Last week of term!

School is officially out for summer! I now have three weeks off before summer schools start, and the first week is when my brother Richard's coming to stay! In the two weeks after, I’m flying to Phu Quoc, an island off the south of Vietnam. Apparently there’s not much to do there but lie on the beach – perfect! I need to take a few days away from Saigon and do literally nothing but work on my tan and relax. As you can imagine this city life can sometimes get a bit too much, so expect plenty of boastful beach pictures and posts in the next few weeks.

This week has been my last week of teaching at my main school, Nguyen Hien Primary in District 2. I’ve been teaching here since I first arrived in Vietnam (something I'm very grateful for, as a lot of teachers have had to frequently change schools), and although it has been a tiring and tough 4 months, it has also been a good challenge and experience and I will be sad to say goodbye. 

The students have been so kind, which couldn't have been more welcoming in my first ever teaching position. They made "Goodbye Teacher!" cards in their last lesson. I got them to write down their favourite English word too- to which one student wrote: "My favourite English word is Miss Lizzie". Amazing. I also got a bit snap happy... so take a look at the worlds cutest children below.

So from the 24^th May my alarm will be switched off and I shall be catching up on four months’ worth of sleep. 

1 month blogging - thanks for reading!

Coeliac Awareness Week 2014: Being gluten-free in South East Asia

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have coeliac disease- meaning I can’t eat anything which contains gluten (wheat, barley or rye). It’s pretty annoying as gluten seems to be in everything, from bread to chocolate and from soups to cake. Having been diagnosed for just over two years, and with my dad having it too (it’s hereditary) I have managed to change my lifestyle and lead a pretty normal life.

I was sceptical about moving to a non-speaking English country with it. Eating even just a tiny breadcrumb by accident can leave me feeling poorly for weeks. It can be a bit of a nightmare. However, I wasn't not going to take a job because of it. Thousands of people across the world are diagnosed with coeliac disease so I have never wanted it to affect any of my life choices.

Luckily it hasn't been as hard as I thought it may be. When I first arrived, I discovered that my housemate had coeliac too! The main difficulty is that I’m unable to cook anything from home, as our kitchen is pretty much non-existent. As I said before, there is a rat issue- so gross.

This means I eat out every day, and this is normally street food. Before I left, my dad printed me off a little card, which says something along the lines of “I have coeliac disease, gluten makes me ill” in Vietnamese. Seriously, if I gave this to the main places I eat at, I would just get some really confused and funny looks.

Fortunately, rice is the staple food of all meals over here. It’s always rice and egg, rice and pork, rice and chicken etc. etc. Though this is bland, I always know that it is gluten-free!

I have however had a couple of awkward situations. The other week the taxi driver who takes me to my Friday school each week had bought me a banh mi (a baguette) for breakfast. This was so so kind of him and I felt so bad saying I couldn't eat it! I tried to explain why, but he speaks next to no English-so he probably just thought I was bloody ungrateful!

As it’s Coeliac Awareness Week this week, I thought I would give a few little tips for those who have coeliac disease and are thinking of moving to Vietnam:

White noodles are OK to eat

It’s the yellow ones you need to stay clear of- these contain wheat. The white ones are made with rice. As long as they’re white its fine! There is a dish called Bun Bo Hue which is delicious, and it's basically different types of meat (unsure what meat…..…) with a thicker rice noodle. It feels like spaghetti, so it may feel like you’re eating wheat…but you’re not so don’t worry!

Useful phrases...

If you feel the restaurant you’re eating at would understand, just show them a piece of paper with these phrases on. You never know they may be well aware of it! However be prepared for a lot of confused faces.

I cannot eat foods that contain wheat.  Tôi không thể ăn thực ăn có bột mì.

If I eat food containing wheat flour, I will be sick.  Nếu tôi ăn thức ăn có bột mì, tôi sẽ bị bệnh.

Does this item contain wheat flour? Thực ăn này có bột mì không?

