Memories of a Vietnam Volunteer

Read a recent volunteer's reflections on the value and fun of volunteering in Hanoi:  http://destinationnow.me/2013/04/03/memories-of-global-volunteers/

A Student's Perspective of English Lessons

Dear Pam,

I was so happy to be with you yesterday. At first, I was very nervous, but then, I was absolutely free. All was very wonderful. I planned to take you to some beauty spots but those places you had been before. Its only thing I felt "what a pity!". although I was with you in short time but I  really felt happy. Its the first time I've meet a foreigner and I'm sure Its the best experience I've ever had. Thanks for your kind of you.Without your help, I wouldn't have been self-confident.  I'm grateful more than I can say.  I hope we'll meet each other in another day.  Thanks a lot.  Your student,

Trang


(pictured:  Trang and Global Volunteers Team Leader Pam Cromer)

One of our volunteers currently in Vietnam was eager to share a slice of his service program experience:

Today we had a special breakfast. Don had asked about the meal, the name of
which I can't recall. Mr. Cuoung, the hotel manager made special
preparations to provide us with the meal. I loved it. The Vietnamese food
seems to agree with me. As a diabetic, I test my blood sugar every day, and
the results are very good. I can report my blood glucose levels have been
quite normal the last several days. Brett is happy.

The classes today is were especially fun. Tracy Carsten and Brett Davidson
have been using tongue twisters as fun ways to practice pronunciation. The
students turned the tables on us and challenged us with a Vietnamese tongue
twister.

This was the first day the team had to get back to the hotel without Miss
Pam. We had no problem.

In the evening we attended the water puppet show, a traditional art form in
Vietnam. It was a short 45 minute show, but quite delightful.

We had dinner at the 6 on Sixteen restaurant and had food from the Sapa
region of Vietnam.

Thought of the day: "It's fun to have fun but you have to know how." Dr.
Seuss

- Brett

"No matter where you go, there you are!"

Our final day at school - the children are as energetic and fun as ever.  We teach a full load with Ms Vananh and Ms Lan.  Bittersweet goodbyes.  We all had the kids sign our yearbooks and they surrounded us, clamoring to have their notebooks signed by us.

Lovely YouTube songs and dances....lots of Hangman games!  

Lunch at school and coffee at Boong Cafe with Bob, Jack and Mr. Quy.  Barb's attempts to order a large mug of coffee resulted in  "iced coffee."  But it was good. 

Dinner at Dinh Lang Thuy Ta Restaurant - beautiful lakeside atmosphere, charming waiter, but disappointing food. 

But the company was good!  And for the first time ever, I tried eel soup!  After dinner, Bob and I relaxed in our room and did a little packing.

To Bob, Jack and David:  Thank you for sharing your talents, compassion and sense of humor for these past two weeks with the people of Hanoi!  You are great team players!

- Barb

Another Day

Breakfast, journal reading and off to school.  First class was with Ms Chinh.  We have only had a couple of classes with her.  She is the third elementary English teacher. We had to make sure we got a photo with her. We missed her yesterday.

One more class with Ms. Lan before lunch.  David got to play keep-away soccer with the high school kids before lunch. He seemed to enjoy getting some exercise and the kids.

After lunch we went book shopping several blocks to the east.  All the books were in Vietnamese, but David found two to purchase.

One more class with Ms. Lan and off to another bookstore at the south end of the lake.  We saw it this morning on the way to school and we each purchased several English books for the school. 

For dinner, we planned to eat at the New Day Cafe.  We heard from some Russian tourists that it was very good.  One problem in Hanoi is they do not have no-smoking sections.  Smoking and dining just does not mix.  So we went across the street to the 69 Bar/Restaurant and had a very nice fixe price meal for four.  No smoking overlooking the street.

Barb has a cold, but hung in there all day.  After lunch, she finally ran out of steam.  I picked up pictures and walked around the lake, before going back to the room.  We watched a movie, the first one we have seen while we have been here. I hope Barb feels better on Thursday.  

--- Bob

"To love another is to see the face of God."

Today students in our first regularly scheduled class had some kind of testing that resulted in a free period for us.  We spent it exploring the library on the fifth floor - a sparse room with most texts being soft-cover teaching materials - very few children's books.  We concluded that period taking official school photos with the faculty.

