ETA4: Last Days in Hue

It seems as if our 5 weeks of teaching English ended in a blink of an eye. The very last week of our program here in Hue was filled with emotional goodbyes between our teachers and students. Our teacher volunteers have built bonds with their students that they didn’t expect to have. Our teacher volunteers kept our last week of the program highly energized with fun games, songs and its artists’ history, hot debate topics, sports, among other activities in and outside of the classroom to remind the students that learning English could be really fun!

On Monday, Level A and B students were led by Caroline, Tri, Patrick, Sang, Phuong, Quan, and Christine to the Roller Skating rink in which they call “Truoc Patin” here in Hue. Over 80 students showed up at the skating rink, ready to get their grooves on! The teachers were excited as they had promised that the top 15 students of their classes who had scored the highest grades on their exams the previous Friday would receive a free entrance into the skating rink. It was quoted by one of the teacher volunteers: “Nearly all the students had their fair share of falling down at some point during the day, but that’s when we heard them laugh the hardest! They just simply got up after they fell and continued skating!” The trip to the Roller Skating Rink was a reward for the students’ enthusiasm and dedication everyday when showing up to class at 8 AM to learn English during their Summer vacation time. Level C students did not attend this fieldtrip because they will be taken to Elephant Spring next weekend! Instead, they were working on putting together a skit for Friday’s talent show, as well as discussing the topic of Vietnamese-Americans. They were curious to know the differences between Vietnamese people in Vietnam and Vietnamese-Americans abroad. They were very proud to learn that there are several Vietnamese-Americans abroad that are very well known such as the recently first Vietnamese-American elected U.S. Representative, Joseph Cao.

On Tuesday, teacher volunteers returned to their regular teaching schedules using a variety of different methods in order to carry out their lesson plans. Level A students learned American Holidays and Months, excited mostly to learn about Halloween! Some Level B students were working on American Idioms that are commonly used, as well as practicing their reading, writing, and listening skills through short stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Level C students learned about the game of American Football as well as practicing their skits for our Talent Show on Friday.

On Wednesday, Level A students were taught their Five W’s: Who What When Where Why along with the remake of The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” by the popular hit show, Glee. Level B students were also learning several new songs including Disney’s “A Whole New World”, Blink 182’s “All the Small Things”, as well as Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World”. Level C students continue to creatively plan out their skits for a perfect performance on Friday!

Thursday was a big day! We were interviewed by the local Hue Television Network about ETA4’s program. Our three students from the program were excited as one quoted: “My family will be so shocked to see me on television!” Anh Long, our oldest student who has followed our program since day one, reported to the Television Network: “I am 48 years old. I have never gone to a University or studied English with any institution. I have always tried to learn English on my own. Ever since I have participated with the ETA4 program, my English has gotten a lot better—and I believe that the way in which we are learning English with ETA4 is exciting and effective!” Victor Wilson, the President and Co-founder of the program, was also interviewed by the Hue Television Network. When asked why he decided to begin the program, he answered: “I think that learning English is a tool that mostly everyone could use and that it’s a way for us to create a culture connect.” The television network videotaped our program in action while Level A students were practicing their “Hello Goodbye” performance, Level B1 and B2 students were learning about The Beatles’ history and music as well as having a Kickball competition between Christine and Sang’s classes, Level B3 students were reviewing their vocabulary words through a game of Telephone Pictionary, and Level C students were making props and costumes for their skit performances on Friday.

Friday was the last day of our teaching program, and it sure ended strong with our 2nd Talent Show of the Summer! The first hour of Friday was spent rehearsing for their performances. Melodies of The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Colbie Cailat, Disney Songs, R. Kelly, Miley Cirus, and Justin Bieber were echoing throughout the hallways of the Youth Center. Giggles and laughter were the surround sounds of the hallways as the students were preparing dance moves and perfecting their every pitch for the Talent Show. It was 9:00 AM and it was time for everyone to gather inside of the auditorium. As students were rushing into the auditorium, our two Masters of Ceremonies An and Long were preparing to introduce the Talent Show and the first performance. Each class was sitting in the audience nervous for their turn up to let out all they have learned in the last few weeks. Ngoc-Nhi’s Level C students performed a hilarious skit in which the plot was a scene from Romeo and Juliet. Jennifer’s Level C students performed two different skits with very witty writing all done by students in the class! Victor Wilson and Bao Tran contributed to the program by performing a rap that they wrote on their own to a remix of “Whatcha Say?” by Jason Derulo and Imogen Heap. At the end, the entire auditorium along with all of the teacher volunteers sang to Justin Beiber’s “Baby”. There was laughter, tears, and definitely dehydration at the end of the Talent Show. As the day came to an end, the students were hesitant to leave and the teachers were hesitant to say their goodbyes as they knew it would be another year until we meet again.

