Luke Does the Impossible

Welcome To English Class
(now we begin!)

     Most Vietnamese schools seem to start classes in early-to-mid August. Part of the reason we had such a rushed start-up was the fact that the Board of Administrators and Stakeholders wanted to see the school up and running by the usual date. We postponed the opening several times, finally opening our doors on Wednesday, August 22nd. The school has two programs: the Vietnamese Ministry of Education program, and the English program. We waited an extra week with the English program, opening up on August 29th.

Our Current Primary And Secondary Staff
(English and Vietnamese team)

     The school's mission and vision are not clearly defined, but the general understanding is that we're trying to create a school for Vietnamese nationals. The stakeholders have invested in this unheard of project in this school in this tiny little province as a way of giving back to their community. They want students from their community to be equipped to succeed in life, give back to their families and province, and build towards a brighter future. Many of the stakeholders and their parents lived through the revolutionary wars- including the American War- and have seen drastic changes in their country. They want to continue moving forward, and they realize education is the only way.

Students Arriving (first day of school)

     The school is having an incredibly difficult time starting up. The administration is a hazy mess of who's who and no discernible individual is in charge. Because the culture is so different from anything we're used to, we are struggling to navigate through it to find the answers we need to do our jobs. The language barrier only intensifies the challenge.

Staff In Staff Room

     Our English team is composed of five volunteers and myself. Birdy is one of those volunteers. None of them have any prior experience teaching English or anything else. We've all gone through a TESOL course training, but that only really serves as a paper-qualification. As of now, nobody has the experience to be considered a  trained or experienced teacher. Even most of the Vietnamese staff has done little more than tutor. This means we have a young, mold-able staff, but it also means nobody knows what they're doing. I love living on the edge!

Luke Teaching

     This summer (July/August) we hastily trained our staff and volunteers in as much English and teaching methodology as possible. Unfortunately, it was not enough time to really get all the information across. Even if we had more time, I doubt we could begin implementing new research-based methods without classroom experience. We're going in blind, that hasn't changed.

First Grade Lunch In Cafeteria

 



     I've been told (and subsequently noticed) that it is extremely important to "keep face" in Vietnam. Vietnamese people may pee on the sidewalk and wear see-through shirts, but they have a Confucian tinge to their moral and ethical code. You must always be seen as honorable and respectable and you must not shame your family. One of the side-effects of this is that people here are extremely unlikely to take risks. Why do something that is unproven and untested if you might mess up?

First Grade Classroom

     This makes for a sticky mess at our school. Our university-trained Vietnamese teachers are not taught how to teach. They simply lecture, test, and scold. That's how they were taught, that's how they're teachers were taught, and that's just how things are done. As students they disliked it. As teachers, it's all they know. It has to change, but how can they try something new when it might not work?

     For English we are using a program called AIM- the Accelerated Integrated Method. It is a Canadian-based program developed to facilitate French-English language education in Canada's bilingual system. It is intensely multisensory and highly recommended. I'm not an ESL teacher, and I'm not particularly excited about teaching English, but I am curious to see how effective this program is. We have a long way to go!

The School (our building is on the right, high school is on the left)

Birdy Climbs a Mountain

Left to Right: Lawrence, Christina, Maddy, Angela

Countryside (a small river)

The wonderful part of living in a different country is that people come to visit you! The less wonderful part of living in a different country is that people rarely come to visit you! This made it doubly exciting when some of my family came to visit us! My aunt, Angela, came to visit with her two youngest daughters. It was to be the trip of a lifetime, and I'm sure it has been quite memorable. Want to experience the world? Travel! Want to be overwhelmed by the world? Travel to Vietnam!

Traffic

They arrived in early August and will be leaving the first of September. It's been great to see them after so long. I've now spent more time with them than I have in the past two or three years... when we still lived on the same continent. Funny how that works, isn't it? Diana is all kinds of attitude and insight. Christina's all kinds of snarky. Between the pair of them I've gained a deeper appreciation of what it was like to be a teenager, and how silly pink polka-dotted pants look.

