Reflection:
This week, we arrived in Da Nang and began settling into routine. Online classes began this week alongside teaching at local schools and the university here in Da Nang. Each of us is volunteering in one primary school and one secondary school, and also enjoying taking charge of the Da Nang University of Science and Education’s English club.
This week has been full of excitement and surprises. Among which trying to squash and more often just running away from cockroaches has certainly been an experience. We’ve also become friends with an uninvited third roommate, a gecko we’ve lovingly named Stewart who eats the tiny ants that sometimes find their way to our room. I have also been running down several flights of stairs to receive the Grab (like Uber) food delivery in time – sometimes the delivery man is faster than the elevator! I rented an e-bike and have been learning to drive like a local on the motorways.
My partner teachers are very keen to have me take control of the classroom with varying degrees of comfort/discomfort and varying degrees of clarity and communication. The students are a wonderful highlight that love to know you; they will chase you down the halls with finger hearts, surround you with choruses of “goodbye teacher”, and even the university students I teach love to connect on social media.
I find myself enjoying the process of easing myself into new spaces by bringing pieces of familiarity with me. Even decorating the house with the smallest items has been a joy. In the short term apartment we rented, the previous tenant left a cactus plant and while it’s not quite the same as my plants at home, I’ve adopted it too and love having it on my windowsill. We’ve begun a TAB TV and movie list that hangs by our TV to keep track of all the things we watch together.
It has been a quiet adventure finding not-so-secret secret places like watching the parade of nighttime yachts from the rooftop pool, the bike ride to school and church across the dragon bridge by the water, and the noodle shop across the street with the best kumquat tea. While safety is of course a consideration, I think there is a great delight in claiming my own routine and independence where I can.
It has been a week of getting used to the everyday. There is a peace in knowing that each day is its own and there is no way of knowing the problems I might encounter. Every day encountering a new piece of life, a new taste, a new feeling under my feet.
Protips:
- Apps to Download:
- Grab (take this everywhere to get around and get food)
- Zalo (all teachers and local use this as their messaging app)
- Momo wallet (an e-wallet if you need an electronic way to deposit and withdraw cash – and sometimes pay for things too!)
- Shopee (like Amazon but delivers in Vietnam!)
- Renting Bikes:
- They will ask for a piece of picture ID or a cash security deposit – be prepared for this.
- Any e-bikes or motorbikes (scooters) that are under 50cc speed do not require licenses but can be rented.
- Helmets can be bought at streetside for cheaper at mom and pop shops or the larger sell-all supermarkets for a higher price
- Slow down when driving across big bridges – the wind will push you around and destabilize the bike if you’re not careful.