The older students from Level B class as well as Level C students remained at the end to discuss our upcoming Elephant Spring Trip as well as the Volunteer Projects that begin this Monday! We will be visiting an orphanage each day from Monday to Wednesday in order to interact with the orphans, do fun activities with them, as well as handing out treats to the kids. From Thursday to Sunday morning, the teacher volunteers along with several students will be staying overnight at an orphanage located in Phu Loc district of Hue City in order to better understand the situation of these orphans, witness their everyday lives, and see what exactly they need fixed so that we can help make their living space a better place. We plan on having close interaction with the orphans like cooking, cleaning, eating, and even spending the nights at their facilities with them! We are looking forward to these projects as our very own students will be joining us in the spirit of Volunteerism!

Anna Huynh

Hue: Week 4, so fast!

It is unbelievable how quickly 4 weeks have gone by and we are at the last week of our teaching program in Hue! Many students have already started writing good-bye letters and giving thank you gifts to our teacher volunteers! Unfortunately, one of our teacher volunteers had to return home a week early in order to train for the United States Army. His students are all very sad that he is leaving, but have expressed deep gratitude for the fun and joyous moments he has given them while teaching them English. In these last 2 weeks, we have visited an orphanage in An Tay, Hue, as well as a facility called the "Peaceful Bamboo Family" whose mission is to foster the development and integration of mentally and physically disabled children and individuals living in Vietnam. At the orphanage in An Tay, we interacted with about 30-40 kids through various different activities including games like Dragon Tail in which one team must capture the flag that is attached to the pants of the last person in line of that team, and defend their flag as a team. We also played other group activities that resulted in a lot of laughter, sweating, and dehydration! After about 1 hour of doing activities outside, we went inside a small classroom to do indoor activities. We taught them the World Cup song and sang together at the very end. We also played Telephone Charades with the kids to cool off from the heat and distribute snacks and candy that we have brought for them!

At the Peaceful Bamboo Family, we were taken around the facility by their project manager who showed us the different workshops that the facility provide for the disabled children. Our volunteers were able to interact with some of the kids who were working on making ceramic paintings. We even bought some from them (the profits go toward the program and facility so that they can continue to train these kids) ! We also learned that these kids are trained to do various different skills like cooking, making jam, as well as singing! Our volunteers were very surprised that such facilities exist in Vietnam, and learned a great deal about how the program functions.

Today, our Level A and B students were taken to the Skating Rink as a reward for their commitment of going to class everyday! The students who scored highest on the exams received a free ticket into the skating rink paid for by their teachers: Christine Phung, Phuong Thai, Sang Dang, Patrick Tran, and Kevin Truong. Word has it that the students hurt their bums enough to say that they had a lot of fun!

We are looking forward to our upcoming Closing Ceremony / Talent Show #2 this Friday, followed by 2 weeks worth of volunteer projects. Stay tuned for exciting news about the Talent Show, as well as a progress with the volunteer projects!

Bien Hoa Conclusion: Week 4 and final thoughts

Our last week in Bien Hoa began with an idea: to hold a party/banquet for the students to get together one last time before we departed. So Monday morning, we traveled to the Fat House to plan out the logistics with Chi Lan. We decided we would clean up the debris of a collapsed house for our play area, since we would be expecting almost 200 students to attend. We also spent the morning playing with the children, and reconstructing the bamboo swing we had built earlier, but this time with stronger rope and the help of the littlest boy at the orphanage (he is SO cute.). In the afternoon, we made good on our promise to return to Bien Hoa orphanage to play basketball with the older boys. But this time, everyone came along to say goodbye the the children one last time. In the evening, we spent some time with some of our friends who would be departing the next day.

