but I will say that the part I’m loving most about Can Tho is definitely…the food! So many different flavors and spices all rolled into one. Awesome.
New York State of Mind
8/24/09
I’m sitting in a semi-comfortable beige arm chair (along with two other fellow teachers from Teachers for Vietnam) right now, inside one of the massage parlors at the Changi airport in Singapore. They, each having just received an hour-long massage, look as though they should: relaxed and refreshed. I, on the other hand, neither look nor feel either of those things. I do, however, know what excitement feels like, and it’s probably that electric tingling feeling that’s hitting every corner of my body like a wild game of fuse ball.
I won’t lie and say that I didn’t have a slight tear forming in the corner of my eye when the engine started rumbling back in Queens. The bright lights of Citi Field were the only ones I could still see as the plane accelerated ever higher into the warm August night. My boyfriend, Scott, and I had been there only a week before when the New York Mets were playing the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, the game resulted with a disappointing final score of 5-4 with a walk-off homerun in the 10th inning for the Giants. Funnily enough, the Mets had lost the exact same way (and with the same exact score) back in June, when we went to the beautiful new stadium for the first time. They were playing the Phillies (ugh!) and we had the added bonus of sitting directly in front of several of the most obnoxious and ignorant Philly fans in the universe. Yippee!
Why all this talk about baseball when I’m boarding a flight to Vietnam in several hours, a country where they probably haven’t even heard of the sport let alone know the rules of how it’s played? Good question. I guess I find it funny that up until several months ago, I could really care less about baseball. I never had an interest in baseball because I never really took the time to sit down and appreciate the game. And now that I’ve watched countless Mets games with a boyfriend who is quite the fan, I realize how much I’m going to miss it. And him.
After that first tear, though, I didn’t cry. There’s no need to cry when I’m starting one of the most exciting adventures that I’ll ever have in my life. There’s no need to cry because the Mets will always be there. So will New York. And so will everything else in Rockland County that I have left behind, for now.
What won’t always be there is this opportunity that I’ve decided to seize upon, and I am satisfied with the decision that I’ve made. I’m excited to learn all about my students: what they like to eat, what sports they like to play, what books they like to read, and so on. The opportunity to make connections with people who come from a life so different than my own is something I am more than ready to embrace, and a job that I am more than proud to accept.
And who knows – maybe one day, they’ll come visit me in America. We can sit together under the bright lights of Citi Field and feel the vibrations of the plane engines soaring above us, filled with hundreds of thousands of excited travelers taking off from JFK.
I am but one of millions.
I’m sitting in a semi-comfortable beige arm chair (along with two other fellow teachers from Teachers for Vietnam) right now, inside one of the massage parlors at the Changi airport in Singapore. They, each having just received an hour-long massage, look as though they should: relaxed and refreshed. I, on the other hand, neither look nor feel either of those things. I do, however, know what excitement feels like, and it’s probably that electric tingling feeling that’s hitting every corner of my body like a wild game of fuse ball.
I won’t lie and say that I didn’t have a slight tear forming in the corner of my eye when the engine started rumbling back in Queens. The bright lights of Citi Field were the only ones I could still see as the plane accelerated ever higher into the warm August night. My boyfriend, Scott, and I had been there only a week before when the New York Mets were playing the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, the game resulted with a disappointing final score of 5-4 with a walk-off homerun in the 10th inning for the Giants. Funnily enough, the Mets had lost the exact same way (and with the same exact score) back in June, when we went to the beautiful new stadium for the first time. They were playing the Phillies (ugh!) and we had the added bonus of sitting directly in front of several of the most obnoxious and ignorant Philly fans in the universe. Yippee!
Why all this talk about baseball when I’m boarding a flight to Vietnam in several hours, a country where they probably haven’t even heard of the sport let alone know the rules of how it’s played? Good question. I guess I find it funny that up until several months ago, I could really care less about baseball. I never had an interest in baseball because I never really took the time to sit down and appreciate the game. And now that I’ve watched countless Mets games with a boyfriend who is quite the fan, I realize how much I’m going to miss it. And him.
After that first tear, though, I didn’t cry. There’s no need to cry when I’m starting one of the most exciting adventures that I’ll ever have in my life. There’s no need to cry because the Mets will always be there. So will New York. And so will everything else in Rockland County that I have left behind, for now.
What won’t always be there is this opportunity that I’ve decided to seize upon, and I am satisfied with the decision that I’ve made. I’m excited to learn all about my students: what they like to eat, what sports they like to play, what books they like to read, and so on. The opportunity to make connections with people who come from a life so different than my own is something I am more than ready to embrace, and a job that I am more than proud to accept.
And who knows – maybe one day, they’ll come visit me in America. We can sit together under the bright lights of Citi Field and feel the vibrations of the plane engines soaring above us, filled with hundreds of thousands of excited travelers taking off from JFK.
I am but one of millions.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Less than two weeks to go...
All throughout my senior year at SUNY Albany, I was getting the same questions from almost everyone: What are your plans post-graduation? What do want to do with the rest of your life? Why the hell would you want to go to VIETNAM?!
Ok, ok, I understand why my parents might have some issues with this: the idea of their daughter flying off to a third-world country in the pursuit of teaching English to college students, whose parents' generation was looked at as the enemy during the Vietnam War, probably didn't thrill them too much. But, on the contrary, it excited the hell out of me.
What many people ask me is: why Vietnam? Why why why?
To be honest, I didn't really choose Vietnam. Vietnam, by default, kind of chose me.
Originally, I had intended to be an Italian major at SUNY. After finding out this past January that I would be three credits short upon graduation, I switched my minor to a major and graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in History. (Four history classes in one semester, by the way, is not very fun!) After giving up the idea that I would be able to teach English in Italy for a year, due to no longer having the added bonus of it being my major nor EU membership, I decided to look elsewhere.