Important words: Wheat flour - bột mì. Bread (prefix for anything baked) - bánh mì (bánh)

      

        Be prepared to eat rice 24/7

I’ve gone days where I’ve eaten rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is probably not great for my diet in general; however the Vietnamese just bloody love their rice.

Beer

This is probably one of the most difficult things having coeliac. In most places, beer is actually cheaper than water! And most other alcoholic alternatives can be up to 3 times the price. Obviously this price is still pretty cheap in comparison to the UK. I have been either drinking wine (I’m yet to find one that has been half decent) or vodka and a mixer. Be careful with the vodka though. Try to drink known brands like Smirnoff, as though the local brands are cheaper it can be lethal and you never know what is actually in it.
      

      There are always food parcels…

Though this is quite pricey from the UK, it can still be an option for family and friends at home send you your favourite gluten-free treats. My parents sent me one last month. Though it was quite pricey and took around 3 weeks to arrive, it was such a great surprise!

If you think there is a possibility there is gluten in your meal-don’t eat it

Literally it isn’t worth it. Being ill out here in this extreme heat is ten times worse than in the UK. Though it could be tempting, just don’t do it. 

Swaffham and Saigon: Not as different as you first think

Ho Chi Minh City sees a population of just over 9,000,000 people. Swaffham sees a population of just over 7,000.

The main mode of transport in Ho Chi Minh City is a motorbike. The main mode of transport in Swaffham is a tractor-no just kidding it’s a car (but there are a shit load of tractors).

The main reason for traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City is due to the sheer amount of traffic on the roads, or people having bike accidents left right and centre. In Swaffham, the likely cause of traffic congestion is because the sheep on the local farm have escaped and are causing havoc.

Temperatures in Ho Chi Minh City can reach up to 39 oC in the dry season. To reach that temperature in Norfolk, you would need to be doing a gym work out… in a sauna…fully clothed.

It’s safe to say there are some pretty extreme differences between the two places. When I arrived at Saigon Airport, I felt like a lost countryside girl in a city that doesn’t have an off button. Ho Chi Minh City is split into 19 districts. One of these districts can be up to four times the size of Swaffham.  However, despite these differences, if you look closer the two may not be as different as you first think.

Living and growing up in a sleepy market town means that you know literally everyone by sight. You walk into town and everyone you pass you say hello to. Country life has the closest communities, and I feel areas in Ho Chi Minh City share this too.

Walking down đường số 7 (my street), I often share a “xin chaoooo” with the locals, which comfortingly makes me feel right back at home in Norfolk. A couple of times a week I visit a lady’s house down my road to pick up a homemade smoothie. She speaks no English and I can only say the odd word in Vietnamese, however we always seem to have really great conversations! She recommended a good, cheap place down my road to get your nails done and often she speaks about her family. Who knows, she was probably talking about something completely different, but I always love to have a sit down with her to try and talk about things!

At this same place, a 60- something Vietnamese man came and sat with me as he wanted to practise English. We sat there for a good half an hour just talking about life and then he invited me to have dinner with his family! Obviously that may not happen in Swaffham, however the sense of community in my local Vietnamese area is very strong. Everyone’s house seems to be a restaurant!

On Fridays, I have to leave the house at 6am when the sun is only just coming up. At this time in Swaffham you would probably see a handful of dog walkers and those out for a pre-work jog. In Vietnam, 6am seems to be the prime time to do exercise because of the ridiculous daytime temperatures. A group of men at the end of my road always have badminton net up across the whole road, and there are always old ladies about doing lunges. It’s all pretty funny to see when I’m still trying to fully wake up.

Obviously, there is still such a massive list of differences between Swaffham and Saigon. I’m still experiencing these on a daily basis. However, looking at the local community life in each district, Swaffham sometimes doesn’t feel so far away. There's even a Norfolk Hotel in the centre of the city!