Birdy Busts A Move On the Mountain

Since we've been busy starting up the school, we haven't had all that much time to entertain our guests. We've gone to the beach quite a bit and visited the fancy resort outside of town. There's really not much to do in Tuy Hoa other than drive around and eat. Unfortunately, the food here can seem repetitive (rice, anyone?) and easily unbalanced foreign digestive systems. We were looking forward to our five-day roadtrip!

We left early in the morning on August 16th and drove down the coast before cutting west up into the mountains. Our first destination was the mountain town of Da Lat. Da Lat was developed by French colonists as a summer getaway from the muggy, sweltering heat of central Vietnam. It's now one of the largest tourist destinations in Vietnam. Snuggly sprawling across some of Vietnam's higher peaks, Da Lat is distinctly European, and a recipe for home sickness for both me and my mom.

On The Swan Paddle Boat
(Birdy, "It's too hard!" Luke, 'It's too bright!")

Whereas Tuy Hoa had been getting hotter and more uncomfortable, Dalat felt a lot like fall in Oregon. It was cool, breezy and sprinkled a couple of times while we were there. The city is really beautiful, though. We went on a ridiculously long cable car ride that may have been the highlight of our time there. The view was a fascinating mixture of green, blue and orange tiled-roofs.  Birdy's birthday coincided with our departure from Da Lat, and we celebrated by riding a rusty swan and eating cake. In that order, not simultaneously.

Birdy Flipping

We continued on to Nha Trang, perhaps the most famous tourist destination in Vietnam. Touted for it's sandy beaches and wet water, Nha Trang is a crowded, smelly, noisy disaster. Needless to say, I wasn't amused. This was also the setting of a Christmas-time lesson on the difference between massage therapy and  massage gropery. While out on a walk, I pointed out the offending institution to Birdy and she wore a scowl the rest of the day. Few people can scowl like Birdy. It's superhuman.

Tunnel Under Aquarium
(very friendly sea turtles and manta rays)

Nha Trang wasn't a complete bust, however. We spent a whole day out on an island at a resort called Vinpearl Land (accessed by an even longer cable car ride). It had an amusement park, an aquarium that puts the Oregon Coast debacle to shame, and a very fun, utterly unsafe water park. It was moist. I got wet. We left the following day, but not before spending the morning snorkeling. I've never seen so much vividly colored sea life. Words fail me.

Birdy Jumping Off Our Snorkeling Boat

Birdy Takes The Cake

We were back in Tuy Hoa on the 20th, and back to work on the 21st. Our school began a couple days later, and we've been overwhelmed and exhausted ever since!

Downtown Da Lat

Da Lat Cable Car

Luke and Birdy Get a Room

The Staircase Leading Up From the Ground Floor

You could say we have a nice house... because we do. The houses in Vietnam are mostly built in a semi-European apartment style. They are long (deep), not very wide, and face north/south if you're lucky. A house that faces east or west in this part of the world is an invitation to live in an oven. Our house takes up two plots, making it twice as wide as a regular house in our neighborhood.

The Downstairs Living Space

We live in a fairly affluent section of Tuy Hoa. The neighborhood is younger and populated with doctors, business-men, at least one foreigner (now there are 11 more), and various government employees. The poor, ramshackle parts of the city are never more than five minutes away, but their influence only shows up in the form of petty theft and grand theft motorbike/bicycle. There is still quite a bit of construction taking place here, and at least three houses being built on our street. Since we've been here we've had two houses go up, and a third is well on its way.

Our Neighborhood (another house going up)

Our house is three stories tall, has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a large kitchen and three living rooms. My family became the first to occupy it when they moved here earlier in 2012. When Birdy and I moved in, we joined my mother, three of my siblings, and a Vietnamese couple with an infant. My brother, Sam, will be leaving in September, and my step-dad will be visiting for about three weeks around that time. The Vietnamese couple will also be leaving sometime in September. This big, fancy house will have a lot of room come October.

View From Second Floor Balcony

Initially we moved into the bedroom on the top floor. It was further away from the other bedrooms, had its own bathroom, and seemed like it would allow us more space and privacy. As it turned out, it was right next to the living area most frequently used my siblings. It also proved to be unbearably hot. We tried it out for about two weeks before moving down to the second floor, into the (now) only empty room left. It turned out to be the smartest thing we'd done since... Well, we live in Vietnam. It's been a while since we made any decisions that aren't questionable in some way or another.