Costa Rica was up there in my list of possibilities. I had vacationed there for a week in May 2008 with my cousin Nicole and her friend Liz. Our tour guide, Fabio, having graduated with a double major in Marketing and Tropical Ecology at a prestigious university in Costa Rica, knew his home country well. He showed us things that were, at the very least, worth every penny we paid him, and beyond. He was a handsome, energetic 34-year-old free-lance tour guide who took pride in being a "taino" and thoroughly enjoyed "la pura vida." And he was the first one to help me up on a surf board at Manuel Antonio beach on the Pacific coast!
Unfortunately, I was not able to find a program that I liked in Costa Rica. Most advertistments for English language schools seemed kind of fishy, and I didn't want to sign up with a school that wouldn't give me the materials I needed in order to teach effectively in the classroom. Hmpf. Things weren't going too well.
But then...
I started to pay closer attention to my favorite Travel Channel host, Anthony Bourdain. His show, No Reservations, is a travel show focused around finding good food in every corner of the globe. He visits countries worldwide and locals treat him to their regional cuisine. I am beyond jelaous of his profession, as are most foodies and travelites alike. I am not only enthralled by his TV personality, but his books are beautifully crafted as well.
And as people who read his books and watch his shows well know, he is "utterly besotted with Viet Nam." And I began to wonder, why?
The second I asked myself that question, I immediately thought of my friend Kristen. She had lifeguarded with me for a couple summers at a camp near my hometown, and she was now the Program Coordinator of Teachers for Vietnam. As the website states, "Teachers for Vietnam was established in 2006 to help meet the rapidly growing need for native speakers of English to teach the language in Vietnamese colleges and universities." I felt so stupid. I had completely neglected to factor Asia into my "Future Plans" equation. And here was an organzation that was going to pay for my flight, health insurance and dorming facilities over there while I was helping the youth of Vietnam to a better and job-secured future.
Things just fell into place. I called John, the man in charge of the organization, and started to get my application together quickly after hanging up with him. I had no idea what my parents, friends or other family members were going to think about this decision, but I didn't care. I went through with it, and found out in early May that I was accepted.
My departure date is less than two weeks away, and I am feeling a million different things. But mostly, it's all good stuff. I am, however, leaving behind a boyfriend who I love very much, and it will be difficult adjusting to my new life without him. I do think that I'm making the right decision, though. After all, at what other point in my life will I ever get an opportunity to do this again? And ripe out of college, my boundaries are limitless and life is mine for the taking...
Ok, ok, I understand why my parents might have some issues with this: the idea of their daughter flying off to a third-world country in the pursuit of teaching English to college students, whose parents' generation was looked at as the enemy during the Vietnam War, probably didn't thrill them too much. But, on the contrary, it excited the hell out of me.
What many people ask me is: why Vietnam? Why why why?
To be honest, I didn't really choose Vietnam. Vietnam, by default, kind of chose me.
Originally, I had intended to be an Italian major at SUNY. After finding out this past January that I would be three credits short upon graduation, I switched my minor to a major and graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts in History. (Four history classes in one semester, by the way, is not very fun!) After giving up the idea that I would be able to teach English in Italy for a year, due to no longer having the added bonus of it being my major nor EU membership, I decided to look elsewhere.
Costa Rica was up there in my list of possibilities. I had vacationed there for a week in May 2008 with my cousin Nicole and her friend Liz. Our tour guide, Fabio, having graduated with a double major in Marketing and Tropical Ecology at a prestigious university in Costa Rica, knew his home country well. He showed us things that were, at the very least, worth every penny we paid him, and beyond. He was a handsome, energetic 34-year-old free-lance tour guide who took pride in being a "taino" and thoroughly enjoyed "la pura vida." And he was the first one to help me up on a surf board at Manuel Antonio beach on the Pacific coast!
Unfortunately, I was not able to find a program that I liked in Costa Rica. Most advertistments for English language schools seemed kind of fishy, and I didn't want to sign up with a school that wouldn't give me the materials I needed in order to teach effectively in the classroom. Hmpf. Things weren't going too well.
But then...
I started to pay closer attention to my favorite Travel Channel host, Anthony Bourdain. His show, No Reservations, is a travel show focused around finding good food in every corner of the globe. He visits countries worldwide and locals treat him to their regional cuisine. I am beyond jelaous of his profession, as are most foodies and travelites alike. I am not only enthralled by his TV personality, but his books are beautifully crafted as well.
And as people who read his books and watch his shows well know, he is "utterly besotted with Viet Nam." And I began to wonder, why?
The second I asked myself that question, I immediately thought of my friend Kristen. She had lifeguarded with me for a couple summers at a camp near my hometown, and she was now the Program Coordinator of Teachers for Vietnam. As the website states, "Teachers for Vietnam was established in 2006 to help meet the rapidly growing need for native speakers of English to teach the language in Vietnamese colleges and universities." I felt so stupid. I had completely neglected to factor Asia into my "Future Plans" equation. And here was an organzation that was going to pay for my flight, health insurance and dorming facilities over there while I was helping the youth of Vietnam to a better and job-secured future.
Things just fell into place. I called John, the man in charge of the organization, and started to get my application together quickly after hanging up with him. I had no idea what my parents, friends or other family members were going to think about this decision, but I didn't care. I went through with it, and found out in early May that I was accepted.
My departure date is less than two weeks away, and I am feeling a million different things. But mostly, it's all good stuff. I am, however, leaving behind a boyfriend who I love very much, and it will be difficult adjusting to my new life without him. I do think that I'm making the right decision, though. After all, at what other point in my life will I ever get an opportunity to do this again? And ripe out of college, my boundaries are limitless and life is mine for the taking...
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