On Tuesday, we traveled to the Fat house to clean up the massive amount of debris. The task looked extremely daunting at first: around the foundation of what used to be an old "barn" made out of brick and concrete was piles of wood, bricks, broken glass, rocks, and trash about 6 inches thick, covering a space of about 500 square feet. There were only 10 of us and 3 shovels, so we began working by hand, piece by piece in the hot sun. It was interesting to watch our technology evolve from using our bare hands to using tarps to carry large piles of debris. We worked for 3 solid hours until lunchtime, when we headed home. In the afternoon, the teacher's took our very special friend, Chi Thanh Hien, out for her birthday. Karaoke is always fun, but especially when we have something to celebrate. We bought her a beautiful cake, and even the staff of the Karaoke place brought her a bouquet and gave a nice speech. The best part was learning a Vietnamese version of Happy Birthday, which sounds like something they could play in a club. It was bittersweet, though, because this would be the last time we would see her and Anh Trung, because they had to leave for work the next day. Personally, Thanh Hien is like an older sister to me, and I'm sure someday I will see her again. The volunteers spent the rest of the afternoon planning for the night class, and they all wanted it to be extra special because it was the last week. All the kids had a lot of fun, and some teachers even received gifts from their students. A few new English games were learned, and the kids had a lot of fun playing games like "Telephone" and "Cat and Mouse". All in all, a successful Tuesday!

Wednesday morning we went back to the Fat House at 7 AM to avoid the heat. We worked and worked and by 10:30, the place was completely transformed! All of the debris was cleared away, and all that was left was the smooth concrete foundation, which we were planning on using later for games. Some of the children were really helpful, and it was nice to do some work with them to improve where they live. While we were digging, we must have hit the home base of a cockroach colony, because what seemed like hundreds of them came running out. Needless to say, the chickens who patrol the area were quite happy after that! In the afternoon, the teachers prepared their lessons for the night class, where the C classes held debates, the B classes talked about the future and their dreams, and the A classes played word association games and learned funny poems. Some of the students were noticeably sad when it hit them that the last day was coming, but they were very strong and I am very proud of them.

On Thursday, the group split up. Some went to buy supplies for the party the next day, while others attended a local basketball tournament at the Youth Center. There were 3 teams from Saigon playing against the Bien Hoa teams, and all the teams played very well. The rest of the day we spent preparing for the last day of the classes at the center. So many students attended! Even some that I hadn't seen since the first week. The plan was to all teach our classes individually for the first hour, and then the second hour bring them all together outside to learn a song and have a closing ceremony. When they were all outside, we brought out the big chalkboard and the boom box and learned "I believe I can fly", and taught them to never give up on their dreams. The classes had an awesome time singing the song together. As a closing, we all sang the World Cup song ("Wavin' Flag" by K'Naan) because that was the favorite song of all the students. After lots of hugs and photos, we said goodbye until the next day's party.

Friday finally arrived, and with it the day of the party!! We traveled to the Fat House in the morning to cut the fruits and prepare the area for our guests. The theme was a carnival, so we planned a face painting station, pit the fire on the dragon game, a seed spitting contest, and a World Cup soccer game. We waited anxiously for our guests to arrive, and boy did they! Starting at around 1:30, all the children began to come. By 2:30, there were 200 students there! Everyone loved the face painting the most. The kids got all sorts of designs, from Spider Man to Batman to butterflies to sun and moon, and pretty much everything else in between. Pin the fire on the dragon was a lot of fun, because many children had not seen this game before. The fruits and snacks were delicious, and there was plenty to go around. We partied all afternoon until about 6:00. It was really tough to say goodbye to the kids we had gotten to know so well in the previous weeks, but we hoped that in some way we had touched their lives. Judging by the number of tears that fell that afternoon, it's safe to assume that we did.

For a final goodbye, we went to karaoke with the hotel staff to say goodbye to them and thank them for being our gracious hosts. We sang songs and danced until the late evening, which meant we wouldn't get much sleep since we were leaving the hotel at 5 the next morning!

All in all, the program in Bien Hoa was filled with "firsts" for the group. I am very proud of the team for adapting to every challenge that came our way, and for stepping up and getting the job done, even if they felt tired, sick, or even a little grouchy. We taught over 300 children at 4 different locations, spent hours at different orphanages, hospitals, and youth centers, built a basketball court, cleared a ton of debris, laughed, cried, and had some fun too. Best of all, we built a connection with a community of people who are similar to us in so many ways, a connection that will last infinitely longer than the 4 weeks we spent there. I am so proud, and I can't wait for next year.

The programs have not finished!! The Hue program still has one week remaining, as well as the volunteer project, so keep checking back for updates!!


Victor - ETA4 Dong Nai/Bien Hoa

WEEK 3: Getting close with the students!

