Teachers have their very own day in Vietnam. I would love to go into a school in Britain and tell them that they had to celebrate their teachers every year. I think I would be laughed out of the school. But here, teachers are respected and celebrated. Flowers are given and ceremonies are held, banners are put up around the streets and the whole country seems to go mad for it.
Every year Teachers Day is on 20th November, so this year ceremonies were held in schools on Friday as it falls on a Sunday this year. We had a party at lunchtime in the office and it was decorated with huge arrangements of flowers, balloons and banners. The Vietnamese staff were highly excited all day with numerous cameras going off. It was fun but seemed a little weird to some of the Western staff, including myself, who has (obviously) never celebrated Teachers Day before. We all got presents and had pizza for lunch (very exciting!) instead of the usual rice. In my class I was given two bunches of flowers by some of the students. It is very nice to feel appreciated. Apparently teachers are respected as much as doctors here.
My teaching has been going well, I am still really enjoying it, though found parts quite hard this week, as Vietnamese don't recognise any special learning needs like dyslexia. I have some students who desperately need one to one help but it doesn't work like that here as then they would lose face, and keeping face is very important in the culture here.
Everyone here is very friendly and welcoming, from the students to the people in the office. I am making lots of new friends and really enjoying my time here. So far it has gone very quickly, and I can't believe I have already been here three weeks. But in other ways I feel like I have been here ages because am getting to know the city and people far better.
I hope everyone back home is well and that you are enjoying the cold weather, I am enjoying the hot weather, though it was a bit too hot when the air conditioning broke in the office for a few days this week. Shorts and t-shirts in November is very nice!
Da Lat
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Teaching and Tunnels
My first week teaching has been very busy. I have three different classes twice a week and each lesson is two hours 45 minutes (including a half hour break). The students all concentrate really well which really impressed me. The company that I am working for are paid by parents to teach their children extra, so we teach them on top of all their Vietnamese lessons, it is a lot of work for them but they want to learn and value their English lessons, so different from when I was at school, but it makes my life so much easier. My lessons went well, including my observation lesson, so hopefully when my 45 day probation is finished I will still have a job. I did drama with them on Friday and they loved it! It was great to see them active and using their imaginations, however I'm not sure that the class next door liked the noise. They were doing horror stories so there was lots of screaming and murdering and zombies, as I'm sure you can imagine. I did try to keep the noise down, but 30 11 year olds, who were told they could act out killing each other, do make a lot of noise. Worth it, though. I love teaching, kids are great and it is so much fun.
Today, Mara and I did our first tourist bit. We did a tour round the Cu Chi Tunnels, just outside Ho Chi Minh City. They were fascinating. I have studied the Vietnam War at school and uni but seeing the tunnels and how the Viet Cong guerrillas lived in order to fight the Americans is amazing and makes it so much more real. The tunnels were tiny and we had to crawl through them. They were very hot and the original was rather air less (we didn't go down that one). It is amazing how many people lived in them for so long. The one we went down was very dark, even with the odd light along the way, and I find it very difficult to imagine going down there in the pitch black. Very scary, especially with all the bombing. The VC were so inventive when it came to living, surviving and fighting back. The traps were lethal; most had long, sharp spikes in them, to either injure or kill Americans. They were all so well hidden that no one would have any idea they were there. It was well worth the trip even if I was extremely hot and now have aching muscles from crouching and crawling through tiny tunnels! There is so much history and culture here that really appeals to the history geek in me.
Today, Mara and I did our first tourist bit. We did a tour round the Cu Chi Tunnels, just outside Ho Chi Minh City. They were fascinating. I have studied the Vietnam War at school and uni but seeing the tunnels and how the Viet Cong guerrillas lived in order to fight the Americans is amazing and makes it so much more real. The tunnels were tiny and we had to crawl through them. They were very hot and the original was rather air less (we didn't go down that one). It is amazing how many people lived in them for so long. The one we went down was very dark, even with the odd light along the way, and I find it very difficult to imagine going down there in the pitch black. Very scary, especially with all the bombing. The VC were so inventive when it came to living, surviving and fighting back. The traps were lethal; most had long, sharp spikes in them, to either injure or kill Americans. They were all so well hidden that no one would have any idea they were there. It was well worth the trip even if I was extremely hot and now have aching muscles from crouching and crawling through tiny tunnels! There is so much history and culture here that really appeals to the history geek in me.
Saturday, 5 November 2011
First Week
It has been a very busy first week in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The city never sleeps and there is always loads going on.
I arrived last Sunday with Mara, who I will be working with. We came through the same person so were able to meet at the airport and we are staying in the same hotel. It is really nice to know someone out here who is in the same position as me. The city seemed crazy at first; rules of the road appear non existent with hundreds of motorbikes going where they want on the roads, even sometimes on the pavements. Cars constantly sound their horns creating a lot of noise and crossing the road is a constant hazard. The Vietnamese just walk out, the theory being that the motorbikes go around you and as long as you avoid the cars you will be fine. We have almost got the hang of it. Some roads are easier than others. Unfortunately there are very few traffic lights, but the traffic can turn on a red light, so even that is not easy. The traffic does go relatively slowly though due to the amount of vehicles so it isn't too bad. The City is filled with flashing coloured signs and noise and the street the hotel is on is blindingly bright at night. Very different from home.