Those are the facts about our living situation, thrilling as it is! I'll leave you with some more pictures of our humble mansion.

My Mom's Bedroom (they came furnished and they all look something like this)

A Bathroom (you shower right next to the toilet and it all exits via a drain on the floor)

Third-Floor Landing/Living Room

Our Bed, A Place of Refuge From Things That Bite

Third-Floor Balcony (it's covered in the center but open on either side)

The Entry-Way Fence, Gate, and Plants

Staircase

All Windows Are Barred (to prevent unwanted visitors)

Our Dryer

The Entry-Way on the Ground Floor

All Vehicles are Parked Inside the House (protects them from rain and theft)

Second-Floor Landing/Living Room

Birdy Travels the World

Ha Long Bay in Northern Vietnam
(from my visit December 2011)

     I had several moments last year that started with, "Oh my goodness, I'm a teacher," and ended with, "What are these people thinking, giving me this kind of responsibility!?!" Then I'd go on with my day, spread mud across a table and call it good. Lately, however, I've been having moments that start with, "Oh my goodness, I'm in Vietnam," and end with, "What are these people thinking, doing things in a way other than my own!?!" Then I go about my day, sweat a bunch, and take a nap. Things could be worse.

Birdy Looking Peaceful
(she was acting)

     Last night I figured out something that ought to prove helpful- I realized that Birdy is my canary-in-the-mine. When she stops her happy tweeting and goes dour-faced on me, something's up. Unfortunately, there's almost always something up. Fortunately for me, I've developed a quasi-immunity to that pout/scowl of hers.

     I'm tempted to blame the heat, but we bicker more often now than we have in the past. Instead of arguing about important things, like whose turn it is to clean the rat cage (I do it most of the time), we argue about anything. She starts it.

Toilet Instructions

     Things aren't all bad, though. We've been enjoying heading to the beach in the afternoon to cool off with the locals. It's a nice routine, interrupted only by occasionally turbulent waters. We sit at a cafe by the shore and have an iced coffee or a fresh coconut and watch the clouds idle about the sky. It's a beautiful place, this strange, strange land. That being said, Birdy's expressions have rarely been as innocently surprised as when she returned from the bathroom during our wait in the Tokyo airport. She took pictures to share with me and with her family. She was even more shocked to learn that there were three other different types of toilets in the other stalls. The wonders of world travel!

Birdy's Discovery- the Infamous Japanese Tech-Toilet

Old Woman Selling Grapefruit
(she's bent halfway over but fast as a fox when she sees a tourist)

    We've been picking up on more of the cultural differences and are constantly amused by them. Amusing as they may seem at first, they tend to grow old. Imagine this: it's time for lunch. The heat of the day is just reaching its apex. Your body is leaking fluids. Time for some hot rice! With hot tofu and meat and broth! Not in the mood for it? Don't worry! We'll have the same thing tomorrow! And the next day! Forever! Isn't that great? You know you like it.

Coconut Tree-Vase!
(for when you have too many coconut shells
to simply dispose of)

         Not only does the food find new ways to stretch the meaning of the word 'repetitive', but the act of participating in a meal finds new ways of being uncomfortable. Imagine this: it's time for lunch. Now you are going to sit at a small table, on a small, metal stool that's (purposefully, I think) designed to make your butt numb and achy. There will be five or six different serving plates taking up the table space, not to mention the pot of rice off to the side. You will receive chopsticks and a little bowl to eat with. The bowl is roughly the size of your fist. You will not serve yourself and then begin to eat. Rather, you will pick one piece of food off of a serving plate and bring it over to your little bowl, then eat it. You will do this for the duration of the meal, an uncoordinated frenzy of hands, wrists, arms, and laden chopsticks dashing about the table. When you've eaten your fill you will sit at the table, patiently waiting for everyone else to finish. Bored? Don't worry! Every fly in the world has arrived to keep you company!

