Cara Marshall
October 16, 2023
My time here in Da Nang has absolutely flown by as we are down to the final weeks- I am feeling so devastated to be leaving soon but so incredibly grateful for the experience I have had. Da Nang is the most stunning city and I absolutely adore it. I really struggled the first few days of being in Vietnam as it was a massive culture shock. The honking, the smells on the streets, the humidity and heat, and the very noisy chit chattering had me feeling extremely overstimulated. However, you quickly adjust and find your places and ways to get around. A positive, adventurous attitude and open mind will get you a long ways out here!
I have had the opportunity to do some weekend trips as we have Fridays off of teaching which has been great. So far I have been to Hanoi twice, Halong bay (on a cruise), Ninh Binh, Hue, and Hoi An! This country has soooo much to see and do. But I really love Da Nang of all the places I have visited- the white sandy beaches contrasting with city life is so amazing.
The biggest part of this whole experience for me has been the community of friends I have made. There are many foreigners in Da Nang, and many young travellers as well, I have met friends from all over the world through an Expat Facebook Group! In Da Nang there is so much to indulge in such as coffee shops, restaurants, amusement parks, beachside pools, malls, and so much more! It is made all the better by good company. I also have Vietnamese friends that have been so welcoming and truly an integral part of helping me learn the culture and ways of life here.
The teaching experience has been really cool, I definitely think it is invaluable moving into my future role as a teacher. It is so humbling to be constantly unaware of what people are saying as they all speak in Vietnamese and I am the foreigner who does not speak the language. I am getting great insight as to what ELL students experience in our Canadian schools. Sometimes it can be frustrating to try and explain what you need or ask important questions. The classrooms we teach in are a little chaotic- class sizes range from 42-55 students in very small rooms with wooden table desks. I have been able to implement some classroom strategies that I used back in Canada so the students are much easier to manage now that we are comfortable with each other.
Like my other TAB group mates have mentioned- the traffic is quite insane here. At first I was using Grab Bikes to get around but I tested out a scooter once I felt comfortable with the flow of traffic and then decided to rent one for the remainder of my trip. I focus on staying to the side and going slow- it can be scary at times but it is much more convenient as we chose to live on the beach side of the city which is further away from the schools we teach in.
I have been very fortunate to have both my mom and my mother in law come visit me with some friends- I have been playing tour guide around Vietnam and it is a cool experience to be able to show them around this country that I feel so comfortable in now.
Coming home I am expecting reverse culture shock. My life in Da Nang is very laid back and social, I rarely feel stressed or like I am in a hurry. Everything here is so inexpensive compared to back home. It is really easy to have a nice lifestyle, frequently going for dinner with friends, seeing a movie, or doing shopping whenever we feel. If it is rainy, we head to a cafe for some coffee and homework dates, if it is sunny we spend the day at one of our rooftop pools or on the beach! Da Nang really does feel like home away from home and I will be soaking up every last minute of this phenomenal experience!
