Classes finally begin!
02/09/2009
I met my first class on Monday afternoon from 3:40-5:15 p.m. in a room on the second floor of G-2, a building just 5-minutes from my dorm. 41 students were seated at tables chatting with one another, and when I walked into the room they all stood, as if at attention, to welcome me. I had not expected that, but next time I will have a more appropriate response. These students are majoring in English for tourism, and the class seems to have only 4 young men in it. I began by introducing myself, the pronunciation of my name, and where I was from. I took a map of the United States so I could show them Indiana as well as other states where I've lived--Ohio, Virginia, and California. I told them about my family, showing some snapshots I had brought from home. When I mentioned the ages of my parents they made sounds of amazement. Then I told them about my hobbies. I took a book (because I like to read) and a partially knitted sock. As I understand it, people used to knit here because they needed to, but it's not such a popular pastime currently. Next I asked if they had any questions for me. When someone did, he or she would stand to ask the question. Why did I choose to come to Nha Trang? What was the most difficult challenge I faced during my education? What could I tell them about American history? I waited for them to ask how old I am, but perhaps they are too polite.
Next, I asked them to write their names on 3 x 5 cards which they could use as nameplates. Some use English names like Sophia, Alex, Larry, and Phillip (I remembered the last two because my cousins have those names), but others prefer their Vietnamese names. It's their choice, and it also is fun trying to pronounce their names. My errors make them feel less self-conscious about pronouncing English, or at least that is my hope.
The lesson for the day was "Love," and when I mentioned it, some students groaned. I don't think this is because of the topic, but rather because these texts are used over and over and some of them have read this material before. I anticipated that and came prepared with O. Henry's story, "The Gift of the Magi." I began by asking them about gift giving and if they had ever given a gift to someone they loved. I also asked them what was the best gift they ever received, and what made it so wonderful. Then, as we took turns reading, each person stood and bravely navigated through the late-nineteenth century vocabulary--words like "bulldozing" and "instigates" and "vestibule" were such fun to explain! While I know they couldn't hear every word, and didn't know what every word meant, they understood the story, and some even guessed that Jim, the husband, was going to sell his watch to buy the combs for his wife.
Bells ring to signify the end of class, and as we exited the room some students surrounded me. One shyly handed me a candy and wished me "Happy New Year!" and others told me how nice I was and what a good mother I would be to them. One young man has seen me walking along the beach in the evenings and wants to know if he can join me so we can discuss American history. What a nice introduction to the students of Nha Trang University.
As if the day weren't nice enough, I also found a wonderful place to buy dinner! I love rice, and have eaten a few too many noodles this past month. Hungry from teaching, I set out down the street determined to find something substantial. A small family-run restaurant had a glass case facing the street, and when I stopped the woman seemed to be asking if I wanted to eat inside or to take it away. I chose the latter option and she picked up a styrofoam container, looking at me expectantly. What did I want on it? Well, I pointed to green beans, some other stir-friend greens, and she took it from there. As it turned out, she must think that all westerners are vegetarians (I think some of the other Americans who are vegetarian had eaten there before), so I ended up with a delicious meal of tofu and stir-fried vegetables over rice, plus a bag of soup, all for only $8000 dong (about 47 cents). On the way back to the dorm I stopped to buy some eggs from another stall, and paid 4500 dong for them. My next project is to see if I can boil them in my hot pot!