Street in Ho Chi Minh
(looking out our hotel window)

     Flies or no flies, life goes on. We've been busy training our English team this week. I've been selected to train a bunch of non-teachers to teach from an ESL program I just learned of three weeks ago. It's a challenge to communicate the essence of teaching, language learning and cultural challenges in a matter of weeks. This group- Birdy included- is brave to take on a feat I've been practicing for two years and am only beginning to feel like I've gotten my feet wet. It's interesting to work in a field where you need enough water to drown in before you can really learn to swim.

     I came here to be involved in an exciting, innovative and challenging project. I've gotten everything I bargained for. From being made head-teacher to being assigned the task of training a motley crew of 18 inexperienced and poorly-trained teachers (in multisensory, whole-brain focused education, nonetheless) I find myself in over my head. I can affirm the water is deep enough to drown in. Now it's time to swim!

Off to the Market With...
(see picture lower-right)

     On a final note, they do occasionally eat something new and interesting. The unfortunate part is that these things are usually designed for, as it's been put, "The man when he is married. For his wife!" The things men do for love... Can you imagine drinking this guy's product for your spouse's sake? Nothing says love like a little poison in your cup!

...Scorpions- Used for Scorpion/Snake Juice

Luke Becomes a Millionaire

A Resort Near Our House

 Consider this: the pool you see above is the main attraction at the little resort five minutes from our house. The fee for using the pool is 50,000 VND, which is roughly $2.50 US. When you arrive in Vietnam you find yourself suddenly handing out thousands- even millions- of VND. One million VND is approximately $50 US. I was in Vietnam for less than a day before I became a millionaire.

Me and My Assistant/Team Teacher at a
Resort Outside of Town

     Birdy and I can go out to lunch and spend less than $5 (100,000 VND) on the meal and drinks. When we escape in the evenings to have ice-cream, we dish out about 30 cents (6000 VND) per scoop. The numeric value of the currency is ridiculously different. The cost of living here is significantly reduced, but so is the pay. Fancy technology like phones and computers costs about the same here as it does in the U.S., but most food is far cheaper. Any type of alcohol (other than beer) can be three or four times as expensive here. It's tricky managing your money here because it's so different. If I were making here what I made in the U.S. last year, we could live really fancy!  

The Sky is Incredibly Blue

     Adapting to the cultural differences has been fairly easy. Making sense of Vietnamese quirks, however, has not. They only eat at meals, and these happen fairly early and only three times a day. No snacking. They say, "Yes, yes!" to everything, even when they don't mean it or don't understand or mean, "No!" They eat out of tiny bowls, with every food item on a separate dish on the table. They don't serve themselves and then eat- they use their chopsticks to pick and eat off of the various dishes on the table. They don't cross their fingers for good luck- because that actually symbolizes a vagina- and they don't take pictures with odd numbers of people in them because it's bad luck.

     For all their habits they are impressively forgiving. They'll let you be your foreign self and forgive your mistakes because you don't know any better. They will, however, judge you based on your appearance just as harshly as people do in the U.S., if not more so. They own only two or three shirts/pants- a ridiculously nice set and then a work set and then a pair of pajamas. After work they wander around town in their pajamas. There's a lot I can't make sense of. It's like the culture's high expectations are fighting the need for comfort. Also, they pick their noses whenever they want to. In the middle of class, during a meeting... and they stare right at you while they do it. Yay, sharing!

A Beautiful Buddhist Pagoda
(the complex sprawls up a mountainside)

     Most of the people we work with live outside of town. My assistant and some of the other teachers have taken us out and about a couple of times, which is always enjoyable. Basic communication is so tricky, though, that I haven't felt much desire to spend time with people outside of work. I need to start learning Vietnamese so I can understand them at least as well as they understand me. 

     The past two weeks we've been busy with teacher training and getting the school prepared for classes to start. School officially begins August 20th, but we won't begin the English program until the 29th. The project is extremely complex, navigating cultural boundaries and sensitivities while starting up a brand new school with brand new teachers, brand new methodologies and teaching approaches unheard of in Vietnam. They don't even know how to get their classes to line up. They've simply never done it before! Everyone is watching us, waiting to see if we succeed. There's a lot of fear and doubt. Good thing there's nowhere to go but up!

At the Beach
(I prefer the beach to the pool, but it can get somewhat crowded)