Crossroads

With about two months left until my grant ends, I often find myself brainstorming what I should do once I come back home. At first, the choice seemed easy: go back to the classroom. But now, I feel that there's more I need to do before I make that decision.

In my letter of intent to Fulbright, I made it clear that I wanted to become a teacher in Vietnam because 1) I wanted to learn more about my culture through interacting with students and community members, 2) I wanted to engage in learning and educating that went beyond standardized tests (which is a whole 'nother beast here), and 3) I wanted to take the English Language Learner resources I've used here and bring it back to the States. Linearly, it makes sense for me to come back to the classroom I once taught in. But I've experienced so much here that I feel I should look into different options before I settle back into where I once was.

Option 1: Working directly with a Vietnamese-American community. The past 6-7 months here have been spent learning about my parents' culture and their experiences in Vietnam. I still feel like an outsider, given that outside etiquette, titles, and knowledge of Vietnamese dishes, I didn't know much about Vietnamese culture. I just knew about Vietnamese-Americans who didn't live with other Vietnamese-Americans. (Does that make sense?) What I'm trying to say is, I want to know more about and assist Vietnamese communities that have resettled into the States because I wasn't a part of that culture growing up. Now that I know about the cultural adjustments that they have to make, I feel I could serve as a valuable asset and that I can also learn a lot more from them.

Option 2: Continue learning by working with a different immigrant/refugee community. Something I missed about working at a successful small school in Oakland was their emphasis on understanding their students' culture and heritage. Cultural diversity and different languages spoken in the household were seen as an assets rather than deficits. I was reminded of this when my friend sent me an article about a similar school in England. There are so many wonderful practices I need to learn from, and once I learn them, I would be able to benefit the community I once worked in.

Option 3: Working in a small school that prioritizes communication with family and community. My previous school was so bogged down with directions from the district on bringing up our students' test scores that we hardly got to reserve time to get to know our students and their families outside of disciplinary actions. I was one of the few teachers in the school who attempted to visit all students' families on my own initiative, and without administrative support and encouragement, it was difficult to continue doing things that I felt were necessary to build a community within the classroom. Therefore, I need to work in a school that makes family communication a priority and keeps the community in the loop with school events. I need to feel part of a united community that actively prioritizes our students and recognizes their needs outside test scores.

While I have been concerned having a job after the grant, I've taken the time since my last post to live in the moment. Here are some fun things that have happened:

• Friday before last, I participated in Fun Football (Soccer in the States) Friday with Thao, who works for Football For All: Vietnam, a Norwegian NGO that introduces football to schools to promote positive feedback among teachers and retention among students. (Nguyen-Nguyen situation.) A few minutes into the game, I got the ball and instinctively (I was probably scared to keep it for too long) kicked it to Thao, who then scored a goal for our team. Even though we didn't get much play after that, it was mini-victory for us as amateur footballers (okay, I don't even think I qualify as amateur) and as womyn. We still talk about it to this day.
• For the topic of political parties, I had my students debate on same-sex marriage given their political party stance. Due to fear of students being ostracized for their personal opinions, I made it clear that they had to argue their point based on their party's beliefs. When I looked at the Republican side, I noticed how pout-faced and disappointed a few students were about having to argue against same-sex marriage. "I can't fight my heart," one student stated. As sad as it was that they had to fight their own personal beliefs, I was happy to see how passionate they were about the topic.
• I went to Truoi Lake (in Phu Loc, an hour outside of Hue) this past Saturday with Dave, fellow Huester/Phu Quoc half-marathon training homie/karaoke king. At one point, Dave's bike broke down in front of a cafe close to our destination, and we were invited to drink tra da while the cafe owners called over the closest mechanic. The mechanic then let us borrow his bike to continue making our way to the lake and so he could have time to fix Dave's bike. (Hella Hue hospitality.) We then continued on our mini-trip. 

Love the water

In Vietnam, some folks like to take "sneak-attack" pictures of foreigners by sitting next to them and having a friend take a picture of them and the unsuspecting foreigner. In this case, the young man just held the camera in front of Dave and took the picture point-blank. I did the same to recreate the effect and capture Dave's slight discomfort.

Lovely girl we met on the ferry

Temple at the top of the stairs

View of Truoi Lake (makes the climb worth it)

Inside the temple

• This past Sunday, I had a lazy day that started with a bougie latte at the top of Imperial Hotel. It was recommended for its view, and from the top, you can see the difference between the different parts of the city, which is split by Huong River.

The Citadel side, where no building is allowed to be higher than the King's palace.

Citadel side

The more modern part of Hue on the other side of the river. I never noticed how wide Hung Vuong Street is.

• After coffee, I went to Thuan An Beach with Jenelle and Binh to enjoy the weather. (And by enjoy the weather, I mean sleep.) Eva and Lena, German volunteers who work with people with disabilities in Hue, also joined us later on. We ended the night with awesome seafood by the beach.

Beautiful people

Last picture of the day

While I am at a crossroads concerning what lies ahead in the future, new discoveries and Hue friends always give me new reasons to love this city, keeping me in the moment and reminding me that I still have much more to appreciate.