All good things must come to an end...

It's with a heavy heart that I write this final entry for this blog. Yes, I have had to leave Vietnam, and no, I cannot return.

As I've said before on here, it was my intention to stay longer in Vietnam after my initial internship was over. Sadly, due to circumstances beyond my control, this has not been possible. The company who set up my internship seem to have had a few issues with procuring new visas for me - and others who wished to stay on - as well as securing the visas for those due to start an internship in February.

I was originally told that I had to leave the country and re-apply for my visa upon re-entry, so I booked a holiday home to the UK. Sadly, the night before my flight from Tân Sơn Nhất Airport, I was informed by TTV about the visa issues. I had to leave the country in a completely chaotic hurry, leaving things behind that I could not fit in my bag and only taking important things with me in case I couldn't return. I managed to pack some things my students had given me, and most of my clothes, but I had to leave things like books and lesson plans behind. I simply didn't have the room.

As the plane took off, it flew over the area of Ho Chi Minh City where I lived. I could see the distinctive Ruby Garden Apartments neon sign, and followed the path of the roads with my finger on the window until I landed on the spot where my school was. I have to admit I cried a bit as I realised this could be the last time I see it.

Upon my arrival back in the UK, I immediately set about trying to organise myself a new visa. Unfortunately, communication with my contact at the school was non-existant, and I did not manage to recieve the vital letter to confrim my employment that I needed to apply for a new visa. My return flight left without me.

As the weeks have gone by, it seems I'm not the only one unable to return; others who have applied for visas to go back have been denied entry by immigration, we think due to our association with the company that organised the internship. It's broken our hearts that we can't go back, and it hurts me so much to think of my students without a teacher.

I will always have nothing but fond memories of Vietnam, and I hope that one day I can return. However, I know that I will not be teaching there again.

I did have one bit of fantastic news when I got back home, though. I have been given an unconditional offer to do a degree in Japanese Studies at SOAS in London, starting this September. So although one door has closed, another has opened, and now I can focus on my future. I will eventually live in Japan or Korea, teaching English. Onto the next adventure.

Click here if you're interested to read my new blog.

Apologies, Excuses and Updates

Jeeeeez, it's been a challenging month here in Vietnam. I'm acutely aware at my failure as a blogger, having not updated since the beginning of December, and I'm really sorry to anyone who's been following my posts :(
I could make a myriad of excuses right now, but the main problem I've had is computer related. My laptop is over 5 years old now, and it's on it's last legs. It has now stopped allowing me to upload photos to the internet. And so I've been unable to post all the great pictures of food I've taken. This saddens me, as I had planned out a most excellent food oriented post that totally would've blown your minds with it's awesomeness and glorious accompanying photos.
Alas! It was not to be.

Instead, I offer you this:

What was Christmas like in Ho Chi Minh City?
- I spent Christmas Eve at the school, and Skyped my parents who had sent me a parcel of gifts, which I opened on camera. I had a little cry after talking with them, but then had an early night, and almost forgot it was Christmas.
In the evening of Christmas Day, I went to a buffet meal organised by one of the other interns. As a vegetarian, the options weren't incredible, but I had a lot of macaroni cheese and beer, and it was good to spend Christmas with friends.
The Christmas decorations in Sai Gon were really something. They go all out! Some of them were much more stylish and pretty than ones I see back home. Others were garishly kitsch - like the santas dangling from the side of Diamond Plaza.

What did I do for New Years Eve?
- On NYE, me and some friends managed to get ourselves a great room at the last minute in the Bui Vien (backpackers) area in District 1. We started the night watching the music channel, and I creeped them out with my in-depth knowledge of k-pop. We then went to a few bars, and ended up having a rather odd, anti-climatic midnight on the street outside Crazy Buffalo nightclub. After buying an obscene amount of food from the Circle K Mart and street stalls, we were back in the hotel room watching a documentary on David Guetta by 1:30am. I ended the night Skyping a friend who'd gone to Singapore for the New Year and comparing our nights.

What's happening now that I'm at the end of my internship?
- I'm staying on for another semester, and it's being classed as a second internship through TTV. This will last until August, and I will be teaching along with two new interns from TTV.
I actually just submitted my application for university this September, which was a kinda crazy, last minute decision. Lyn from TTV wrote a reference with me, and with a little help and advice from my parents and my aunt who is a Connexions advisor back home, I wrote a fantastic personal statement.
For a long time, my dream has been to live in either Japan or Korea, but without a degree I've been unable to apply for a work visa. Enlisting on a degree course to do Japanese and Korean Studies will not only captivate my interests, but also take me one step closer to achieving my dream of being a foreign language teacher there.
Yes, by the time I graduate I will be 28 years old. But it's better late than never, huh?

