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.

Pootling around Phi Phi.

Greetings from Chiang Mai, 

We have just arrived here yesterday after a ferry from Phi Phi to Phuket and then an overnight bus and overnight train. Believe it or not we both slept quite well on the train! Although we definitely need a rest. As we are just over a week into our travels around Thailand we thought it was time to update you a little. 

The first week or so has been spent in and around Bangkok and on the southern island of Phi Phi, which was stunning. Becky has been officially banned from making any reference in this blog to Phi, Phi and English words it sounds like and Robert's contribution whilst there to rising sea levels. 

Becky has almost got rid of her illness although her sinuses are still not 100% which is obviously frustrating. Rob now seems to be a little under the weather. Both of us got a little burned by the sea but are now recovered (sort of) with Becky looking quite tanned and Rob saying 'he is tanned for him, look at my arms'. Rob has grown a beard. 

Our trip started on 21st January in Bangkok. We stayed at Bed Station Hostel which was great fun. The first afternoon we wandered around our area a bit which was pleasant and grabbed a bite to eat before getting an early night. Becky attempted not to disrupt the whole dorm by coughing and was actually fairly successful - getting her first night of more than 5 hours sleep in ages! The following day we slept in and then went out to explore Bangkok. Every single travel guide is clear that the best way to explore Bangkok is by boat so we went to the local boat port and hopped on. It took us all the way down to the main sites in Bangkok. After this we thought we would get a bit more adventurous and attempt to get a tuk tuk... a tuk tuk that likely ripped us off and totally didn't take us where we wanted to go. Nonetheless we got to see Wat Chana Songkhram, Khao San Road, Bang Khun Phrom, Wat Thep Sirin, and Wat Bowon Niwet. 

First day in Bangkok:

During our trip we experienced the worst bit of scamming in Thailand where we were massively ripped off buying a gift for Rob's mum... lets just hope she likes it. The one thing we have both commented on being in Thailand is that we were warned off Vietnam - reading information online and by various people - being told the people are quite cold and if you want an easier introduction to teaching to go to Thailand: the land of smiles. We both feel we are missing the warmth of the Vietnamese a bit! After all you can smile and still scam someone! This isn't to say we don't like many of the people we have met but as a word of advice for any travellers there are people here who do want to take the piss out of you and all they want is your money. In Vietnam the importance of face means the amount of hassle and scamming you experience is significantly lower. Also Thailand is far more expensive than either of us thought it would be but the food has been delicious and it has been money well spent. 

The following day we went on a day trip to Kanchanaburi which is where the death railway was built by the Japanese - or rather by tens of thousands of PoW and coerced Asian contractors- during WWII. It was the event which inspired the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, which in the spirit of our visit we watched one evening in Phi Phi. The film is actually filmed in Sri Lanka and Becky has been to the location of 'the bridge' there. It was an interesting and moving day. The day started at the Cemetery of the Allied Prisoners of the second world war which has the remains of 6,982 Australian, Dutch and British prisoners who lost their lives constructing the Death Railway. The number of graves one could see was staggering and of course this is a very small number of the total number of people who lost their lives. Of the Asian contractors forced into the work around 100,000 perished. This was for a whole range of reasons from the heat, malaria, ill-treatment etc. 

After this we went to the JEATH museum (Japan, England, America, Thailand and Holland). The museum was a little underwhelming and we would not recommend a visit as very little of the museum actually seemed to be informative about the building of the railway and treatment of PoW. However from the museum there was a spectacular view of the bridge and railway. This is where we went next, ensuring we did not get hit by a train. The surroundings were beautiful and it was quite odd to think that such evil and brutality took place in such an incredibly stunning region. We then actually got an opportunity to go on the railway to a waterfall - Sa Yok Noi. The views were incredible and once we got off the train we had lunch before heading to the waterfall. By complete coincidence we bumped into two other teachers from Vietnam there - Jo Dressler and Sharmila. After grabbing a few photos of the waterfall it was time to get back onto our cramped mini-bus to Bangkok. 

Jeath Museum photos: 

The Bridge over the River Kwai 

The trip on the railway: 

The waterfall: 

The following morning we decided to visit Ayutthaya - we got to the train station and attempted to catch our first Thai train. The delays were massive! But eventually we got on our way and when we arrived we negotiated with a Tuk Tuk to take us around some of the main sights in Ayutthaya. This is totally the way to do it if you want to visit - it worked out significantly cheaper than just getting our hostel to take us and we chose what we saw and for how long. The Wats were incredibly impressive and we had a great time wandering about. We got to see: Wat Yai Chaimongkol (Mongkhon), Wat Maha That, Pratuchai and Wat Phra Si Sanphet. 

The next day (our final day in Bangkok) we had booked onto a tour to see the floating market. This started with a long drive to Kaeklong railway market. This is a market which is literally on the railway tracks and when the train comes along everyone moves their stuff out of the way, as well as, themselves (hopefully). It was a bit crowded which made us quite nervous when people are shoving you but it was an interesting experience and the train really does come rather close to you. We felt for the train driver who had to slow the train down completely and honk a lot at stupid tourists still in the track. Once we had done this we went to Damnoen Saduak floating market. It was all a bit overpriced but we had a go at bartering on a snowglobe to add to Becky's collection. There were lots of men with large pythons slumped next to them who were charging people to have photos - Becky made a rapid run past these sections of the market. Once we had looked around we go onto a boat and saw the market on the water before heading back to Bangkok. In the afternoon Becky cracked on with pupillage applications before we got a taxi to the bus station for our night bus. 

