A Word of Welcome...

On September 1, 2011 fifteen young people from a range of high schools around the U.S. arrived at Noi Ba International Airport in Ha Noi. Jet-lagged and overwhelmed, they spent the weekend getting oriented to their new home amid Independence Day revelry and celebration. Now one month later, they are members of host families, interns at various community organizations, students on a university campus and participant-observers in a foreign culture and society. Thus begins their year with School Year Abroad – Viet Nam.

This monthly blog will chronicle the students’ lives in Viet Nam outside the SYA classroom. A process of sharing and peer-editing in their English class will precede all posts thereby creating an individual and collective narrative. Travel-journalist Tom Miller said “The finest travel writing describes what's going on when nobody's looking.” May these young writers seek out and find their moments to see, with new eyes, what no one else sees. May they write their stories with sensitivity and passion. And may you, our readers, enjoy imagining their Viet Nam.

Becky Gordon
SYA English Teacher

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Back in the Grind

Andrew Sanborn

Well it’s 2012. It snuck up so quickly and I often find myself staring at the calendar looking back at the last five months in disbelief, thinking about how fast it went by. After a welcome and well-deserved three week winter break, it was time to clock back in for the second half of my year here in Vietnam.

            This month was a period of adjustment for the school. After losing eight students in December it was quite a shock to be in class with only 7 people. And that's the maximum. Class sizes: Economics and AP environmental science, 6; Vietnamese; 4; math, 2. I feel completely bewildered by this. Last year, I had a math class with over forty people, now it’s down to two! As great as it is being in such small classes, I can’t help but think of everyone that left, and I miss them a lot. That aspect has been the hardest part of the reintegration. It’s an odd feeling sitting in the student lounge with only six other people, instead of fourteen. Granted both of those numbers are ridiculously small for a school, but in the context of this school, it is a huge difference.  

            Also, it’s freezing here! Then again I’m from Southern California, so anything below 60 degrees qualifies as freezing. But still, this is Vietnam; what happened to the jungle and heat that I saw in all the movies? Another adjustment is seeing everyone in jackets and wearing gloves, whereas 2 months ago that combination could have been deadly. I would say that overall, my transition back into Hanoi has been easier then I was expecting. I miss home of course, but it’s at a manageable level. I am looking forward to going home in May, but am also very excited for the next four months here. I want to enjoy my remaining time, because I know once I hit February, the remainder of the year is going to go by in the blink of an eye. Even this month has gone by in a flash. It’s such a strange feeling looking back at the year and realizing that the day we got here is now further away then the day we leave. It still feels as if I just got here.

            Well, no matter how fast this year is going by, I want to enjoy the remainder of my time here just as much as I enjoyed the first semester. I am happy to be back in Hanoi, and can now cross off another month.
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