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Since Arceli left, Josie and I have been trying to manage the whole school’s ESL classes on our own. It’s been a bit too much, sometimes I have 10 classes per day! It has been exhausting. My day starts at 7.30 am, with Grade four, followed by 5B, 5A, preschool, Grade 3 and then Grade 2. I get a rest a lunchtime, then I teach 7A, 7B, 8A and Grade 11.

My main concern is that I can’t connect with the Grade 11 class. I only see them three times per week, and their English isn’t where I feel that it should be. They say that I speak too quickly and that they can’t understand me, but I speak to them in the same fashion as all of my other classes. We usually only get through a simple game and one activity per lesson. I think we’re all equally frustrated with each other, which is not a good atmosphere for teaching.

7B is also causing some headaches. This class is mostly boys, and they’re very easily distracted. While they’re frustrating, we do manage to get our work done. It’s just a matter of finding ways to keep them on task. Class participation is improving, so if we can just get the concentration issues nixed, then we’ll be good.

Last week I decided to take a few classes out to play soccer. This seemed to be well received, if only because they didn’t have to do any work… I think it was good, they all encouraged me to play (not that I have any idea of how to). The 8A boys spent a long time trying to help me score a goal, while the 7As and Bs were just happy to let me have a go at being helpful… Unfortunately the weather was ridiculously hot, so Teacher Jess was dying, just a little…

My 7A girls played the Grade 8 girls this afternoon. I only have two students on the Grade 8 team, so I will admit to being a little biased! I went down to watch the second half of the game after my last class today. It was nice to just hang out with the class, and support my students.

7A are in the red and white kits…

A Visit to HCMC

On 30 August I decided, the the last minute, to go to HCMC with Arceli and Rebecka from my school. Josie left on the Friday before. It was a long, hung-over bus ride, but fairly comfortable. It takes between four and five hours to get from Long Xuyen to HCMC on the bus, depending on how long you have to wait for the ferry.

Bec and I had a great afternoon at the Ben Thanh market, looking at all the clothes, jewelry and sparkly hair accessories. If you’re into cheap bling, this is the country for you!

After the market, we met up with Josie for dinner and drinks on Bui Vien Street, which was a lot of fun. I had a “burrito”, but you need to be flexible about ordering non-Vietnamese food sometimes. I will say that it was definitely beef mince wrapped in a tortilla. Close enough!

We decided to go for cocktails, and found a place that had a “Buy two, get one free” offer. Perfect! This was followed by some beers at one of the streetside bars, more cocktails, a crazy downpour, a fire breather, some laughing gas, and general good times.

After a few hours, we thought a change of location was in order, so we went around the corner to Lily’s Cafe on De Tham Street (next to Josie’s hotel). We were having a great time, they let us choose some music, and there was a lot of dancing and laughing. It is important to know that when you are drinking on the streetside at these bars, you pay as you go with drinks. You place your order, they serve it, you pay. Simple!

Unfortunately, when we tried to leave, they claimed that we hadn’t paid for our drinks. Obviously we denied this, explained that we had paid and pointed out the lady we gave our money to. Apparently this was not good enough for the Lily’s staff, who literally tried to drag us back to the cafe. At this point, we tried to walk away, but they started chasing us down the street. We tried giving them more money, which they took, but they still would not leave us alone. One of them grabbed Josie, so I told them to stop touching us (knowing how quickly this could escalate), but then they started hitting and scratching us. Bec got knocked down, which made me and Josie really angry, so I started shouting for the police. They left us alone very son after that! When we calmed down a little, we went back out onto the main street, but they were still yelling at us from across the road! A security guard tried to calm them down, and talked to Bec about what happened, but they were getting aggravated at him as well. This all put quite a dampener on the evening, and I was particularly upset to find that they had snatched my necklace and stolen it.

After all this, we decided to have a beer at a much more touristy bar, hoping that a few beers would relax everyone a bit. We got talking to the guys sitting at the next table (Luke and Billy), who had noticed us all crying after the fight. They asked us to join them, bought us a few more beers and shared their shisha. It made a huge difference to how our night ended, but I was still pretty upset when I went back to my hotel.

On the Sunday I decided (again at the last minute) to join Josie at a resort, around 15km from the city. I went swimming in a dress and a pair of shorts, being woefully unprepared for this turn of events! Ordering food was an interesting experience, they kept saying that they didn’t have what we ordered, then bringing it out. So confusing! We had a foot massage, that wasn’t exactly relaxing (I’ve never been fond of being punched, even for therapeutic reasons), followed by an argument with the staff because they expected us to tip but didn’t tell us until we tried to leave!

Needless to say, I was very keen to get home to the familiar (and friendly) types of crazy that I know and live in Long Xuyen!

Fire breather

Laughing gas

Frustrations & Happy Things

There is a mixture of things that I love about this experience, and things that are frustrating me. 

I like that my year four class is a pleasure to teach. I like that my preschoolers are very cute and enthusiastic, and that even though they’re not very good at English, that my 2B class tries hard and is always happy to see me. I like the little gifts that they give me: candy, a glass dangly thing, one of those rubber band loom bracelets they’re all into at the moment. I love how excited they get when I put up their artwork in the classroom, and how good it feels when a class is having fun. Also, being told that you’re beautiful on a regular basis doesn’t hurt! I was wearing a long-ish shirt today that kept poofing out in the breeze from the fan, my year 7A girls said that I looked like a princess. (I think I’ll keep them!)