Until next time, Peace Out!

Busy, busy, busy, like a beeeee.

Apologies avid readers! I've been super busy these last few weeks, what with preparing my students for their exams and generally freaking out about having to test them myself. I've had a few emails and messages from people, and have tried to reply to them as swiftly as possible, but sometimes it's hard to keep track. So if I haven't answered your question yet, please be patient :) I'll get to it soon.

I did a poll last month on my Chalkboard blog to see what people want me to write about. The votes came out pretty evenly, so in the next few weeks you should be seeing three blogs: one about food (which I've been dutifully taking pictures of), one about coping with culture shock, and one about medicine in Vietnam (which I've had some VERY personal experiences with... All will be revealed soon).

Christmas is swiftly approaching, and I'm missing the chill in the air back home, and my mum's roast dinners; make the most of it before you come out here! A bunch of us interns are getting together for a roast on Christmas Eve, but being vegetarian my options are limited. I may be making do with a plate of roast potatoes and a few veggies. But that's fine by me >.<

I've had the official meeting with my principal to discuss my plans to stay. I've been told I'll be getting a fantastic pay rise, and won't have to start paying for my accommodation if I want to stay where I am (however, I hope to move out soon as I want my own kitchen. I miss cooking, and I hate living off instant noodles!). I was also told that we're getting two new interns through TTV in February. It could be you! XD

Quick Photo Update #3

Sorry for not updating recently. I've been busy, as well as feeling homesick and having a few food-related issues (I now have a meal allowance instead of eating at the canteen). To make up for it, here are some photos of my class 10A1 doing some group work very enthusiastically :P

The lesson was 'Agreeing and Disagreeing'. I gave each group a piece of card with a statement on. They then had to decide whether they agreed or disagreed with it, and give at least one reason why.
My favourite of the lesson was in reaction to the statement "In fifty years, humans will be able to fly." One group's representative just threw his arms up and said "Well, I disagree because... it's stupid!" He got a good laugh from the class. I genuinely love my 10th Grade classes at Chu Van An. They make me light up with happiness every lesson.

Hopefully I will update again soon, once I've sorted myself out and stopped getting weepy over my lack of potato.

Sai Gon Here We Come - 365 Band

I really love Kpop, it's no big secret. I was disappointed at first by Vpop, because it all seemed so sad and was mostly ballads with depressing videos. Then I discovered 365 Band, and my hope was restored. The best thing about this video is the great shots of Saigon :)

Some answers to some questions, and some pictures of some things...

Hellooooo girls and boys! Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City on this lovely Monday evening.I am currently feasting on Pocky and strawberry juice, whilst I watch k-pop music videos on Youtube. Oh, it's a hard life!
Anyway, enough about me and my dull evening down-time. And onto the main point of this blog post: questions you guys have been asking me.

On the i-to-i Chalkboard Forum, I told people they were more than welcome to inbox me any questions they have about Vietnam and to my surprise, people actually took me up on that offer. I've had quite a few messages from people, and a lot of them seem to ask similar things. So I decided to do this blog post, and see if I can answer some of them.

Today, I got a message from Annabelle (hi there!) with a few questions in, and so I'll use hers as an example =)

"1. Insurance? What did you do? and what would you recommend?"
As far as insurance goes, I got mine with FOGG, through i-to-i. I shopped around a bit before hand, but couldn't find any other policies that specifically covered you for travel and work at a reasonable price. It's also simple to sort out, with a quick phonecall to i-to-i.

"2. What would you recommend I prioritize in my 'requests' when applying? - Location/Number of people at placement/ Age of kids?"
When I applied for the internship, I didn't specify a location, or the number of people at my placement. I would rather not have been alone, and was told by TTV that I would be placed with at least one other person. My preferences for age were (in order from what I wanted most, to least): Primary, Kindergarten, High School, University. I ended up with High School, but I'm not disappointed. In fact, I'm ecstatic to be working with older kids. I think I actually like it better than teaching younger children.
The main thing to remember is: even if you put down specific preferences, it's not guaranteed that you'll get them. So head into it with an open mind. You may be surprised.

"3. What happens money-wise? Do I need to get organised with a cashcard...?"
I came to Vietnam with my debit card from the UK, and about US$300. Because things are so cheap, I barely spent any money! I bought my card for emergencies. When you withdraw cash from an ATM here, they usually charge you. And of course, your bank may charge you for using your card abroad as well, so keep that in mind.
As for paying for things here: everywhere deals in cash. It's very rare for people to use a card to pay for anything, and some places won't have the facilities to use a card. I get my wages paid to me in cash. I will be opening a Vietnamese bank account at some point, but only because I intend to stay here. I don't think it's a necessity if you are only staying 5-6 months.

