Updates

As many of you know, I'm very new to the teaching profession. Four weeks of training from WorldTeach and I was thrown into the classroom with 4th and 5th grade students. Holy Hera is it exciting!  I teach English to three separate classes of 4th grade students and science to three groups of 5th grade students. I also work with two academic clubs.

The hardest part for me so far is planning ahead for classes. I find myself planning till the moment the class begins. Finding time for planning, teaching, extra volunteer work, and exploring Hanoi is difficult! 

I have learned how to ride a motorbike and last weekend took a beautiful drive around West Lake, stopping at cute restaurants and having smoothies in beach chairs on the waterfront. It was a gorgeous weekend and made me even more thankful to be here in Vietnam. I love the work, love experiencing this new place, and love all of the new people I have the opportunity to meet. 

More to come this weekend! Hope everyone is well. 

PS, 

We use the British English education system at my school. Mum, colour, realise, and favourite have been rather difficult to adjust to for this American girl.

'merica. 

Teaching!

I have finally received my teaching assignments. I will be teaching 4th grade ESL and 5th grade Science. That's right folks... SCIENCE! The next two or three weeks will be interesting, especially because we don't have any books yet. Lot's of rules, expectations, and get to know you activities are on the way!

Check back later this week for an update on how my classes are going. First day is August 5th! 

Kelley

Birthday in Vietnam

Hello friends!

As most of you know, my birthday was on Thursday, August 1st. I'm now 24! Thank you for all the birthday wishes! It's slightly surreal to think of myself as in my mid-twenties. And if you would told me two months ago that I would be celebrating my birthday in Vietnam, I would have never believed it. It's crazy to think about how much your life can change in an instant with one decision. I think it's just important to keep making those decisions. If you aren't happy... do something about it!

Enough with my life advice... On Wednesday night I went out with a few friends from my WorldTeach program for what was supposed to be a quick drink in the Old Quarter. Many many hours later, I found some neat bars in town and rang my birthday in with style. Hanoi is different from the rest of Vietnam in that they have a midnight curfew. Starting at 12:00 am, the police go bar to bar and shut them down. DJ's stop playing, lights on, and piles of people rush into the streets. As far as I can tell, it's never more than a "go home" from the police, but it seems that the next step for all the party-goers is to find a bar that's still open. What an adventure that was!

On Thursday I had to work for most of the day and then we went out for dinner to a really good Vietnamese restaurant that evening. I had fried noodle with egg, beef, and greens on top. Yummy! My friends in the program also bought a chocolate cake and brought it to the restaurant for dessert. It was AMAZING!

My birthday was definitely one to remember.

Kelley