(6Jul2009 by: baylander)
Part I - Travel from Ifugao Province, Philippines to Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam
Life is so complicated. Sometimes we wake up in the morning with surprises. Man, really has no capacity to predict what comes next at the end of the day.
My travel to Vietnam is an unexpected event in my life. I did not plan that someday I will be traveling in this country. Nevertheless, due to my employment at Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry (ISCAF) and due to the leadership of our beloved ISCAF President, Dr. Serafin L. Ngohayon, I am convinved that nothing is impossible about the destination or luck of each one of us. Let me elaborate my experiences prior to my scheduled trip to a socialist nation and the fastest growing country in terms of trade, industry, agriculture, and tourism.
On the 12th day of May 2009, I woke up early in the morning and prepared myself for another working day at ISCAF - Main Campus. My family is occupying one of the rooms at the ISCAF Dudduli Dormitory due to the designation of my wide as dorm manager. After our breakfast, my wife and I rode in our motorbike for school. My wife is teaching mathematics subject at the high school laboratory while I worked in the administration building. I am one of the adminsitrative staffs of the college working under the Linkages Office and a member of the Presidential Action Team both under the Office of the College President. Aside from my administrative designations, I also experienced teaching basic English, literature, and basic computer subjects from June 2007 until October 2008.
I was at the office at that time when suddenly, our College President called Jux Basilio, my officemate. After their conversation, Jux informed me that Pres. Ngohayon is asking if I want to go in Vietnam on Friday, 15 May, 2009 for a teaching assignment. I was shocked because I did never expected the information. Besides, the date is too tight and if I will pursue, I fear not to finish all the required documents for the travel like visa application, purchase of ticket, preparation of teaching materials, and other things I need to prepare in advance. I have known the information at around 10A.M. and I was given until 3P.M. to decide. I talked to my wife, Desiree and she agreed for my initial decision to pursue although she was also shocked because of the urgency of my travel.
For the remaining hours, I thought of the advantages and disadvantages before I finally decided. If I will go: I can develop and enhance my teaching skills in a foreign country, I will experience working environment in a socialist nation, and this can be a chance for me to visit some places around Vietnam. On the contrary, I will leave my wife and my 3 year-old son, Derick in the Philippines along with my responsibilities to my family and to the College. However, if I will not go, I can no longer achieve the advantages mentioned above and worst, I can no longer be offered the same opportunity abroad from Dr. Ngohayon because I rejected his first offer. Finally, I informed Jux that I will accept the offer. So he sent a text message to Dr. Ngohayon regarding my decision.
At around 1:30P.M., I texted Dr. Ngohayon that I am willing to go in Vietnam. After a while, Dr. Ngohayon called me to verify my decision. I informed Dr. Ngohayon that I am willing however; I have no enough money to process my papers. He said he would help in my financial problem, what matters to him is my determination and willingness to stand with my decision. He also granted my request to go with his group in Manila, since they will travel Tuesday night, for me to process my visa application and air ticket. He immediately forwarded my name to Dr. Cecilia Gascon, the President of Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) who is coordinating to the Thai Nguyen University (TNU) in Vietnam for the said program. SLSU and TNU signed a cooperation for faculty and student exchange programs and since Dr. Ngohayon is a friend of Dr. Gascon, ISCAF was able to avail of the program of sending faculty from ISCAF to teach English language to Vietnamese students enrolled in their joint programs.
We arrived in Manila on Wednesday morning bringing along with me my passport ID and other documents. After finishing all the affairs of the College President to CHED office, DBM, and Philippine Senate, Dr. Ngohayon called Dr. Gascon to verify the process of my application for visa, air ticket and all other information that we need to know. Dr. Ngohayon gave me instructions on what to do, some advises and encouragements and I really thanked him for all the generosity, kindness, and understanding. He even lent me money for the payment of my visa, plane ticket and other documents. On the night of Wednesday, Dr. Ngohayon traveled back to Baguio City for another official business so I was left at the staff house of ISCAF in Manila along with Mang Rene Chang-a. Before going to bed, I called my wife in Nayon, Lamut, Ifugao to pack all my clothes, shoes and all my documents and bring with her to Manila on Thursday morning. I know it's a sacrifice on the part of my wife because she's presently 3 months pregnant for our second child at that time and it was dangerous for her to travel and carry heavy objects. But during those hard times, my admiration to the determination and full support my wife even grew stronger because I never heard complains from her.
A day before my travel, I was accompanied by Mang Rene to the Vietnamese Embassy for my visa application in the morning of Thursday. I finished my visa application that same morning and also got my air ticket at around five o'clock in the afternoon. As I got the emailed copy of my ticket, I felt so relieved because I had all the needed documents in my hand in just one day of processing. Then I went to fetch my wife in the terminal in Kamias, Quezon City at around seven in the evening and we proceeded to the ISCAF staff house. I woke up early in the morning then prepared myself along with my baggage because we have to buy dollar bills with my wife for my incidental expenses in Vietnam as per instruction from Pres. Ngohayon.