"4. Is there anything I should be asking for for christmas - a wish list type thing!?"
Girls: stock up on makeup, like foundation and powder, because it will be hard to find stuff pale enough here (especially if you're stupidly white like me). I'd also recommend bringing tampons, as they can be hard to find.
If your family want to help you by buying you things for Vietnam for Christmas, ask them for practical stuff like: a mosquito net, smart clothes for teaching, maybe a travel hairdryer or iron.

"5. Are there any cultural taboos I should know about?"
The biggest things I can think of are as follows:
- When beckoning for someone to come towards you, do not do so with your palm facing upwards, as this is essentially telling that person you want to sleep with them. Instead, turn your palm downwards, and make a sweeping gesture towards yourself.
- Women don't smoke here, and it's seen as very rude for them to do so.
- Touching a child's head (when you don't know them) is seen as rude.
- Always take your shoes off when entering someone's house.
- Public displays of affection, or PDAs are kinda a no-no. Although you do see young, Vietnamese couples sneaking a few kisses in parks after dark.

"6. Are there any books I should read? Experiences I should try and get before arriving?""
Before I came here, I read:
- The Rough Guide to Vietnam: much better than the Lonely Planet's guide. Very informative and interesting. This is a must buy.
- The Quiet American by Graham Greene: "Into the intrigue and violence of Indochina (Vietnam) comes Pyle, a young idealistic American sent to promote democracy through a mysterious 'Third Force'. As his naive optimism starts to cause bloodshed, his friend Fowler, a cynical foreign correspondent, finds it hard to stand aside and watch. But even as he intervenes he wonders why: for the sake of politics, or for love?"
- The Lover by Marguerite Duras: "Two outcasts--an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover--struggle to be together during the waning days of the colonial period in Indochina (Vietnam)."
I also watched these films:
- Indochine
- Apocalypse Now
- The Deer Hunter

As for experiences: Practice with chopsticks. See if you can find a Vietnamese restaurant near you, and try some of the food. Find out more about the American war. Get some knowledge of K-pop (your students will love you for it - focus on Big Bang and Super Junior).

I hope these answers have helped people. Let me know if you find them useful or not.

And to send you on your way, here are some pictures of my students at karaoke on Saturday night:

I know you're not meant to have favourite students, but on the right is Đạt, who is in my 12th grade class, and he is ADORABLE!

Illness, and what must be culture shock.

Hello boys and girls,
It's a hot, hot day in Vietnam, and I haven't eaten properly in days! I find myself suffering from a complete loss of appetite, meaning I can manage just a few spoonfuls of rice, and then I feel so full I'm almost sick. Everyone is very concerned at the school, and I've had deliveries of cake and milk and medicine to my door by concerned friends with furrowed brows.
Eventually, the worry got to such a level, that I was whisked from my room on Friday night and taken to a doctor friend of the Chairman. She runs a specialist maternity unit, but agreed to see me at short notice. It was a very surreal experience. I had my blood pressure taken as I sat sandwiched between two heavily pregnant Vietnamese women, each with their bellies hooked up to monitor the babies' heartbeats. Then I was given an ultrasound, while a crowd of women stared at my stupidly pale stomach. Odd. Very odd.
I had to be held down when they took blood from my hand, because I really, really hate needles, and started freaking out as she came towards me brandishing one.
I was prescribed medicine to get my stomach back to normal. But sadly, it hasn't worked, and I am still not eating.

Now comes the diagnosis from the Principal and Vice Principal: I'm lonely, suffering from Culture Shock, and need a boyfriend - they're very obsessed with me getting a boyfriend.
I think some of what they say could be true, although it's unusual for me to turn my back on food when I feel sad. I'm definitely a habitual comfort-eater.
Apparently, I'm being taken to another doctor this week some time, and hopefully they'll be able to help me more. And I think taking a translator would be a good idea next time.

As for Culture Shock, I think that I could be suffering from some form of it. I love this country, and the people, and it's not as if I don't want to eat the food. But yes, I do feel lonely sometimes, in the evenings, when I am sat in my room and realise... I don't have any friends that live close by, and I don't speak enough Vietnamese to make local friends...
It can be frustrating. BUT, I am learning more Vietnamese as time goes on, and I am absolutely determined to master it. I hope this 'not eating' thing goes away soon, because I'm craving some noodles and prawns in spicy sauce!