Teacher Blog

Greetings from Andrew in Ha Noi

What a difference 2 hours makes! It is a little under 2 hours on the airplane from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon for us Westerners) to Hanoi. 2000 kilometres, 2 hours later, and somehow-a lot hotter. How is that possible? I lived for just over 3 years in Saigon, and it was time for a change. Vietnam is infinitely interesting and a lot different than the 5 years I spent in Taiwan.

The time passes quickly and now I have a few more gray (or white) hair. Some are from the stress of daily living and definitely some of that stress-most of that stress-is from simply crossing the street or riding my bicycle along it. Busy. Always busy, and then a truck honks, a scooter loaded with produce or a family (of about 5) swerves towards me...another gray-white hair! 2 hours is the time for one class at Apollo, with a short break halfway. 30 minutes is my bike ride time, 5 minutes to cool down with some cold water and at least five minutes to find my folder for class.



There are lots of classes, lots of teachers and lots of folders... If I may offer a suggestion and a bit of advice-get your visa in order, do a backpack tour of the South & North, check out the south Mekong Delta, the middle beaches & mountains, and then Halong Bay and Sapa in the north before settling into a city and job. Take a good 6 weeks, 2 in each region. Your camera and postcard list will quickly fill up. That time will pass quickly, and once you get a job, you will get a bit lazy-favourite coffee shop here, best pizza place there, and a cheap (pirate copy) DVD in between. 10,000 Dong in the south, (buy ten-get-one free), 15,000 in the north, (no-discount!)... Those 2 hour classes will pile up, with a minute here & there stolen to e mail an old friend, and before you know it-it is time for a new visa, a contract renewal, and the debate of staying for another year, transfer school or just keep on going...? I am struck by the difference between HCM City and the capital of Hanoi. Without exception, everyone in the south said the north is-'no good.'

Reasons were varied, but some said the girls were no good, some said the police, some said the government. When I asked for a reason or example or detail...everyone got vague, looked away, and finally admitted they had not been there. Hmm. Hmmph! The expression "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence" applies here. I grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and moved as a young adult to Toronto, then west to Calgary. Each of those major Canadian cities had a sports rivalry, and made sarcastic or competitive comments about the other place. Human nature, I guess. Back to Hanoi, (after Saigon, Taiwan, vacations in Thailand which included my eye laser surgery and my TEFL course)...I am sleeping well, there is both hot water & free instant coffee and cold water in the Teacher's room, plenty of flashcards and other resource material, and now I have to run off to a meeting. The meeting is about the video performance this weekend, (I believe it is part of this new on line project), such as my blog submission. I am surprized at the ease of entry into both Hanoi & Apollo and the pleasant passage of time. 2 hours flight, 2 hours for a class, money direct deposit into Vietcom bank.

This past 6 weeks is a blur. Next writing I will try to compare the 2 cities, and I will let you know how the video went-or you can judge for yourself! Give Hanoi a chance, if you are in the south, and also consider Apollo. Now if I can only get a bicycle lane on the road, all to myself... Andrew, Hanoi.