Paul O'Hare, Viet Nam
05 December 2011
Volunteer assignments often teach the volunteer more than the volunteer can teach others. Paul O’Hare writes about the joys of bicycle commuting in Viet Nam, teaching enthusiastic students English, and, believe it or not, karaoke.
Paul worked teaching English for Specific Purposes in the hospitality industry in Hue, Central Viet Nam, from August 2009 to January 2011.
Working in a Vocational School on the outskirts of Hue in Central Viet Nam, I trained young people (18-25yrs) for work in the hospitality industry.
These students were selected from very disadvantaged families, mainly living in nearby coastal fishing villages. The project was funded by Plan International and administered in conjunction with the Local People's Committee. Under normal circumstances, families of these young people wouldn't be able to afford to send them to this type of training and in any case, wouldn't have the 'relationships' required to secure employment in good standard tourist hotels and restaurants in the city.
The School had a full-time coordinator who used his own relationships in the industry to place students at the conclusion of their training. My role was to team-teach with local staff in ESP (English for specific purposes), introducing them to communicative language teaching, improve their own English skills and helping to develop an interactive hospitality training textbook.
I chose to ride a bicycle over the 8km journey from my home to the school much to the amusement of the locals who thought that an 'affluent Westerner' should at least be riding a motorbike, particularly being over 60 years old!
However, I found this daily journey very stimulating, as it gave one the opportunity to tune into the 'vibe' of the city including the sights, sounds and smells of everyday life of the community. They were even more bemused by the fact that I wore a helmet in a country where even motorcyclists only wear helmets under sufferance. I'm sure those of you who have experienced the traffic in Vietnam can sympathise with my decision to go against the local grain.
The classrooms were small and crowded (usually around 35 students per class), roasting in summer and freezing in winter but it's a constant source of amazement to me how quickly one has the ability to adjust to one's surroundings when there just aren't any other options. The local English teachers relished the opportunity to work with a native speaker and inevitably, lunch breaks were taken up giving impromptu English lessons to teachers and admin staff alike.
I was invited to come out to the school as a guest teacher from time to time while I was teaching in the English Department at the University of Hue. I was struck by the dedication of the local teachers in giving these young people (and as a consequence, their families) the chance to improve their standard of living through acquiring these skills and equally, the enthusiasm and dedication with which the students grasped their opportunity to make a significant difference to their prospects in life.
Personally I tried to immerse myself as much as possible into the local culture, improve my Vietnamese language skills and take advantage of the school holidays to travel to different regions of Viet Nam.
At a professional level, my goal was to help develop the communicative teaching methodologies of my colleagues in a system where the Confucian-based philosophy of rote learning still predominates as well as to improve their own English language skills (particularly pronunciation). Generally, I was also conscious of the ongoing mutual cross-cultural awareness that occurred with both fellow teachers and students on a day-to-day basis.
Apart from the physical challenges outlined before, it took some time to adapt to the differing cultural notions around time-keeping, preparation, organisation and taking responsibility. However, after some time one came to realise that no matter how chaotic arrangements seemed to be, the desired outcome was always achieved. At one point early in my assignment, a colleague noticing my anxiety at the apparent lack of action for an activity remarked, "you Westerners are process-oriented, while we Vietnamese are event-oriented".
There were so many highlights:
- in accordance with Confucian tradition, being accorded respect by all (including neighbours) with the title 'Thay' (teacher)
- re-discovering the joys of riding a bicycle everywhere after 40 years
- endless invitations from colleagues and students to drink iced Vietnamese at riverside cafe
- eating freshly-cooked (and ridiculously cheap) beef noodles at street stalls
- getting used to telling my age to everyone I met for the first time and at one my regular karaoke evenings, scoring a 99 (excellent singer!)
My advice to fellow teachers thinking about going abroad - grab the opportunity with both hands and be prepared to learn more than you teach!
Paul O'Hare