I miss my babies!

Hello everyone,

Anyone who worked with me during my time in Vietnam will know, by the blog title, that I have finally got around to writing something about teaching, my colleagues, and the children. I always called them my babies.... hence the title. This is a blog completely from Becky's perspective, and Rob will post his own separately. It is also designed to be a reflection on my experience rather than outlining exciting travel plans. Nonetheless I can still promise an array of fantastic pictures of the wonderful TAs and children.

When I looked up the idea of teaching abroad I took it seriously. I take everything seriously and anyone who knows me well will know that I make sure, before agreeing to something like this, that I know exactly what I am letting myself in for and will ensure I am the best I can possibly be at it. I felt at some times that many people were not prepared for the intensity of teaching and the actuality of the job. Lucky for me I really was aware that at times it would be tough and frustrating, even embarrassing. What I didn't prepare myself for was how much I'd enjoy it and how much I'd fall in love with Vietnam and the wonderful people I met.

Whilst we have been travelling we have had a blast but there is a little hole in my heart that had been filled with the warmth and love of so many lovely students and Vietnamese friends I met. I am not foolish so am realistic that perhaps that final week was the last time I will ever see many of these people again. I know for some that was probably a relief but for me in 99% of cases it was traumatic. I want to make a commitment to try to come back and I would love to see how some of my students are getting on.

As a teacher I was a little bit mad. Probably not a surprise to you. I loved dancing and singing and making everything a little bit crazy. It was probably good that BME ended up placing me teaching mainly grade 1 and 2, even though at the time I felt I would be better stretched teaching secondary. It is quite weird how in a semester, as the Foreign teacher, you can get incredibly close to these kids and despite not speaking the same language you really know them. I knew when things were wrong with the kids from the almost laughable things like Yen clearly having a tiff with her best mate Thao in Grade 1, to Viet in one of my grade 4 classes clearly being hit by someone at home (again). It makes me feel for teachers at home who probably often are sure they are aware of some pretty nasty stuff but have no evidence and no power, really, to do anything.

I want to talk a bit about some of my classes. I had loads of students and classes so can't discuss them all, but a few stand out.

The children made me laugh, and they made my cry - when a bunch of my grade 3 students all presented me with leaving gifts in tears I could not take it anymore... yes as their teacher, model of strength etc etc. I burst into tears on that final day in Grade 3A4, Thuy Linh. HEY MAI CRIED AS WELL! It was sad. Class 3A4 are exceptional. They were all really bright and enthusiastic kids. Also they were so generous. I felt so humbled when they gave me presents. We had such fun together - singing and dancing and also learning lots (obviously). This class had some exceptionally bright young women in. Ngoc the class monitor (sorry for not being able to say your name correctly and calling you stupid the whole semester because my tones are off) was a super star. She was helpful in terms of keeping the class under control, really passionate about learning English, and sassy as hell. Loved her. Then there was Linh who was a quiet and unassuming character but incredibly intelligent and hardworking. I thought often perhaps also overlooked. This is the little girl I gave a prize to for having a lovely Christmas card, because I knew she wouldn't get one from BME. She wrote in immaculate English and decorated it beautifully. I gave her some money, a christmas card, and the book 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' to read when she is grown up. In return she brought me her favourite toy - a little red dog. I was so incredibly touched and this gesture is very Vietnamese and also very Linh. Then there was Nam.... a smiley young man who struggled a bit more but tried so hard. He was insane but really made me laugh. Hang, at the back of the class, was the cool, chilled girl. She was a super-star and used to ask me... every week... what my favourite Vietnamese food is. There were so many kind, loving students in this class and I will never forget them.

Also at Thuy Linh I taught 1A4 with Hang. Lots of you will recognise a super cute little girl called Yen - in lots of my pictures. She loved her English lessons and was a star right from the start. She always had her hair in little plaits and wore such cute dresses! She was adorable and her older sister was a really clever, kind young woman. Anh (big sis) always walked through my grade 3 class on a Friday and got to witness the craziness. She also saw my crying on 12th Jan on my last day of teaching. This class were so well-behaved and they were super sweet - only 6 years old! We had some great times playing games like zombie, they were one of my few classes who could play this game without descending into chaos. In 1A4 there was also Thao, a quiet student who spoke incredible English.... my classic line often being 'we know Thao knows'. She left me the sweetest note when I finished and I would love to know what she does in the future. There was also a boy in this, I cannot remember his name, that consistently made me laugh. He used to walk up to the front for games and raise his hand, assuming I'd pick him. It was naughty but hilarious. I have so many memories with this class. On the last day we sung Baby Shark - an epic song - and the Goodbye song. Clips courtesy of Hang below.

