In the year and a half I've been in Vietnam, I've taught at two different schools. In 2010, I came here with English Services International (ESI), and taught at the Viet My English center. I had a great time. Of course, there are ups and downs to most everything, but in general, I had a great experience. Due to the way the contract was set up, I had a lot of free time. The organization I came with focused on giving their teachers an opportunity to get immersed in the culture and have time to build relationships, so contractually, teachers were to teach a maximum of 15 hours a week. This meant I had time to hang out with friends, and invest in new relationships that seemingly came at me from every direction (I taught a lot of students my age, so we'd go out and stuff).
My second school was UCSI Vietnam. I started teaching there in September 2011 after Audrey and I returned from the US. Being a new school, there were a lot of changes starting out, and it was a bit difficult at times. This time around, I didn't have as much free time, as contractually, I was to work 40 hours a week, which was a big change from the previous year (and now I'm married, so time became even more valuable). Things did balance out, since I was now actually receiving a salary instead of a stipend (I was basically a volunteer with ESI). UCSI focuses on quality education, so I had to step it up as far as my teaching went. This is not to say that VMG doesn't focus on education, but that environment is a bit more relaxed in that sense.
Even though the two schools I've taught at are different, the teaching experience itself is very similar. Teachers are valued and respected in Vietnam. Students are friendly, and want to get to know and spend time with their teachers. I've been able to get to know quite a few students, and in some way or another, God has allowed me to make a difference in their lives. Whether it's by teaching them English, good values (sometimes the lessons would involve talking about values, perspectives, etc), or even sharing His truth with them as friends (of course, it's not allowed in the classroom), I have been blessed by being in my position.
Right now, I only have one more week as an English teacher in this country. Next Sunday, Audrey and I will go to Saigon for one week, and when we return we'll have about a week and a half in Da Nang before we go back to the States "for good". I will return to the company I was working for before coming to Vietnam, working as a software engineer. It comes as a bittersweet thing, since I've really enjoyed my time in this country and I know that I will miss it, but I'm also looking forward to returning to the States and doing life there.
Even though I know it'll be sad to leave, I'm still thankful that I followed God's leading in coming here. The relationships I've made, the blessings I've received, the growth I've obtained, and the things I've seen are all things I know I'll treasure. And that would be my advice to you: if you feel God leading you to do something, no matter how difficult or costly it may seem, just go for it*. It'll be worth it.
These were the very first students I taught in VN. They became really good friends,
and I still hang out with them from time to time.
These are the highest level students I got to teach. They're so young, too!
I taught these students for a WHILE. Got to know them pretty well.
This is one of my latest groups. They were a fun class!
*of course, I would also suggest that you pr.y about it, consult the Bble, discuss it with Godly people, and in general make sure it's actually His leading and not just a desire of your heart or whatever
When we walked out of the restaurant after lunch, this is what we saw. Some friends had told us there was a fire nearby, and we'd seen the people looking down the street at something, so we finally saw it when we left. It was about 4 shops down from the restaurant. We haven't heard of anyone being harmed, but the fire was very bad.