Week three began just like the two previous weeks, with a trip to Nha Mo. There, we continued teaching the children simple songs and games, while Vi worked with the older children on their pronunciation. The children at the house, shy at first, are now very open and playful with us. It makes me feel good that we have positively impacted their lives in some way. In the afternoon, we travelled to visit the Bien Hoa orphanage and our friends there. We delivered the first part of the basketball hoop we had planned to build them, and promised them we would return on Friday to put it up. Helen, one of our volunteers, had the idea of developing pictures we had taken with the children, and bringing them to the orphanage along with some posterboard to create a collage with the children. They loved decorating it and it looks great. All of the children played a part in its creation, and it is now hanging in their bedroom.

On Tuesday, we learned that the Middle School at which we had been teaching was under inspection, so we could not hold classes there. We spent our time planning for the night class, as well as touring around the city to visit some places we hadn't been. The night class of course was a lot of fun. The C students learned some spoken word, while the A and B students continued their different subjects, such as colors, date and time, shopping terms, food, and more. The classes have filled up completely, and we now have around 250 students at Nha Thieu Nhi (Children's House, or Youth Center).

On Wednesday, the group traveled to a place about 10 km outside the city. The temple and surrounding areas used to be a place for Vietnamese culture, and was about 500 years old. When the French occupied Vietnam, they made it into a weapons factory, but upon the liberation of Vietnam from French rule, it was returned to it's original purpose. There is a temple to past great Vietnamese leaders, as well as a museum of different things that were made there. It is a very peaceful and relaxing place, and it was nice for us to see it. The night class was a bit of a challenge because a few of our volunteers weren't feeling very well, but we adjusted and the night was a big success. We combined 2 of the small classes and they had a lot of fun learning together.

On Thursday, we spent the morning seeing some more of the city we now call home, and in the afternoon, planned for the night classes at the youth center. Being the last day of our 3 day week there, we incorporated music to keep the students excited over the weekend. The students had a lot of fun learning new English songs and dancing. Every class learned a different song, and you could hear the students singing them long after we had left.

On Friday, we returned to Nha Mo to finish the week, and played games and sang songs with the children there. They are always so happy to see us and it's so nice to just sit and talk with them. After, one of our volunteers cooked for everyone at the house, and the food was delicious!! In the afternoon, Bao and I traveled to the Bien Hoa orphanage to complete the construction of the basketball hoop. We purchased a large piece of wood, a wrench, some screws and some nails, took it to the orphanage and went to work. We fastened the rim onto the "backboard", created some holes in the wood (by hand... no power tools!!) and bolted the completed hoop to a tree. It is amazing!! I am very proud of how it turned out. Although the ground around the hoop is dirt, it is nice and flat and under the shade of a large tree, so the kids can play even in the afternoon. We call it "jungle ball" and it's a lot of fun!! The children helped with the construction as well, and now they have a hoop to call their own.

The third week was when we really got close to our students at Nha Mo and the Youth Center. Next week will be our final week in Bien Hoa, so rest assured we will make the most of it!! Thank you for reading, and check back every Monday for updates!! Take care everyone.

Victor, ETA4 - Dong Nai/ Bien Hoa

Hue Students Take Center Stage

ENERGETIC, ENTHUSIASTIC, and EXCITEMENT seem to be the words to describe ETA4's Talent Show 2010 which occurred last Friday, July 9th! In the first 2 weeks of the program, the students have learned a lot of grammar, sports, as well as music. It was time for them to put their knowledge of two weeks to good use at our Talent Show! As staff set up the auditorium for the show, the first hour of the day was reserved for all of the classes to practice singing their songs, and some classes even had dance moves incorporated in their performances! With our two wonderful Masters of Ceremonies Pearl Nguyen and Swan Nguyen, we were able to carry out the show with a total of 15 pieces with performances from every class as well as individual performances! The program included:

1) "Wavin Flag-World Cup Remix" by K'naan , performed by Miss Christine's Level B1 Class
2) "Eenie Meenie Miney Moe Lover" by Justin Bieber, performed by Miss Phuong's Level B2 Class
3) "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys, performed by Mr. Kevin's Level B3 Class
4) "Twinkle Little Star" , performed by Bao, a student from Miss Christine's class
5) "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars, performed by Miss Jennifer's Level C2 class
6) "Baby" by Justin Bieber, performed by Miss Caroline and Mr. Tri's Level A Class
7) "Our Time is Here" from Camp Rock, performed by Mo, a student from Miss Nhi's Level C1 Class
8) "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, performed by Mr. Sang's Level B4 Class
9) "Shining Friend" by 2R, performed by Mr. Patrick's Level B5 Students: Trang and Binh
10) "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift, performed by Binh from Mr. Patrick's Level B5 Class.
11) "Send It On" from Disney, performed by Miss Nhi's Level C1 Class
12) "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift, performed by Mr. Patrick's Level B5 Class
13) "Wedding Dress" by Tae Yang, performed by a student from Mr. Patrick's Level B5 Class
14) "Tim Lai" by Microwave, performed by ETA4's Founder and President, Victor Wilson
15) "Mot Vong Trai Dat" by Tim and Minh Hang, performed by Victor Wilson and Anna Huynh