Our one class, a first-grade classroom, was spent going over fruit identification, and practicing prepositions.  Students seemed to be tripped up saying/enunciating "next to."

Team 17 spent an hour touring the ancient Literature Temple, then concluded our evening with dinner across the street from the temple at KOTO, a restaurant that strives to assist Hanoi's disadvantaged youth.

Some discussion throughout the day included proposing that future visits to Nguyen Binh Khiem International School by Global Volunteers could involve suggesting the team consider bringing with them a contemporary new book that would interest primary or high school students - in English or Vietnamese.

-- David

"What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand."

Today I would call a typical Monday.  Got to school on time to wait for an assembly to finish.  Second hour, we went to the wrong room, but got that figured out.  Third period went fine, but the WI-FI was down so the teacher did not have her YouTube videos to play.  The volunteers had to cover the planned "sing-a-long"....  Lunch and then a break and then afternoon classes.  We were informed that the English teachers had a meeting and we would need to teach without their help. Before lunch, we were given the lesson plan and workbook for 6th hour.  But fourth and fifth was a combined class of 1st graders.  David walked in early and got the directions. He did a great job on the fly.  But after over an hour, the homeroom teacher bailed us out with a numbers game.  Sixth hour we talked about making sandwiches with the kids.  It seemed to go well.  Back at the hotel and then dinner at Highway 4 Restaurant.  Nice place.  I liked the veggies and duck.  Good night!

- Bob

Fun Indeed

We get up and eat. Wait in lobby for mini-bus to the Oriental Sails boat in Halong Bay. Left about 8:15 a.m. While waiting, tried to use the PC in the lobby.  On the bus ride, we saw rice growing, water buffalo, freeways, lakes, village and more villages.

Had a quick rest stop at tourist "trap" -  W.C. place, gift shop and coffee/tea place.  Cool and cloudy.  Reached Halong Bay City boat ramp.  Great group on bus - three Asian Aussies, a Dutch couple, us, and a couple from Hong Kong and Australia.  One guy from Australia was working for an NGO in Thailand for seven-plus years.

We boarded a small junk that held 8 to 10 people.  Had a great lunch - sailed slowly.  Went to the karst caves - got on a tender and went to shore. Many junks and people and sampans.  Had a hike/walk up many stairs into the caverns or caves.  Went through about three chambers.  It's a UNESCO park. Overall a great place to visit, see and experience. 

Back to the junk - sailed slowly - moored.  Ate dinner at 7 p.m.  Great, wonderful, tasty meal  About 7 to 9 courses.  Wonderful presentation.  Carved fruit-vegetable flower designs in a vase to eat.  Later a wonderful lighted carved  pineapple.  Wonderful meal. After meal, we the group did karaoke.  Very spirited.  Very peppy.  Fun.  Just plain funny!  About 11 p.m., the end of the day for the majority.

PS:  We all got to paddle in a canoe or kayak.  Special experience.  Unique and wet  but fun indeed!

- Jack

"You cannot change the way people think. But your actions will change the way people think about you."

Breakfast at the top of the hotel - 8th floor.  Crazy dash drive to school. It took 45 minutes. Once at school we got started in the classroom.  Students are active, sweet, eager to learn, cute and peppy.  We all did various parts of the lesson - some oral, some drill, some modeling.  Students did worksheets on body parts and matching.  We did some correcting.  10 is the perfect score.  Good use of education is the TV YouTube concepts via song and pictures and diagrams. ..."under, about, next to... colors, hair, lips, ears...etc"

English teachers rotate into classes to teach English.  Classrooms are small and tight.  No rugs for students to sit on.  About 11:15, we had lunch across the courtyard in the first-floor eating area.  It was cooler today.

Lunch was typical - rice, veggies, etc.  We had free time. Several went across the street to walk and have coffee - Vietnamese coffee - small cup, drip.  Several checked emails upstairs next to the teacher room. 

About 3:15 we all went to the large, noisy, basic assembly hall for the English-speaking contest and assembly.  Small plastic chairs were set up. After some fixing and fussing and logistics, the program started.  Had a very loud PA system.  The H.S. principal  talked and several others.  Two students did the emceeing.  Then the contest started.  Ten students, grades 7- 12, spoke.  Topic was England or the United Kingdom.  We had a scoring sheet. Students used  PowerPoint.  Group was noisy in the hall. After each student speaker, the judges judged and turned in rating sheets.  Some students sang songs between some of the speakers.  After the contest was over, the results were added.  Finally all students came to the stage and we all presented the prizes - runner-ups, 1, 2 & 3rd.  About 4 p.m. the program ended. 