Yen and I

The ladies of Thuy Linh (photo Credit: Thuy)

Me, Thao and Yen (Class 1A4)

Ngoc is the girl doing the peace sign, her best mate in green is Linh (not the one I've mentioned)

Class 1A4 love to sing and dance (photo credit Hang)

Mai, me and Nam in 3A4

Presents from 3A4

1A4 Photo credit Hang

Hang and I (photo credit Hang)

The Linh I've mentioned is in the right

The legendary 3A4 - photo credit Mai

Class 1A4 photo credit Hang
The naughty boy who always ran to the front is fifth in from the right at the front in a black and red coat.

My present from Linh

Another school I have to mention is Thach Ban B, where I taught twice a week. I really felt bonded to this school and I would say I knew these students the best out of all my students. I saw classes 2A-D at this school. The first student I ever met at this school was Nhi, who showed me where the teacher's room was on my first day. She is also a star of many of my photos - she has little dimples in her cheek and wore the best ever Frozen dress. The students at Thach Ban B are without a doubt the most well-behaved and polite students I taught. They wouldn't complain about candy I gave them, they were always grateful, they listened to me, and they were so enthusiastic about learning English. This school much have some of the brightest children in Hanoi in - lots of them did exceptionally well on their English tests with many 10/10. 2D were the naughtiest class out of the bunch, but in a really sweet way. They were quite loud, however every time I had to teach them alone without any Vietnamese they always helped and Nhi prided herself on being my cover TA. She loved shouting NO GAMES and taking away team stars. She will be an excellent teacher one day. Class 2B were really quiet but there were several superstars and they were always so enthusiastic when it came to singing and dancing. I will never forget Minh in this class who was the naughty boy of the class but made me laugh so much. What made me laugh more was the feisty, female, class monitor keeping him in check when he misbehaved. Class 2A were without a doubt the best singers. They were also super intelligent. The class monitor was a polite young man who often told me I looked beautiful - he will go far. Class 2C were quite rowdy and loved learning English. They had an insanely good class monitor and one of the nicest young men I taught was in this class - I don't know his name but he always smiled and always told people to listen to the teacher. Brownie points.

Nhi and I

Nhi and I have attitude

More of Nhi

Class 2A - photo credit Nga

Class 2B - photo credit Nga

Nga and I - photo credit Nga

Class 2C monitor - photo credit Huyen

The teachers of Thach Ban B - Thao is to my left and I am holding hands with the Principle. Thomas is holding the VP's hand and Nga is to her right.

Class 2D - Huyen

VP, me and Nga photo credit Nga

Class 2B (photo credit Nga)

Class 2D (photo credit Huyen)

Class 2A (photo credit Nga)

Class 2C photo credit Huyen

Class 2D - photo credit Huyen

On top of the wonderful students I have got to know I was so lucky with the TAs I had. I will keep in touch with my new friends and endeavour to return to Hanoi whenever I can to catch up with them. One of my closest friends in Vietnam was Mai. She will be having a baby boy soon and I wish her all the love and luck in the world. Mai and I just had amazing banter and we knew exactly how to handle a class together - super team. We knew when the syllabus was crap and we knew which classes we loved teaching. Mai's English in amazing and my wish is that one day she could come to England and get the opportunity to practise with even more native speakers. She would be a fabulous teacher in any country. I was also close to all three of my TAs at Thach Ban B. Nga is beautiful, like absolutely stunning, and a fire-cracker. She always made me laugh and boy does she do discipline well. One of my favourite memories of Nga was her trying to get Thomas (fellow teacher) to date her Vietnamese 'sister' who speaks no English. Thomas has since agreed to marry her. Thao at Thach Ban B touched my heart - a very hard-working, committed TA, who the children love. I literally don't know if I have ever met someone who works as hard as Thao. I miss her a lot, she was such a warm and enthusiastic person and we made a really good team. Hieu was my final TA at Thach Ban B and she was more serious than the other two ladies but kind and full of warmth for the kids. I got to teach with Huyen, who returned from maternity leave in my last week, it was such a shame I did not get to spend more time with her as she was such a good laugh. We sang My Heart Will Go On together which is always a sign of a friendship that will last.

