Aa is for...?

Apprehensive. Sat on the back of a motorbike taxi at 6:30am, travelling to my allocated school for the first time. After three months of planning, leaving my job, qualifying to TEFL and finally arriving in Vietnam, I was ready to take my first class. I was dropped off at a school in perfect time ready for a 7:20am start. It was only after chatting to the security guard that I realised I was at the wrong bloody school. Back on the Grab App. New taxi bike – yeah over ‘ere mate! Turns out that Matt, one of the other English teachers in our group, suffered from the same misfortune. Only he was very late, missing his first class. I made it just in time for a quick sip of water, a pray to the Gods and a manic dash to find my first classroom.

Grade 1’s are tough. Count back to three months ago when I was working for an insurance company explaining to fraudsters why their pathetic insurance claim was rejected. Going from that to “A is for Apple, B is for Banana” really is a jump into contrast lane! But I have enjoyed the change. It is stimulating. Investing time into lesson plans and then delivering the goods in front of a class of energetic 7 to 12 year-olds has stretched me. Thinking on your feet, being adaptable and innovative - all things I craved whilst sat behind the office desk. Don’t get stuck in the same rut; move forward and experiment, but with the confidence built up over experience.

The school I work at is a public school located in District 7, a less frantic area than most of HCMC. Matt works at the same school, sharing the same schedule and lunch break. In the first few days, it was reassuring to have someone that was going through the same process. We share ideas and horror stories. Most importantly we have had a laugh along the way. Today we joked that we could easily make a comedy sketch series from our experience as TEFL teachers at the school. A highlight for me was when Matt walked from the restroom just before next class drenched in water. Rarely do you find bog roll in Vietnam toilets. Instead there is an instrument that can be best described as an ass hole hose. You get the picture!

Our first laugh came at break-time on the first day. After morning class, we naturally progressed to the staffroom. We were greeted with a few blank faces. We were then told quite bluntly “This room is for the Vietnamese teachers only”. We apologised and asked for the location of the room for the English teachers. This was met by another set of blank faces. Only a select few of the Vietnamese staff speak clear English, which makes colleague communication very difficult. The staff Christmas party will be an interesting one..

Aa is for apartheid. After being racially segregated, Matt and I moved on to find a room to relax in and get away from the manic kids running around on their lunch-break. If they are not jumping all over you and pulling your arms, they are karate chopping you in the balls. Safe to say the kids love me and Matt.

White shirt full of handprints, forehead dripping with sweat, and a painful ball sack, we progressed to sit in the Vice Principal’s office. Break times provide a great opportunity to relax, re-assess the last lesson, and to adapt future lesson plans. Most of the Vietnamese teachers use the time to sleep, something which Matt and I struggled to understand at first. We were handed two bamboo sheets and both looked at each other in a puzzled manner. We were invited to go to yet another room to use the sheets to sleep on the floor. Still feeling jet-lagged with my body clock out of line, there was no chance I was going to be able to sleep on a hard marble floor with just a bamboo sheet for cushioning.

Three weeks in and we have started to assimilate to the Vietnamese life. I enjoy the early starts because it sets you up for the day. We have morning classes until 10:30am, then a three-hour break. In the break, we usually go to one of the nearby cafes or food vendors. The food is fantastic. The tuna steak is my favourite dish thus far. An iced coffee also goes down as midday prerequisite. Since our school is in a quiet area, we have become familiar with some of the locals and café owners. We often just sit and chat, share our experiences, and also test our Vietnamese. On occasion, we do use the bamboo sheets and have a power nap. There is a small park not far from the school. We took the mats there one day. The school spy established this and sent an email to us both with the warning that we could become seriously ill if we slept on the grass, due to the insects. It was nice to know that they cared, but obviously they did not care enough to invite us back into the staff room!

In all honesty, the other teachers are nice. The fact that Matt and I are the only English teachers there naturally makes us the minority – we are happy to follow their procedures and be there to help. There are a few notable characters. The first, Khoung (but we can call him Paul) has had us both over for dinner with his family and his private English students. A very nice guy and a few sentences will not do him justice, so I will write a future blog on him in more detail. We also have Mr Chau from ‘The Hangover’ movie. Well, that’s what we call him anyway! Speaks just like him. How I crave a sick night out with him in Bangkok!

The most important people, and the reason why I am able to write this blog, is the students. As soon as I walk into the school I am greeted with waves, shouts and high fives; I can’t help but smile and realise why I decided to make this journey. Be a beacon. Trigger the law of nature that says when you enhance everyone around you, you can’t help but enhance yourself.