Yoga each day makes my chub stay away

Over the past year, keeping fit is something that has been important to me. When I finished university last summer, I realised I was carrying a lot more weight than I thought. My weight is something I’d never worried about, as I had always been sporty when I was younger. However being a student had made me proper chubby!

With no exercise and being a committed customer of my local tandoori, I graduated with more of a flab than fab feeling. Between August 2013 and when I flew out to Vietnam, I lived in the gym and managed to lose just under two stone. So keeping that weight off was something I wanted to continue doing on the other side of the world too.

Now at my ideal weight, I didn’t want to keep tediously pounding it at the gym and wanted to try something different to try and tone up. I became a member of “Yoga Living” (http://www.yogaliving.com.vn), a great yoga studio in the centre of the city. Though it is expensive for over here (£30 pounds a month) it’s leaving me pretty content that I’m not going to get chubby again! It’s a really chilled and friendly place and offers a free yoga brunch on Sundays. I have been going at least four times a week, so I feel the pricey membership is worth it.

There are places all across the city however that offer yoga lessons for free, and often with a free meal after! I went to one in my district at a woman’s house. It was a really relaxed atmosphere with only a handful of people in her living room. She made us a great veggie curry for afterwards, however during this session there was a good 45 minutes of chanting and meditating. This wasn’t really my thing, but it was good to try something new!

Yoga is definitely something I would love to carry on when I eventually move back to the UK. Before trying it, I thought it looked boring and not that difficult. I was so so wrong!

Besides yoga, jumping around a un air-conditioned class room all day everyday is probably enough of a workout. Living and working in Asia, you only have to be outside for 30 seconds before you break into a sweaty mess, so I’m pretty reassured I’m not going to arrive back to the UK two stone heavier.

The other day, one of my unsympathetic teenage students saw my laptop screensaver of my friends and I graduating. He said bluntly “Teacher why were you so fat?” I think there was a compliment in there somewhere.  

ESL Teaching: How to survive your first few months

If you’re interested in the thought of teaching English in a foreign country, but like me you have never taught a lesson in your life, here is my guide on how to convince people you are actually a teacher. This is rather than a travel-loving journalism graduate who has somehow ended up in a classroom full of forty hyperactive Vietnamese six-year-olds.

1. Be prepared and be creative!

It sounds pretty obvious, but the amount of times where I have gone into a class with a lesson prepared and the Vietnamese teaching assistant explains that they have already done it is silly. Always make sure you have a list of games in your head, as it’s likely you will need them. Not only for situations like these, but for in case your planned class has gone quicker than you expected. Always have a structure of how you want your lesson to go in your head (or written down). Though it is likely to completely change when you step inside the class, it gives you the confidence of knowing what you’re doing.

Try and be creative too but still keep it simple. I bought some of my clothes in to school the other day and dressed the students up. 1) It was educational as they could practice vocabulary for pieces of clothing 2) they loved it and 3) it was bloody hilarious.  

      2. Act like a massive weirdo

Literally the kids bloody love it. The amount of weird animal noises and dances I do each day is pretty cringe worthy, and I lose count of how many times I scream head shoulders knees and toes. If my friends at home could see how much of a clown I acted, they’d crack up. But you just have to embrace it.  If you’re boring then the whole lesson is boring. Also give out plenty of high 5’s and pull weird faces to gets kids attention. Now I’m writing all these things down, I am in fact, cringing hard.   

3. Don't let one bad lesson put you off

I’ve had a few bad lessons where it’s the last lesson of the day and the students have just been out of control. At first, it really made me question whether I should be teaching. However everyone has lessons like this - It’s normal.  So don’t let it put you off. And besides having the odd lesson like this puts into perspective how great some of your other classes are.

With this (obviously dependent on where you plan to teach) be prepared that the teaching assistant may discipline the children. I’ve seen a couple properly slap the children three times in a row. I normally discreetly turn away, as I feel uncomfortable seeing this. But it is a completely different world over here compared to the UK, and obviously I have to accept that living in a different culture.