It is very hot here, and humid. It is taking a bit of getting used to but all the buildings are air conditioned (except some of the schools) so it is ok inside. The rainy season is coming to an end, but there are still showers. Not English showers, but monsoon type showers. The ones where you are soaked to the skin within two minutes. Unfortunately Mara and I got caught in one on the way back from work the other day. At least it is warm rain, and it did amuse the hotel staff.
Food is a bit of an issue, or rather using chopsticks. It is taking a bit of practice but we are slowly getting there. We do amuse people in restaurants a lot though. We seem to amuse a lot of people here, one way or another. They are very friendly and don't mean it in any horrible way so it is fine.
We arrived on Sunday and started work on Tuesday. The hours are 8-5.30 Monday to Friday with the occasional Saturday morning. Lessons are planned in the office and then we are taken out to the schools to teach the lessons. Everyone in the office is very friendly and helpful. I am teaching lower secondary English, so that is Years 6 and 7. It is more literature than language as they have learnt English since the beginning of primary school. In Year 11 the students take the international GCSE exam. It is really easy to have a conversation with most of them, which is great and they all want to learn. I haven't taken a proper class yet. I've observed two lessons and with an hour and a half preparation time was given a cover lesson. The lessons are 2 hours 30 minutes, with a short break. It is a long time, both for the students and teacher, especially in hot classrooms with no A/C. The students are used to the heat, so have no trouble with concentration. The cover lesson went well, considering it is my first ever proper lesson. Now I have to plan my lessons for next week. I have three different classes, twice a week, but they are all doing the same thing, so I can use the same lesson plan. It is a relief as it gives me more time to properly plan. I am in no way confident enough to plan a lesson in 10 minutes.
The weekend was spent relaxing and going out with people from work, it is nice to get to know them outside work, especially as I know so few people here. The city is going to take some getting used to, but so far I am really enjoying it.
I arrived last Sunday with Mara, who I will be working with. We came through the same person so were able to meet at the airport and we are staying in the same hotel. It is really nice to know someone out here who is in the same position as me. The city seemed crazy at first; rules of the road appear non existent with hundreds of motorbikes going where they want on the roads, even sometimes on the pavements. Cars constantly sound their horns creating a lot of noise and crossing the road is a constant hazard. The Vietnamese just walk out, the theory being that the motorbikes go around you and as long as you avoid the cars you will be fine. We have almost got the hang of it. Some roads are easier than others. Unfortunately there are very few traffic lights, but the traffic can turn on a red light, so even that is not easy. The traffic does go relatively slowly though due to the amount of vehicles so it isn't too bad. The City is filled with flashing coloured signs and noise and the street the hotel is on is blindingly bright at night. Very different from home.
It is very hot here, and humid. It is taking a bit of getting used to but all the buildings are air conditioned (except some of the schools) so it is ok inside. The rainy season is coming to an end, but there are still showers. Not English showers, but monsoon type showers. The ones where you are soaked to the skin within two minutes. Unfortunately Mara and I got caught in one on the way back from work the other day. At least it is warm rain, and it did amuse the hotel staff.
Food is a bit of an issue, or rather using chopsticks. It is taking a bit of practice but we are slowly getting there. We do amuse people in restaurants a lot though. We seem to amuse a lot of people here, one way or another. They are very friendly and don't mean it in any horrible way so it is fine.
We arrived on Sunday and started work on Tuesday. The hours are 8-5.30 Monday to Friday with the occasional Saturday morning. Lessons are planned in the office and then we are taken out to the schools to teach the lessons. Everyone in the office is very friendly and helpful. I am teaching lower secondary English, so that is Years 6 and 7. It is more literature than language as they have learnt English since the beginning of primary school. In Year 11 the students take the international GCSE exam. It is really easy to have a conversation with most of them, which is great and they all want to learn. I haven't taken a proper class yet. I've observed two lessons and with an hour and a half preparation time was given a cover lesson. The lessons are 2 hours 30 minutes, with a short break. It is a long time, both for the students and teacher, especially in hot classrooms with no A/C. The students are used to the heat, so have no trouble with concentration. The cover lesson went well, considering it is my first ever proper lesson. Now I have to plan my lessons for next week. I have three different classes, twice a week, but they are all doing the same thing, so I can use the same lesson plan. It is a relief as it gives me more time to properly plan. I am in no way confident enough to plan a lesson in 10 minutes.
The weekend was spent relaxing and going out with people from work, it is nice to get to know them outside work, especially as I know so few people here. The city is going to take some getting used to, but so far I am really enjoying it.
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