Overwhelmingly Busy!

MA Class

After coming back from Cambodia, I was completely swamped with work, mostly because of my MA TESOL class. Instead of having a regular class which meets every week, the MA classes at my university last for only 2-3 weeks. The students take two subjects every 2-3 weeks throughout the semester, which means the teacher must cram a full semester’s course into just 9 days! Even though it was tough, I learned a lot from the class. It was my first time to teach an MA level course, and the subject, testing and assessment, made me start to reconsider the types of tests and assessments I’d used in the past. Plus, it forced me to go through the module on Testing and Assessment from the University of Birmingham website to actually learn the material to teach the class.

posing with some of the MA students and a massive bouquet of flowers!

The students were really great. I gave them a series of seminars on research methods last semester, and this semester I specifically requested to teach one of the classes. Many of them are busy teachers who work while studying, something that I can really relate to . . . They gave me flowers for international women’s day and presents at the end of the course. (This week, I ended up getting 4 bunches of flowers!) Overall, a really positive experience!

Workshop at the Learning Resource Center

the students were so proud of their posters!

This weekend, I also gave a workshop for students at the learning resource center on English learning strategies. I was told there might be more than 80 students – really about 60-70 showed up on Saturday morning, many of whom I had taught before at the College of Foreign Languages.

working on their posters

Overall, the workshop went really well and I think the students got a lot out of it. I had them make group posters with study tips for speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, and pronunciation (I figured they didn’t need any tips for grammar . . .). They were so proud of their posters, took lots of pictures, and were really excited to share their ideas with other groups.

students sharing learning tips

The Beach

hanging out at the beach

So, after six months, I finally made it out to the beach near Hue. It’s too far to travel by bicycle, so I hitched a ride with one of my friends. We all met out at a resort owned by a French guy. The beach was quiet and secluded – so peaceful after a long week of work!

William is still working at the beach. Take a break, man!

The resort had a little bar and everyone brought some fruit to share. Even though I only spent the morning there, it was a really relaxing trip. I can’t wait to go back!

secluded, peaceful beach just outside of the city

fun at the beach

Good-Bye Party

One of my good friends here is going back to Australia, so we had a nice farewell party for her (actually, she organized it, but that’s beside the point . . .) Everyone met up at her house for a giant buffet of food, including rice cakes, sushi, pizza, fruit, and loads of alcohol. Afterwards, we headed out to a nearby Karaoke joint. Normally, I don’t really like going out for Karaoke, but everyone said I gave a brilliant rendition of “Barbie Girl.”

Karaoke - Sing your hearts out!

Anyways, it was definitely a fun night, but I’m gonna miss my running buddy. Hope she has a safe trip back home, and maybe we’ll meet again in Hanoi. Keep your fingers crossed! (On a side note, I inadvertently found out that crossing your fingers is a really, really dirty gesture in Vietnam. I was teaching the idiom, “keep your fingers crossed,” and when I made the gesture, everyone gasped. How embarrassing!)