You haven’t lived until . . .
Recently, I wandered into a barbershop hoping to get a better cut than the first one I had here. Even though no words were exchanged […]
Donald Trump Interrupted My Class Today
The tenth graders were working even better than expected while revising their poems this afternoon. The classroom had that magical hum of focused students working […]
Learning (about) Vietnamese
“Today ten hour I go.” This sentence, uttered in Vietnamese, has been my proudest accomplishment so far in learning the language. I may sound like […]
Tam Đảo: Bedford Falls or Pottersville?
After several excursions with native English speakers or translators by my side, I decided it was time to step outside my comfort zone and go […]
Oh, the Horror!
I tried to explain to my fellow Fulbrighters (none of whom are teachers) the other night why Halloween is a teacher’s least favorite holiday. Until […]
Student Life (University Edition)
The campus of Trường Đại học Sư phạm (Hanoi National University of Education or HNUE) is adjacent to several other universities, about 30-45 minutes from […]
Where I’m From . . . Teaching Poetry in Vietnam
My Fulbright project has several components to it, and one of them involves teaching autobiographical poetry writing to students here. The plan is for students […]
Student Life (Middle and High School)
I have been working with students in middle school, high school and college for about a month now. I’m still amazed by the amount of […]
The Love Boat
I’m not ashamed to say that on Friday nights when I was in middle school in the late ‘70s, I rarely missed an episode of […]
I Think This is Illegal Where I Come From
Into the Mountains Sitting at a classroom desk, I heard a tap on the window and could just make out the laughing faces of the […]
I Could Get Used to This
I’ve been in Vietnam for almost a month and there are some things that I already know I’ll miss when I leave. Feeling like a […]
Fresh Air
I’m sitting outside my room at an eco-lodge in Mai Chau, a mountain town about four bumpy hours from Hanoi. The sun has set but […]
Becoming Oriented
This past week, I spent four days with a group of eight Fulbright scholars and students who are conducting research at various locations in Vietnam. […]
Street Photography
I’ve finally picked up my camera and ventured into the city. There are amazing scenes around every corner here in Hanoi. Last weekend I met […]
Hands-on Learning
It’s amazing how much I’ve learned in just one day in Vietnam. I did not carry my camera around today, knowing I have four months […]
Things I Wake Up Thinking about at 3AM
Since returning from the orientation in Washington, DC, I’ve been busy taking care of the thousands of details involved in moving overseas. I’m also working […]