Although sleeping was hard on the bus, particularly for Becky who was still not 100%, it actually wasn't that bad at all. You get water on board and a snack and they got us there earlier than scheduled. Our experience on Thai buses so far has been that they are pretty efficient. It is a cheap and fairly comfortable way to travel. Our destination was Phuket where we had one night - we spent this time wondering around the town which is actually rather pretty - almost Portuguese in style - and going up to Rang Hill to a restaurant recommended by Livvy. The food was delicious and the views were spectacular. The following day, after a sleep in, we went out for a walk and breakfast before getting the ferry across to Phi Phi. 

Neither of us have really seen water like there is around Thai islands. It is crystal clear and it feels like stepping into a bath rather than freezing your tits off. For the day we arrived we wondered about checking out the beach and found a nice sea-side restaurant to relax in. We allocated the next day for a sleep in, to recover after the bus, and a beach day. During our third day we were in Phi Phi we organised a day trip on one of the long tail boats. This trip took us to Bamboo Island, Viking Cave, Maya Bay (famous due to film The Beach), and Monkey island, as well as stopped occasionally to let us jump in and snorkel - the best snorkelling Becky has experienced. It was a really enjoyable day and we got to see lots of beautiful sea-life. Photos will follow from the underwater camera when we get home. Bamboo Island was particularly beautiful. We both felt tourism has ruined Maya Bay and also it was low tide when we were there so swimming was virtually impossible. If you want to get a true Maya Bay experience arrive early before the crowds descend. We knew this but it was kind of out of our control. Once we got back we realised Rob was extremely sunburned.... despite us being quite good at applying suncream. He was like a lobster. Becky also was quite red but there were bizarre lines where she had also tanned. Ironically the burn seemed to be where the cream had been applied! It does show you how powerful the sun is and how careful you have to be. 

We gave some attention to these wounds when we go back before getting an early night. The next day we set up camp in a cafe, which had the most delicious Dragon Fruit smoothie, so Becky could work on getting those final applications all in - this has now successfully been done! We wondered about the town and grabbed a nice bite to eat and got ourselves a few pretty postcards. It was this evening that we decided to watch Bridge on the River Kwai. It was our last night in the hotel so after packing we headed to bed in advance of our next two nights, which were to be spent on buses and trains. 

We grabbed a final lunch in Phi Phi the next day before getting the ferry to Phuket and then getting on our overnight bus to Bangkok. Once we were in Bangkok we got breakfast and then went sightseeing. Our trip started with a walk around China Town which was full of good smells and lots of people selling lottery tickets. The first formal stop we made was at the Grand Palace - expensive to get into but pretty stunning once you are in! Becky was extremely unhappy because despite wearing leggings almost to ankles - which is uncomfortable in 32 degree heat - they wouldn't let her in. This was even though they were letting girls in in short skirts and ironically the dress code people had skirts above the knee.... pot kettle black and all that. Anyway this ended in Becky having to purchase the dreaded gap jah trousers. They actually are quite comfortable and looked ok! Rob even likes them. Rob would like everyone to know he was wearing trousers all day - equal opportunities and all that... although Becky would comment they seemed to let men in in shorts. It was probably all worth it, although irritating. After the Grand Palace we got a boat to Wat Arun (The Temple of the Dawn) which was, without a doubt, the most incredible Wat we saw in Bangkok. If you are going here avoid all the tours trying to flog you boat trips for 250 baht, keep going to the port where it is 4 baht for one way. Rob is very proud of this discovery. Once we got back Rob used his incredible bartering skills to get us a super-cheap tuk tuk to the Golden Mount or Wat Saket. This was another Wat really worth visiting. It had beautiful views of Bangkok and an amazing spiralling staircase on the way up. 

We then negotiated a tuk tuk to the station, got some snacks for the train (would recommend doing this), and waited for our train. We boarded at 19:00 but the train was 2 hours late leaving so we sat there until 21:30 before the train even moved. We managed to get a 2 person cabin for very a reasonable price. There seemed to be a lot of back-packers in the first class section. The meals they serve are a bit pricey so we were grateful we had snacks. Also they offer you juice and coffee like it is free - then before you depart the train sting you massively so watch out! Like everywhere we have been here they are all trying to make money out of you. Both of us slept really well once we finally departed and got to see some beautiful views from the train. 

Yesterday we arrived into Chiang Mai. We headed to our Hostel for check in - thanks Jess and Sam for the recommendation. We went out to get a feel for the place and grabbed lunch before having a post-train nap and getting our dinner. Unfortunately Rob isn't 100% today so we are resting in and Becky might go and see some of the Wats later. Tomorrow we are going on a trek in the jungle and to a waterfall. 

After Chiang Mai we head to Chiang Rai and then will hopefully successfully cross the border into Laos. We hope to update you again on our travels in Laos. 

Until then!