The sound of energy began with the World Cup theme song in which almost every student in our program was excited to learn! "WO OH OH OH OH, WO OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH" was echoing through the hallways each day the week of the Talent Show. The Level A students whose ages range from 4 years old to 7 years old were adorably doing dance moves to Justin Biber's hit "Baby" with swagger!

We are very proud of our students for being able to pronounce words more accurately than we first met them, and learning to do so by having fun through sports, music, and inside the classroom practice!

Our volunteers are looking forward to the next 2.5 weeks of teaching, as well as 2 more weeks of volunteer projects at what we project to be 10 different orphanages! Stay tuned for more updates from our end!

Anna - ETA4 Hue

Week Two: New Experiences, new students, and new friends

Week two began with a meeting. We were informed by our partner organization that we would begin a new session of classes on top of the work we were already doing. It sounded to us like a challenge, so of course we were up for it!

On Monday, we began our work once again at the place we have all affectionately dubbed "the Fat House". The volunteers broke the students into groups for learning while Bao constructed a tree swing made from bamboo and twine for the kids to swing on. After an exciting soccer match, the group headed home for our afternoon trip to a large orphanage in Bien Hoa city for mentally and physically disabled orphans. As we visited with the children, each room we encountered contained progressively worse cases. By the end, the room we were in was filled with children unable to get out of bed, to feed themselves, or in some cases, even to move. These children were abandoned by their parents, discarded in hospitals or even in trash cans. Despite our sadness, we knew what we were there to do. We hoped that by just being there, holding their hands and speaking softly to them, that they would realize that these new faces they could see (or if they couldn't see, new hands they could touch) were faces of people who cared about them. Hopefully, and it is my sincere hope, that on that day the children, at least for a second, received our positive wishes and feelings.

On Tuesday, we began our work with the new students at a middle school about 4 km from our hotel. This new group of about 75 kids was enthusiastic and ready to learn. On the first day with them, we played some icebreaker games and settled into each of the 4 classes. The theme of the day was "food", which of course made both the students and the teachers extra hungry for lunch! After saying goodbye to the students there, we caught the bus back home to prepare for our second week of the night classes. By the time 6 PM arrived, it was obvious to us that we had even more students than we had anticipated. The night class schedule had now grown from 4 classes on the first day to 7 classes by the start of the second week. After splitting the classes up, we went to work. The "A" classes learned parts of the body and colors, the "B" classes learned a variety of different topics, and the "C" classes read and wrote their own poetry! Although the sessions are only 2 hours long, the 2 hours are being filled with so many activities it is impossible not to have fun.

On Wednesday we returned to the middle school. The theme of the day was "a trip to the zoo", so all of the students learned a ton of new vocabulary, including many many different animals and zoo terms. At the end of the instruction period, we brought the kids outside to test their knowledge in a game of "speed zoo charades". Each class sat in a circle, and one student had to act out an animal at a time. When his or her classmates gave the correct response (in English, of course!), the next student would go. The first class to have everyone act out an animal and guess it was the winner! It was a lot of fun and a lot of new knowledge was gained. In the afternoon, we revisited the orphanage we traveled to on Monday, and of course many of the kids remembered us! It was so great to see them again, and we can't wait to return next week.

On Thursday, the theme at the middle school was "Music". The classes formed two groups, one learning K'Naan's "Waving Flag" and the other learning Taylor Swift's "Love Story". At the end, the classes performed for each other and it was a lot of fun! The students did a really good job and were excited to learn as well. In the evening, the classes in the evening were even bigger than before. The students studied diligently and have definitely improved since we have arrived! The volunteers now know their set classes, and their lesson plans are now customized to meet the specific needs of their students.

