Hey party people, Im coming home...

well, it is september first and i have successfully finished my teaching here. i took a four day, three night trip to celebrate and to explore more of vietnam, and it was a real highlight of my time here! i went to danang (china beach) and stayed in a $9-a-night hotel with other tourists and vietnamese travelers. the food was good, the company was super cool, the beers were cheap, and the beach was just a few yards away - who could ask for more? the sun was brutal and some of my new Irish tourist pals got the worst sun burn i have ever seen. one girl's legs were burned so badly that there were purple blisters under her skin...we all advised some asprin, beer, and a cold towel to ease the pain, but honestly i think she needed a real medical staff and not some salty tourists. Oh well, we did what we could. i swam all day and then did a top secret sneaking-in operation into the local resort pool which eventually resulted in me getting asked to leave after about three swims...i know, classy. but, i did pay for one over-priced breakfast, which i felt more than cemented my rights to the pool. 

enjoy the pictures. i'll be home on tuesday night, and i cant wait to see scott at the airport!

xin chao! 

howdy

hello again,

yvonne, i owe you a sincere shout-out for keeping it real and always posing comments! i hope summer in monterey has been rejuvenating. 

so it is august 9. i am proud of myself for being fearless and totally independent here. i have done many things and ventured to new parts of hanoi on a weekly basis. i have experienced a really harsh and expensive learning curve, but i have kept going, always seeking out the joy in this adventure. now, after about two and a half months, the walls are starting to close in on me. the traffic, the noise, the buildings, the concrete, the relentless sales pitches, the sheer density of this place are all making me feel trapped. teaching is a grind, and i can't see myself doing this forever. i am so blind here because i have no idea what the students really expect from me, and a needs assessment questionnaire has absolutely no value for capturing the deeper expectations of a culture and a diverse age group of students. also, three months isn't even enough time for me to get into the groove, especially since i started teaching my third day here. i have felt rushed from the beginning. the saving graces of hanoi are my students, especially the ones i have been teaching since i arrived. they are my only friends here (besides my room mates), and as we have slowly grown to know and trust one another, i have come to learn more about hanoi and vietnam. it is hard to get to know this place below the surface, and i certainly will not do so in three months (in three years for that mater). however, i have gained little glimpses and insights that have helped me to understand and to trust more. 

despite my students' care and concern, i still feel trapped, isolated, exhausted, and incompetent here. this has been the hardest three months of my life. it is my hope that it will mean something in the end, either for me or the people who i've taught. 

until next time, nat

Ho Tay (West Lake)

Hi everyone,

Well, my teaching is coming along pretty well, and I have been doing some more exploring around hanoi. Following the advice of my students, I went out to West Lake this past weekend and took some more pictures. I also visited Ho Chi Minh's tomb, and walked around the lake. I hope you enjoy the photos! Until next time,  nat :)  

Sapa

I took a trip to Sapa and the nature and views were amazing, probably some of the most vivid scenery I have seen in Vietnam. 

Hello again

Hi Karen, Yvonne, M and everyone else,

Thanks for posting. Yes, yvonne, the singing bread ladies are alive and well. There are a few regulars in my alley way. They are my source of carbohydrates! 

I have been feeling better with teaching here because it is starting to feel more natural and routine. I have had to really adjust to this context. I have started to gather more creative materials such as songs (thanks Karen for the idea). Last night, I read a really great journal article about teaching in Vietnam and the main thing that stood out to me was the writer's idea that CLT is a Western notion of teaching. I don't mean to say it's lacking in any way, it's just that Vietnamese students have a different way of thinking and being in the classroom. The article challenged the notion that pair and group work are the ways to make something communicative...In this EFL context, sometimes it feels like "classwork" is a more appropriate way of making lessons conversational and interaction-based. I think my beliefs about CLT as defined by Brown were sort of detrimental for me in this context. I have had to expand my definition some. 

I have been keeping a teaching journal, and when I read over it last night I can tell how I am starting to evolve. At first I was writing mainly about the stresses, perceived failures, and frustrations. Now I am starting to focus more on what is actually working here and what the students are responding to. I am becoming much for positive and relaxed, and this makes me feel good.

Thanks everyone for your comments. 

More pictures to come...

natalie

Teaching

Hi all,
Well, today is the start of another week. I have been doing okay with my classes, but I still can't seem to really get a handle on the planning and preparation, meaning that it still takes me forever. I find it much easier to work with/plan for the pre-intermediate and intermediate students because I can find authentic materials that the students can read and use as the basis for discussion and class topics. For the beginning-level classes, I have used restaurant menus, magazine pictures of food, and magazine advertisements for travel. The materials are definately a good start, but it is hard to keep the momentum in a 2-hour beginning class! I notice that for the first hour and a half, the students really like looking at the materials, asking about new vocabulary words and doing jig-saw type things. It's the last half-hour that is a killer - they lose steam. I think things will start to feel more natural for me as more time goes by.

I think the one MIIS lesson that is continually proving valuable is the use of authentic material in the classroom. It really does give the classroom a whole new feel; a more legitimate purpose. The text books here are dull, and the language is really forced and fake. I have abandoned the books completely, which has contributed to my large planning load. I was given four different text books for the four different levels of classes and it was just too much confusion and headache over books that were not even worth my time or the students time. I hate to sound so negitive, but I have to be honest here!

I am thinking about watching a film or documentary that is related to the topics we are focusing on in my intermediate class. I just want to pick something that is worthwhile and interesting. Also, I will need to prepare some pre, mid, and post viewing activities. I will keep you posted on this exciting chain of events, as I know you all are on the edge of your seats due to the pedagogical suspense.

Now, a few thoughts unrelated to teaching. I have had some serious highs and lows here. Somedays, I feel willing and able to brave whatever comes my way. Today has not been one of those days, and I feel guilty admitting it. A series of events involving a bad run in with a bill collector buzzing my doorbell with a really high bill that is in Vietnamese; a payment of a phonebill that was rung up by the previous tenent; feeling stupid about everything; having to call my "supervisor" and sort things out. It has been unpleasent and has consumed all my energy. Sometimes I feel really alone and out of place. Now, I have to work on getting my good energy back. I hope that working with my students tonight will help.

Until next time, keep on keepin' on!

old and new

While wandering around (lost most of the time), I have noticed really captivating mixes of old and new and urban and rural. I took this picture (left) because I thought it was interesting to see the woman in the conical hat watching the group of young people behind her flirt and use their cell phones and PDAs. 

This picture to the left is of VINCOM Towers, a new mall-like building that was built less than a year or two ago. It is really nice, but it seems so out of place! I took pictures of the women selling fruit right out front of this mall.