About 7 p.m. we walked several blocks to Tamarind Cafe.  Excellent place.  Veggie international food.  Real international group of college students and Hong Kong high-school international students nearby.  After dinner, all GVs went back to the hotel to rest, prepare, ponder, relax and sleep.  Amen!

-  Jack

"A stitch in time saves a dime."

Weather cools a bit as we greet this new day. It's the usual crazy, insane commute to NBK - totally indescribable mayhem of cars, motor scooters, bikes, plus all the sidewalk merchant distractions.  We are assigned to Miss Vananh's classes today - talking about body parts, numbers (1-10) and the concepts of "in," "under" and "over" etc.  Plus the children created cards to celebrate International Women's Day which is today.  I was treated like a queen receiving roses from several classes.

After lunch we headed to the Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology - with Thu, our friendly NBK colleague.  It is a fascinating place - wonderful artifacts representing the talents and lifestyles of Vietnamese minority people - of which there are 90 groups!  I especially enjoyed walking through the very interesting "homes" and community buildings of various peoples on the museum grounds - bamboo floors, towering ceilings!

Also there was an amazing "long" junk boat - more than 100 feet long.  It was used in several junk races, then retired to the museum.  After enjoying coffee in the museum cafe with Robin from the U.K. - pleasant fellow - we headed back to school.

A fancy teacher's program and Women's Day celebration followed.  We were introduced to the teachers formally. I gave a few remarks and so did David. Great fun!  A huge potluck ensued with interesting dishes.  Then back to the hotel.  Later in the evening, Jack, Bob & I stopped at the Pub next door to the hotel for conversation and pizza!  Fun!  Goodnight!            

- Barb       

"The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new lands, but seeing with new eyes."

Breakfast meeting and we are off to another day at NBK.  It was nice to have the directions and map to NBK.  The cab driver did not get lost today.  Thus, no arguments when we got there.

The morning was two periods of 3rd through 1st graders.  Great fun but we all agree that 4 volunteers in a classroom is too many.  Before lunch, we spent about 30 minutes talking to two student teachers.  They were very interesting.  They are worried about finding a job after they graduate from college.  So what is different here than in the U.S.?  They also told us that population growth in the country is the main issue of concern.

Lunch, a break and then one more class of first-graders - then back to the hotel.

Dinner was at the Huyen Huong Restaurant - spring rolls, fried rose and pho. Altogether a pleasant evening.

- Bob

"Yesterday is but today's memory, tomorrow is today's dream."

After a long detour by our lost taxi driver, we arrived at NBK school late.  We participated in the last 20 minutes of what appeared to be a math class, and were relieved for a couple of hours from teaching.  Thu spent 40 minutes teaching us some basic Vietnamese phrases, such as "xin chao" (hello) and "tam biet" (good bye).  We participated in an English class, working with students on learning parts of the body, through watching videos on YouTube and playing "Simon says."

Tuesdays are a half-day, so we were treated to lunch at NBK school and released.  We attended a pleasant water puppet show, then convened for dinner at the Avalon Grill.  Before the evening concluded, we booked a weekend cruise to see Halong Bay.

-- David

First Day of Teaching

We all got up early and had breakfast on the top floor.  Nice meal.  Enjoyed looking at all the rooftops.  Was cloudy and misty.  About 7:30 a.m. we had a short meeting.  James Heiss read his report and his quote.

Next:  A long 45-minute crazy taxi ride to school....an out-of-mind experience - the bikes, the cars, the motorbikes, the people....and all the sights.

At the school, there was a simple welcome reception with the headmaster.  Had tea and got flowers.  Floors were slippery - all marble.  It's a very large, 7-story school.  This was International Women's Day.  We had two school assemblies in the large school outdoor courtyard.  Hundreds of kids on little plastic stools.  Two programs - lower elementary and middle school.... Saw dancing, heard poems and singing. Program was too long.... Next to the teacher's lounge where we had a short planning meeting.

