1 month mark!!

It’s so amazing what a month of teaching and living in a foreign country can do to you. I remember the first day, I arrived, when I was too scared to even leave my house alone.  I remember getting on the back of a motorbike literally holding on to the old man missing teeth, both hands wrapped around his waist, practically groping him, in fear of my life. Now, I am riding my own bike around Saigon and showing the ropes to my new house mate. (Mate—I know.. you can blame my English and Irish friends for the new lingo). I remember my first week at school  and going home almost in tears  thinking that I was failing at teaching. I have adapted so much to the Vietnamese culture and how to teach them. I never realized that when I was quickly giving my students English names (which is a thing) that that name would remain their English name, for the rest of their school years and forthcoming. Forever there will be about fifty kids in Vietnam running around with names, named after my x-boyfriends and Disney characters. My children have just became so creative. You can see it in their work everyday. They do not just copy off of me anymore and draw American flags to represent themselves. They create their own work and it gives me the chills to see. I really take the time to  dig into their little brains and interests as much as I can. I much rather have a child come up with, turtle’s, for example,  then copy “traveling or teaching”  when teaching the core value—Passion. I can’t say it enough. I think it is so great that this school, VAS, is bringing core values and creativity into their school curriculum after many generation of teaching just  basic education.

Short and sweet this week but I have to go bring out America!!
NAMaste Hello 4th of July!!!
Miss you America and Philadelphia especially