One of the first TAs I met was Hang at Thuy Linh who is a much loved and respected teacher there. Hang is a very courageous and impressive woman and her daughters are so lucky they have such an incredible role model to live up to. Hang's favourite hobby has to be filming me doing very loud singing in class. We always had such a laugh and I miss her every Friday now. At Tran Phu my friend Yen taught with me. Yen will have an incredible future. She is bright, thoughtful, and very knowledgeable. She always went out of her way to help me with no expectation of getting anything in return. I will definitely see Yen again. At Tran Phu I also taught with Nhung who was efficient and organised. It was quite emotional when I saw her for the last time. Another TA who I hope I will get to spend more time with is Van at Hoang Liet. She has to be the best-dressed Vietnamese woman ever. She had the best shoes, the best skirts, the best shirts - she basically always looked amazing. She was such a laugh and always knew what the kids needed in class. She could go from being very strict to being silly and having a joke - the perfect balance and I think the perfect teacher. Van was always trying to improve her already great English and I will miss our conversations - as she told me, time flies. I had Bom as a TA once a week and she has to be one of my favourite people I met... I hope she remembers me particularly because I gave her marmite for Christmas haha! Anyone in the UK will know what a fab gift this is. Bom is a sparky lady with an incredible future in teaching ahead of her. I think her warmth towards her students is very similar to mine and we had similar styles. We both certainly love Baby Shark and know ALL the moves. My final TA was Tra at Chu Van An. Tra is a less bold and loud character than many of my TAs but is exceptionally talented. You could just tell she is an amazing teacher and she was always thinking of ways to make my life easier, for example she wrote all the students names on their tests before I had to test them. This was a genius idea as many grade 1's actually cannot write their full names and she knew I wouldn't be able to do it for 60 students. Tra was an absolute superstar. I will miss all of these wonderful ladies I worked with.

Photo credit Thuy - Tran Phu with the wonderful Yen. Grade 2. 

Photo credit Van - grade 1 at Hoang Liet

Tra and I (photo credit Tra)

Chu Van An (photo credit Tra)

Hoang Liet (photo credit Emma F)

Chu Van An (photo credit Tra)

Chu Van An (photo credit Tra)

Zom and I - he used to carry my bag to the taxi at Tran Phu. Not expecting anything in return and very insistent that he had to help me. What a gem! I will miss this boy. 

At BME itself I got to know Ha who works so hard and is a lovely lady and also Huong who has the hardest job in the world - getting all our taxis to school sorted. Both these women are the definition of hard workers and BME would not function without them. My academic supporter - Thuy - was also a really wonderful person and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. I also got to know Lan a little, who does so much and I always had interesting chats with. These four people are an asset to our ex-employer BME.

We also met some really nice Foreign Teachers whilst in Vietnam. People will know we grew close to Livvy who lived opposite us. We will definitely keep in touch and I hope we have many more times to travel and holiday together. Sabrina was one of the biggest characters we met - full of energy and always thoughtful - I will really miss our conversations but there are no excuses for not seeing each other when we are home! Danni is my little sex pot. Rob and I are already planning a trip to see her in Singapore. Danni is a sassy lady who does not put up with any rubbish. I think a lot of people could learn from her direct and straightforward attitude. Hannah and Ed were the first couple we spent time with when we went on a sort of double date to a coffee shop in Orientation. We have seen them since the internship and hope to meet up in Vientiane - I think this will be a lasting friendship. Then there is Liz who we flew out with and we both knew from the moment I walked up to her with a beer in my hand that we were soul mates. We plan to see Liz when we are back in Hanoi and hopefully in the UK. We met so many people that I cannot possibly name all of them but I want to thank everyone we met for the fantastic memories we made together and making our time in Vietnam a little easier.

I hope this has been an interesting read. If you are considering teaching abroad I cannot recommend it more. It will change you for the better and you will make so many new friends along the way, as well as being humbled and touched by the generosity and kindness of students.