We visited several classrooms - lots of moving around and the afternoon is sort of a whirl now.  Twenty-eight to 30 kids in small rooms.  Colorful - 2 to 3 teachers in each room in grades 1, 2, 3.

It's busy here.  Students are peppy, spirited and happy.  Students studying English -  I thought the lessons were too hard, in my opinion.

We all took part and shared experiences.  David played "Hangman" with the kids.  David also directed a game regarding "countable" and "non-countable" nouns.

Had a nice lunch with our new staff.  Had coffee across the street.  David James Heiss finally after some coordination and help, got his much-needed new pants. 

School ended at 4 p.m.....way too late from my point of view.  Got taxi.... ride home took almost 45 minutes (to hotel).  Back in hotel- we rested. 

- Jack

Last Day

Mixed emotions always accompany the final day of any extended experience.  Was it what we expected? Did we need our host’s expectations?  What can we take away from all this and what is best forgotten? In any case, our last day began with a rare brightness from the sun shining through clear skies, an uplifting omen perhaps.

The teams set out for either the Foreign Trade University or NBK school this morning wondering about such things while looking forward to the next leg of their journeys whether they are on to further touring or jut heading home.

Joe, Mary and Sim  began the morning with their usual classroom assignments but prepared for an interesting afternoon judging an English contest for the primary grade students.  Pam was expected to participate as a judge but previous commitments at the University precluded her attendcance.

Following morning classes, we met Mr. Quy and Sophia, the new Chinese language teacher, for coffee across the street from the school, then waited in the teacher’s lounge for the contest to begin. Soon Mr. Quy appeared and led us to the auditorium at the rear of the main building.  There the 300 or so primary school students were assembled.  An audio system amplified noise and music.  Soon, the NBK team plus Sophia were anointed judges and seated on one side of the room while Mr. Qua and his wife, Mr. Quy and others sat at a table across the room from us.  The contest began with students making individual presentations in English.  That was followed by a talent contest involving skits, poetry, recitals, etc.  Your team rose to the occasion assessing the performances with critical but merciful, even generous, eyes and ears.  The winners were chosen and rewarded.  We were thanked and honored for our services and sent on our way with expressions of gratitude which were sincerely reciprocated. We returned to the hotel by taxi anticipating dinner and music with the full team, together one last time.

- Sam

American Thanksgiving in Vietnam

Following breakfast at the hotel, team NBK,  minus Mary, who had caught a cold,  left for school accompanied by Pam.  The exciting forty-minute taxi ride brought us to the gates of NBK where Joe marched off to face the elementary school denizens and Sim took on the high schoolers.  Pam, meanwhile, conducted a fruitless search for Mr. Quy after which she found an exotic café for our lunch.  The exotic aspect involved the removal of shoes to enter, sitting on the floor and waiting for order-out servings of pho which, we discovered, could not be eaten with chopsticks from ground level.  WE were then permitted to go back outdoors and dine at a sidewalk table.  Our – or at least my – curiosity about pho satisfied and having been granted the afternoon off by NBK. We returned to the hotel.

Joe went to see about Mary, while I, assisted by Pam and a young man employed at the hotel, purchased a new cell phone at a nearby store.  The remainder of the afternoon was spent getting the wifi modem in my room fixed, arranging for laundry service and taking a walk around the lake.  I heard later, make that overheard, that during the day, Ingrid had visited ‘Uncle Ho’s’ mausoleum and home and that Ali went to the ‘Women’s Museum’.  The event of the day was the team’s Thanksgiving Dinner provided by the hotel and served up with great pride and a certain amount of pomp by the chef.  The team members to a person were grateful and appreciative of both the food and consideration that went into providing this recognition of a favorite holiday.   From all reports, everyone enjoyed a good night’s sleep.

- Sam

Monday was our first day of class.  Five of us went to FTU and arrived early, before our hosts were available to greet us.  We connected after about 15 minutes and were lead to our assignments.  I was scheduled to have the day off, but wanted to get the lay of the land, so joined Margaret for the first session with about 30 freshmen.  Our teacher indicated the subject was advertising and, after our introductions, we went through an assignment of different advertising methods which was interactive and allowed almost all students to participate.  The teacher was helpful in focusing us and the students and we were able to engage the class for the entire period.  The students were quite attentive. 

