Teachers Day

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!