4. Be enthusiastic about everything and don’t get stressed

This could seem difficult when the children are sometimes so hyperactive (I actually had one kid kick me because I didn't pick him to play “slap the board”…he was fuming). Most of them are just so excited to be with a foreign teacher. Don’t confuse this excitement with bad behaviour; otherwise you’ll just spend the whole lesson telling forty 6 year olds off, which is never fun. Just embrace their excitement and always be enthusiastic to see them. Even though primary school children are so young, I feel they can still pick up any bad vibes in the classroom.

5.    Don’t go out on school nights!

Though it can be tempting, DON’T DO IT. If you’re put on days with pure primary school lessons, do not go out the night before. I promise you will only regret it. It isn’t like at university where you could go out on school nights and rock on up to 9am lectures in your pyjamas. Teaching primary school, you have to be 100% alert all lesson (the only thing I am jealous of those with mostly high school, as you can give them worksheets whilst you sit at your desk trying to hide you’ve only actually had an hours sleep). Dealing with 40 screaming Vietnamese children, in this heat annnd on top of a steaming hangover would only be your worst nightmare.

And for Secondary School…? No idea.

I flew to Vietnam with the knowledge that I would only be teaching primary school children. Oh how wrong I was. Since the beginning of February, I have been teaching a group of misbehaving 16-year-olds at a private school three times a week for 2 x 1.5 hour lessons (horrendous). Luckily, Wednesday is my last class with them before their summer holidays. All I can say is being in a room full of teenagers who don’t want to learn English is more painful than it sounds. But I survived. Just.

Therefore, I won’t be writing a guide on how to be an ESL secondary school teacher, as I myself have definitely not mastered this yet.          

Looking forward to finally being a tourist!

I’ve had a 5 day weekend this week, which has been bloody great. Since starting at the beginning of February, I’ve had no time off to do any tourist or cultural activities and every weekend has been spent sleeping off the long weeks. However, now I have the time…I don’t have the money! So my time off has been spent lying by the pool- very touristy, just not very cultural.

My brother Richard is visiting at the end of the month, so whilst trying to tan my milk bottle skin (something that my teenage students seem to stare at for a good 25 minutes each lesson) I have been trying to plan some cultural things to do. Richard is here for about 6 days, after travelling Thailand and the rest of Vietnam. I’m really looking forward to being a proper tourist, and actually using my camera to take photos of buildings and scenery rather than my friends and I with drinks in both hands.

I’ve been here for over 3 months now and yet to visit the Cu Chi tunnels or war museum, as I haven't had the time. However, the amount of holiday pictures I’ve been in whilst driving on my bike is ridiculous!

Doing a Mekong Delta river tour is also a possibility and visiting some beach towns a little up the coast. As he only has 6 days here, it would be good to do as much as we can.

Besides being able to do all the things I wanted to do when I first arrived, I cannot wait to see someone from home! Obviously I’ve asked Richard to bring over some home comforts - M&S Percy Pigs being a top priority. However, as I’m the last stop on his trip I don’t know how intact everything will be.  When he visits, it will have been about four months from when I left England, which is the longest I’ve ever been away from home. I get homesick feelings from time to time and having a visit from my brother will be amazing!

With Richard being here too, it will allow me to realise how surreal some of the “everyday” things I see here are. For instance, my brother will pick up on how weird it is to see a family of 4 on a motorbike, or wonder why there is a group of 6 old men on my street watching two chickens fight. I do take these great situations for granted. 

I only have about three weeks left of teaching before the summer holidays start. I’m hoping to teach at various points between June and September at summer schools but there will be limited teaching hours available by the sounds of it (meaning no money). I’m definitely going to look into private tutoring to help my finances, as I’ve just spent a horrible amount of money renewing my visa.

Over the next few months, I have quite a lot to look forward to. Richard’s visit, and then in July I shall be flying over to Thailand for my summer hols to see my best friend who is travelling SE Asia. My flight is booked, (£50-bargain!) but now I just need the spending money and bikini body to go with it.