Casey Space

When we left the Hanoi airport at midnight, Josh’s school principal, John, was kind enough to meet us and accompany us in the van ride to the hotel. As we bumped along and honked at the motorbikes, John turned his head back and asked, “Casey, are you willing to sub?”

Now, I had just been travelling for about 40 hours straight, and it was midnight. I was not ready for this question. “I’m open to it, if I can get some training.” I said.

“Fair enough.” John said.

Little did I know, my hiatus from work would be over soon. My dream of just doing yoga and drinking smoothies for a little while was already done. There was going to be a COVID outbreak from all the teambuilding and ice breaker events at Josh’s school, resulting in a desperate need for American substitute teachers the first day of school. I guess before the pandemic, they had a huge pool of people they could get to come sub, mostly in the form of young backpackers looking for some spending money. Vietnam didn’t allow tourist visas during the pandemic, and it is still somewhat restricted, so there are a lot fewer tourists. They said they went from a pond to a puddle.

As Josh prepared to start school, that Sunday night was a roller coaster of energy as I was asked to show up the next day and sub, but then told nevermind, we got it. But, that didn’t last because I did sub the second day of school and haven’t had a day off since.

I’ve been subbing in a variety of high school English classes. Some are for kids still learning English, some are regular English classes, and I’ve also done a couple small AP English classes.

The thing is, the students think I’m a teacher. They don’t know I’ve never taught a classroom before. So, if I just uphold the illusion of expertise, then it should be okay. I still have not received any training, but I do go in everyday trying to look confident and in control, and speak audibly and assuredly. I still have that darn vocal habit of finishing statements with a questioning uptick. I hate it.

As far as I can tell, subbing is administering work, quietly pacing the classroom slowly to try to keep people on task, and giving permission to go to the bathroom. I’m still not sure about this gig.

The high school experience is universal. There are groups of guys who sit in the back and mess around, groups of gals who chit chat, take selfies, and look at pictures of themselves and their friends, quiet and studious pairs or singles who do everything I say and get their work done, and jock types who try to lead the entire class astray.

Cafeteria Food

The food in the cafeteria is very good. They offer a choice of a Western or Asian tray of food every lunch break, and each has a separate line to wait in. Some days, one dish is way more popular than the other. On Mac n Cheese day, the Western line was out the door, and on Ramen day, the Asian line was out the door.

What surprised me the most, is they take order requests, even during a busy lunch. So, you can just ask for a plate of fried pho (similar to chow mein) and they will make you your own special lunch on demand. In the morning, they will make you an omlette for breakfast for about $2. When you order, you must specify exactly what you want: how many eggs, do you want cheese, do you want vegetables, do you want bacon?

The lunch ladies are amazing. One reminds me very much of Frau from Austin Powers. She quietly asks questions about your order and then walks 6 feet to the doorway to the kitchen and shouts your order to the cooks, then comes back and calmly tells you what your total is.

Learning Vietnamese But Maybe Should Be Learning Korean

The new teachers are going to start taking Vietnamese lessons together in our neighborhood. The company is called Easy Peasy Vietnamesey. Heh.

However, we may want to look into some Korean lessons as well.

The interesting yet isolating component of the classes is most of the students are Korean. They talk through class in Korean and they look up things online in Korean, so I really have no idea if they are doing the school work or not. And, it is kinda boring pacing the classroom because I’m not involved in their learning and it is difficult to connect. The temporary nature of my position doesn’t help. Teens in general like to hide behind a wall from adults, but it feels like a lot of students have built four wall rooms to hang out together, away from adults, right in front of us.

I did just learn that the students are supposed to be speaking in English unless they quickly need to switch to their first language to better understand something. It’s a sensitive topic, and when I heard I was supposed to be enforcing the English-speaking rule, I was uneasy about it due to the traumatic history of “reeducation” in America. But, I remember in Spanish class, we were often required to only speak Spanish, and since I’m teaching English class, seems like the same thing.

Expats Fresh From China

Many of the new teachers at the school have been teaching in China the past few years. They left once their contract was up because of the draconian COVID laws.

The way they speak about their experience in the past couple years is amazing to me. They’re just so calm and relaxed as they describe lockdowns, and how people run to try to escape being locked in a building for days, or how a husband and wife were separated because their hotel was locked down when the husband was out running errands and he had to sleep outside.

Many of these teachers started their contract in August of 2019, so they were in a foreign country for a few months before COVID hit. I remember the confusion and anxiety I felt when it hit, and I was in a familiar place, had my own house, patio, could go on walks, and had a partner. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in the middle of nowhere China alone with a handful of colleagues/friends who I just met.

Beyond the non-chalant way they describe their pandemic experience, what also surprises me is that when their contract was up, they chose to stay far away from home in Asia. In the Summer, they came home, visited friends and family, and then left again for another two year contract in Hanoi.

Here are some photos of the enormous “cafe” by our house where we did a meet up with Josh’s coworkers and I heard a lot about China: