After a week of visiting classes, giving my informed opinion on teachers and curriculum, I was really looking forward to renting motorcycles and spending the day in the countryside outside of Ho Chi Minh City seeing the Saturday weddings and funerals and speaking with the ordinary rural Vietnamese people. I was given a quick lesson on the scooter, told how to accelerate and put on the brakes and quickly made a U turn in this quiet neighbourhood where we rented the scooters. I obviously misjudged something and ended up going up the opposite curb, through someone’s flower garden and luckily almost hit a tree which slowed me down. After lifting up the motorcycle, Peter told me it was no problem, dust yourself off and keep practicing before we actually start on our ride. Good idea, I thought, and took off on the straightaway to practice acceleration, braking and so on. After about five minutes I returned to where we rented the bikes and I tried to slow down, hit the curb again because I was accelerating instead of breaking and ended up on the ground again, along with the scooter I might add. At that point, the two principals told me I might be more comfortable riding on the back of one of their bikes. I agreed with alacrity and off we went. Luckily, I was still in one piece and there was no blood.
The ride continued uneventfully as we negotiated potholes, rocks and mud, to say nothing of the animals, traffic going the wrong way against us and trying to keep our balance on narrow bridges. As I think back, sitting in the same waiting room at the airport as our Christmas visit, the day was as expected. We had drinks and meals with local Vietnamese, kids who spoke English practiced with us and everyone kept smiling. If you look at the pictures, you will see what the countryside looks like. Needless to say, it was just the opposite of Saigon as we traveled through rice paddy fields over narrow bridges and even narrower roadways leading to people’s houses.
The four day interview, dinners and so on went great. The students were absolutely phenomenal as they line up to get in to this school. They only take the very best.The Vietnamese kids and parents are absolutely driven and like elsewhere in Asia, they start their day with some kind of lessons before school, attend school till around until six or so and they spend five hours studying. I was shocked at how outgoing these students were and called me by name, laughed and fooled around with each other during classes and worked cooperatively with each other. I could not get the Myanmar kids to say boo. I am not sure whether it was the teachers, curriculum or just Vietnam kids.
I now have to make a decision about next year…the Science School run by Mahidol University, RV academies or the American School in Vietnam. I told each of them I would give them an answer in a few days. Daniel says I should do something else entirely different to give myself a fresh challenge , Josh says I should take the job that gets my heart pumping the most and I wonder if I should take the job that pays the most! ( just kidding). This past month has been absolutely great for my ego as I see how valuable schools consider me and how desperately they have pursued me. I am sure the actually working part will not be as satisfying.
Next week I go home, so I presume, unless some pretty exciting things happen in the next few days that this will be my last submission since I am writing this basically for my friends and family in Toronto. Over the next few months I will see you and fill in any more details you wish to hear about any of these stories. Since I will be seeing you, no use continuing this blog but I will continue when I return to Asia next fall.
I look forward to seeing all of you and thanks for sharing this journey with me!
The ride continued uneventfully as we negotiated potholes, rocks and mud, to say nothing of the animals, traffic going the wrong way against us and trying to keep our balance on narrow bridges. As I think back, sitting in the same waiting room at the airport as our Christmas visit, the day was as expected. We had drinks and meals with local Vietnamese, kids who spoke English practiced with us and everyone kept smiling. If you look at the pictures, you will see what the countryside looks like. Needless to say, it was just the opposite of Saigon as we traveled through rice paddy fields over narrow bridges and even narrower roadways leading to people’s houses.
The four day interview, dinners and so on went great. The students were absolutely phenomenal as they line up to get in to this school. They only take the very best.The Vietnamese kids and parents are absolutely driven and like elsewhere in Asia, they start their day with some kind of lessons before school, attend school till around until six or so and they spend five hours studying. I was shocked at how outgoing these students were and called me by name, laughed and fooled around with each other during classes and worked cooperatively with each other. I could not get the Myanmar kids to say boo. I am not sure whether it was the teachers, curriculum or just Vietnam kids.
I now have to make a decision about next year…the Science School run by Mahidol University, RV academies or the American School in Vietnam. I told each of them I would give them an answer in a few days. Daniel says I should do something else entirely different to give myself a fresh challenge , Josh says I should take the job that gets my heart pumping the most and I wonder if I should take the job that pays the most! ( just kidding). This past month has been absolutely great for my ego as I see how valuable schools consider me and how desperately they have pursued me. I am sure the actually working part will not be as satisfying.
Next week I go home, so I presume, unless some pretty exciting things happen in the next few days that this will be my last submission since I am writing this basically for my friends and family in Toronto. Over the next few months I will see you and fill in any more details you wish to hear about any of these stories. Since I will be seeing you, no use continuing this blog but I will continue when I return to Asia next fall.
I look forward to seeing all of you and thanks for sharing this journey with me!
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