We rejoined our  colleagues, Ingrid, Ali & Roger for a nice Vietnamese lunch in the  teacher’s lounge and got tips from Ali & Roger on teaching techniques.  Margaret started the second period with one of those techniques encouraging student questions on our personal photos.  Margaret, Ingrid & I reviewed with the students their short opinion essay assignment, allowing direct feedback to each student.  The exercise revealed smart kids able to express themselves well in written English, with minor grammatical issues.  Their verbal skills were not as strong, but we had a decent conversation on opinion issues which related to their next assignment.  The day was viewed as a successful start by all five of us and we look forward to the next two weeks.  The group convened at 6:15pm feedback session and we went out to dinner after that.

- Bud

Volunteer Team Arrives on Reunification Day

Our final spring team of Global Volunteers will begin their service program on Saturday, April 30th, Reunification Day in Vietnam. This day often serves as a time of celebration and/or reflection for Vietnamese worldwide, as they remember this date in 1975.

We wish our volunteers a wonderful volunteer experience and we know they will make the most of experiencing this historical and cultural moment first-hand.

If you might consider joining Global Volunteers in Vietnam later this year, please don't hesitate to contact us today!

Remaining 2011 Service Program Dates:
September 24 - October 8
November 19 - December 3

A Taste of Teaching in Vietnam

With a full team of volunteers on their way back from Vietnam this week, we thought we would share with you a little insight into what the teaching experience likely looked & felt like for those serving in Hanoi! Please use the link below to access a YouTube video created to highlight the volunteer teaching opportunity available in Vietnam with Global Volunteers!!

YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/globalvolunteers#p/u/2/DfsGYSt04gk

Also, stay tuned to this blog in the days & weeks to come as we post team journal entries, team photos and volunteer reflections from our most recent (March 2011) Vietnam volunteer team!

Thank you to all volunteers for your time and energies, and thank you to volunteer team leader, Warren, for leading the way!!

Memorable Moments & Personal Insights

At Global Volunteers, we strive to provide a unique, and high quality service experience for all of our volunteers. Important aspects of this experience include a refined orientation program at the outset and an evaluation and reflection opportunity at the end of your service program. Some folks are so enthused and inspired at the end of their programs that they share their experiences with anyone that will listen, and encourage us to do the same using social media, their local media outlets, and the like.

Please read and enjoy some of the memorable moments and personal insights of a few of our most recent team members in Vietnam!!

"My most memorable event was in our 8th grade class. We were asking the students about their favorite music/single when a girl ran up to the front of the room and said to me - 'I love Justin Bieber because he sings good and he is young like me.' I said - 'And , he just won a big award, didn't he?' She turned to the class, raised her thumbs and said - 'YES!' These kids appear to have no hang-ups around race or ethnicity - they are exposed to the world and they just like what they like!!" ~ Volunteer Karen

"I realized here that people are the same everywhere. A simple act of giving can impact just one, or many. On this program I enjoyed reconnecting with some school staff at the school, being treated to dinner by one of the hotel staff, and the good conversation with fellow volunteers, school staff and local people." ~ Volunteer Roger

If you would like to join us in Vietnam in 2011 or 2012, please don't hesitate to contact us today!! You can also learn more about Vietnam service program dates by visiting the following link: http://globalvolunteers.org/vietnam/dates.aspx

We look forward to welcoming you to Hanoi!!

Meet Vietnam's March Team Leader... Warren!

Have you been considering a service program in Vietnam in 2011? If so, know that wonderful team leaders "captain" each of our volunteer teams in Hanoi and will help ensure your volunteer experience is a good one.

In March 2011, Team Leader Warren will guide our volunteers through their experience. And, believe us - they are in good hands! Warren has been leading teams with Global Volunteers for over 15 years and has led nearly 60 volunteer teams!!

Here is a bit more information about Global Volunteers' team leaders: All our team leaders are trained and experienced in managing diverse groups of people, and have served on several volunteer teams. They are also required to complete our intensive two-week team leader training sessions (in December) in Minnesota.

Further, Global Volunteers team leaders are evaluated by the volunteers on each program, and must achieve an established level of performance in order to continue leading Global Volunteers teams. This ensures a quality experience for everyone involved.

Please consider joining us in Vietnam this year, where you'll have the pleasure of serving with Warren OR one of his esteemed team leader colleagues!!

For details, call (800) 487 - 1074 or visit www.globalvolunteers.org TODAY!