My gifts:

Year 4 Art:

Unfortunately, there is a long list of things that frustrate me. Firstly, the lack of communication between the school administration and Vietnamese faculty and the ESL teachers. Rebecka and I found out today, and only because we went and asked after our students were already 15-20 mins late for their lesson, that our classes had been sent to the school hall for an assembly rehearsal. Morning wasted!

The school doesn’t have standardised tests for ESL, we have to write a new test for each class once a month, to check that the students have retained our lessons. This also goes for mid- and end of year tests. While I can see the reason for this, as each class is at a different level (even if they’re in the same grade), it makes it very hard to know exactly how much the students are expected to learn during the year.

It’s also frustrating because we’re supposed to be able to fit this in around teaching coursework and the Cambridge English Test, the various English Clubs (upper high school, lower high school and primary school), and Language Centre. I only know the approximate amount we’re supposed to be able to cover each lesson because I’ve asked the other ESL teachers what they do. I found out today that I’m also supposed to be teaching the year 7s from their workbooks, as well as the textbook stuff I’ve been covering in class. Sometimes I feel like my brain is going to melt!

One of my classes is almost completely out of control. I asked if a Vietnamese teacher can come and tell them off, since they won’t listen to me (it’s extremely difficult to teach a class of screaming and fighting 7 year olds), only to learn that they’re like this in their other classes as well! It’s good to know that it’s just not me, but I’m getting to the end of my tether with them. I’ve tried so many things to get them to settle enough to teach, but I can’t even get them to play games!

My 7Bs are a slightly different story. Half of the class is excellent. They’re not up to the same level as the 7As, but they put in the effort and are making me proud. Unfortunately, the other half of the class are some extremely bratty boys. Tomorrow the good kids get to play games and do very easy worksheets, while the rest of them get to redo today’s lesson with my undivided attention and no leniency. Next week they’ll be split up (I’ll decide the seating arrangements). If I have to treat them like little kids, then that’s what I’ll do. 

Ben, the school owner, wants us to be friends with the students. I don’t mind doing that, but it’s not going to work with some of these kids. It’s a case of going in hard and easing off when they’ve showed me that they want to learn.

I’m fairly sure that Mark is sick of me bitching about this stuff! I am keeping my spirits up though, and reminding myself that I’m only three weeks into the year. It will get better!!! 

PS. Meet the Wilburs! (I’m calling all geckos in my room Wilbur. They’re practically a band, the noisy buggers!)

Uncertainties

I find myself putting off sending my Visa application. I’ve definitely been feeling worried about this whole thing; whether I’m going to get a job and if I’ll be any good as a teacher. I’m having a huge case of the “What ifs” over here!

There are also quite a few concerns about how Mark and I are going to keep our relationship good. We’re not always the best at communicating with each other, and we’ll be trying to keep things as normal as possible through Skype which is going to be awkward for both of us. After four years I’m used to seeing him and spending time with him every day, complaining about the small things and telling him off for threatening to shave Pinot when she’s being annoying. We’re also having the (stupid) worry that the other person will find someone better while I’m gone. That says a lot about our mutual insecurities! The other thing is that I have become quite used to being taken care of when I need it. Who is going to force feed me tea and soup when I get sick, or pick up a bottle of wine when I’ve had a stressful day? But those things are just me being a sook, I really am a big girl, I swear!

I just need to trust myself. This year away is going to go very fast, it’s going to be an amazing experience, and I’m going to learn a lot about what I want to do next. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

So, tomorrow I will fill the paperwork and call the Vietnamese Consulate about sending the paperwork & fee. I’m a bit loathe to send off my new passport (arrived this week), but them’s the breaks! I am glad that my new passport photo is a decent one, the last one made me look a bit like a boy… 

This week I bought a portable hard drive, all by myself (thanks Quinn)! I’ll be taking donations and suggestions for movies, TV shows and music. I’d like a big variety while I’m away. Tomorrow I’m making Mark help me look for an e-reader, because the guy at JB Hi-Fi was completely useless. He kept trying to convince me that I didn’t need one – what kind of salesman does that? Needless to say, I didn’t even mention that I wanted to look at speakers and headphones as well. 

I’m slowly accumulating the things I’ll need while I’m away, with special thanks to Imogen for the cute TARDIS face cloth she made me and to Bronny for the pegless washing line, which is something I hadn’t even thought about but will be so useful (unless I decide to make flags out of my underwear). Next week, I’m going to look at suitcases. I’ll need one that’s large, but not heavy. At Jenn’s suggestion, I rewrote my list without all the things that have been done already so that it’s a bit clearer. I think that has helped. 

Next week, interviews or no, I will be booking my flights. Next month I’ll organise my travel insurance and have my documents notarised and certified. Jenn can take care of the certifying for me, but notarising has to be done by a Notary Public. From what I gather, this a bit of an old-school thing, and there are only a few lawyers who are registered in Melbourne, but Vietnam is still catching up I suppose. Luckily, there is a lady who has an office that is around the corner from work. 

I’m signing off for now, with a large glass of red and a terrible movie. Don’t forget to give me your movie and music suggestions!

Jess x