On Friday, we ventured back to the "Fat House" where the students learned about different animals and learned the song "Old McDonald" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". They had so much fun making the animal sounds! And of course, the Friday night class was a blast as well, since Friday is music day!! The "C" students even learned a rap! It was amazing.

Over the weekend, many of the volunteers traveled to visit family or just stayed home to relax and prepare for an exciting new week. The trip has been one of constant adjustment, but overall so far it is a huge success here in Bien Hoa. Keep checking back for weeks 3 and 4 updates!

Say Hello to the World!

Victor - ETA4 Bien Hoa

First week (+1 day) complete!

This week was an experience of many firsts for the group in Dong Nai (Bien Hoa City). After moving all of our things to the third floor of the hotel (supposedly cleaner and nicer, thanks to a helpful cleaning lady), we began on Tuesday by traveling as a group by bus to a small orphanage called Nha Mo, which literally translates to "Fat House". This was my first experience with public transportation in 4 years in Vietnam, and I was quite impressed. The bus was new, clean, and only cost the equivalent of 15 American cents! The Fat House has 7 of the cutest orphans you will ever see, plus the 20 or so neighborhood kids that attend our classes there. The house is run by our friend Chi Lan and her husband, who are awesome! We began by breaking the students into small groups so they could get comfortable with the teachers. We talked to them, played small icebreaker games with them, and had a lot of fun. The kids were so sad to see us leave, but we told them not to worry, because we would be back very soon.

Tuesday was also the first day of our night classes at the local Youth center. It is these classes that make up the meat and bones of our program (as opposed to traveling to orphanages, which is part teaching but also bonding with the children to attempt to partially fill some of the voids in their lives). On our first night, we had almost 200 students arrive, which was a small problem because for the first day we had only planned 4 classes. So, the decision was immediately made that for the next session, the classes would be split. Despite the overcrowding, however, the first day was an awesome success. Our teachers embraced their roles, brought creative lesson plans, and created a classroom environment enjoyable for both teacher and student.

On Wednesday, we traveled again to the first orphanage. This time, the students continued with their alphabet lessons, and also learned colors, animals, and played simon says! The older kids learned all the vocabulary for volleyball, which they got to use during a competitive game at the end of the class. The children now truly consider us as their friends, and can't wait for us to return in the coming week.

Thursday, we headed back to the Fat House. This time, the group had grown to almost 40, and we began our lessons on this day with the ABCs, and by the end of the day the kids knew them all!! Many of these children had never met foreigners before (because Bien Hoa is not a tourist city), so I think it was a lot of fun for both groups to laugh and learn together. For their first time learning the alphabet, the kids did really well and it was exciting to see them progress.

Thursday was also the second day of the night class. The class goes from 6-8 PM, and this time it was much more manageable because we had split the group. This time, the teachers really knew what to expect, so they expertly designed their lesson plans to fit the needs of their class. As a result, not a second of the precious 2 hours was wasted. The A students learned their numbers and played simple games, the B students learned about simple food terms and activities, and the C students learned a poem and talked about American culture and restaurants. It was a ton of fun, for everyone involved.

Friday, the final day of the first long week, we began at the Fat House, where the kids learned their numbers while some of us constructed a bench out of bamboo for the orphanage. Even though it was our first time building something like that, the testament to our workmanship is that it is still standing 3 days later! As long as you sit gently, it will not fall over. At the end of the lesson, we played a classic Vietnamese children's game, incorporating English to make it a learning experience. We had an excellent time, of course, and it was tough to say goodbye to the kids for a whole weekend.

Our final night class of the week was on Friday as well. This time, the theme in almost all the classes was music and art. The A level drew pictures and learned colors, the B level talked about different types of music, and the C level learned the song "Waving Flag" by K'naan, because it is the song of the World Cup! They learned the meaning behind the words, lots of new vocabulary, and the tune as well. By the end, we had sang it so much everyone had memorized the words and I had lost my voice. But it was definitely one of the highlights of the experience for me so far.

Saturday and Sunday, the group traveled to Saigon (HCMC) to play and relax while Bao and I stayed here to "man the fort". It was nice to get to sleep in a little bit, after 8 hour work days Monday through Friday.

Now, it is Monday evening, everyone returned safely last night and we had a very interesting day today. But alas, that will have to wait for next week's entry. So until then, hope you enjoyed and will continue to enjoy reading, and keep a look out for next Monday's post!

Victor

PS - the internet is quite slow, so I will probably upload all of the pictures at once some night when it is fast. They can be found at picasaweb.google.com/eta4love. Peace!