My scheduled flight on Friday will be 1:10p.m.-2:55p.m. from Manila to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly called Saigon), Vietnam on board Philippine Airlines and then on board a domestic Vietnam Airlines at 6p.m. - 8p.m. from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi City, Vietnam. I was so nervous arriving at the NAIA International Airport late because I was supposed to be there three hours before boarding time. We were in Cubao with my wife at around 10a.m. waiting for my brother-in-law to fetch my wife because it's her first time to travel in Manila alone and she is not yet familiar to the address of the bus terminal going to Ifugao. From Cubao to the Airport, more or less it takes two hours to travel subject to traffic jams along the road. But with all the graces of the Lord above, I sucessfully boarded the plane 10 minutes before boarding time. I also met one faculty from SLSU (Ms. Mary Jane S. Camarador), who was sent by her university with the same purpose like mine. We arrived in Hanoi City, Vietnam at around 8p.m. Two personnel from Thai Nguyen University, Mr. Bear and Mr. Teddy (their English names) were waiting for us at the departure lounge as they will accompany us for a two-hour land travel from Hanoi City to Thai Nguyen City. Along the way, Mr. Bear was briefing us about the program. Finally, we arrived in our destination at around 10p.m. Instructor Jengjeng M. Bolintao from ISCAF along with other Filipina visiting professors from the Philippines (Dr. Barron, Prof. Shiela, Prof. Linda, and others) welcomed us in the guesthouse where we will be staying for three months. I was assigned to stay in room 7 located at the second floor of the building. The room is equipped with comfortable bed, table, chair, dressing cabinet, air conditioner, and bathroom with heater.
Part II - My Experiences In Vietnam (written a month after Part I)
During my first day in Vietnam, I and Ms. Mary Jane Camarador from SLSU were called to report at the International Training and Consultancy Center (ITCC) Office of Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, the agency in charge of the international cooperation between Philippines and Vietnam regarding faculty and student exchanges. We were warmly welcomed by officials and staffs of ITCC with their hellos and smiles. The Director of ITCC, Dr. Anh, despite his busy schedule managed to talk with us for a short span of time asking some information regarding our teaching experiences, degrees finished, etc. and also gave brief introduction regarding our purpose of coming to Vietnam. Afterwhich, the Accountant of ITCC, Ms. Bee gave us our one month allowance amounting to 2,300,000VND (Php6,900.00).
Then we went to a vacant room of the ITCC building's second floor for the orientation to which Mr. Bear, staff from ITCC is in charged to orient us. During the orientation, we were informed that Vietnam is a communist country and that regulations of the communist government should be strictly followed to avoid violations that would result to imprisonment or other life-threatening sanctions. Mr. Bear also informed us of the class rules, documents to be submitted before, during, and after teaching sessions, and other information. After our orientation, Mr. Bear toured us around the building of ITCC. Dr. Hung, vice director of ITCC informed us that our teaching schedules will be given as soon as they are finished with some documents. Afterwhich, I and Jaja, Mary Jane's nickname were invited by ITCC for a welcome lunch along with other Filipino professors. After our lunch, we were ferried to the guest house by Mr. Teddy.
Since I still have no schedule for the whole week, Ms. Jeng accompanied me to see other guesthouse' facilities, the store where to buy food and other stuffs, and the market near the guesthouse. I enjoyed walking along the road from the guesthouse to the restaurant, to the store and to the student market. Since I do not understand Vietnamese language, I usually communicate with the traders using sign languages, which sometimes I do not know how to express what I exactly want to say. I only memorized Vietnamese number from 1 to 10 so I can only understand the amount I pay in exchange for the goods that I buy. Almost all products in Vietnam are displayed in their language so it's too difficult to understand. Ms. Jeng also informed me of some rules to be followed while in Vietnam like keeping on the right lane when walking on the road to avoid accidents and others. In the following days, I and Ms. Jeng visited some places around Thai Nguyen City like going to the Hero's memorial, Coc Lake resort and some big stores within the city. I even experienced driving a motorbike around the city center.
After three days of waiting for my schedule, I finally started teaching on 19 May 2009. I am to teach Business English as a prerequisite subject to 19 students enrolled in Bachelor of Business Administration at the ITCC building before getting major subjects. During my first meeting, I felt so nervous because it's my first time. I was introduced to the class by Prof. Jeng (as they knew her) because it was her former class. Afterwhich, I introduced myself to the class then let the students introduced themselves. My first meeting was successful because the students were attentive, but preventive. The following meetings were not so good because their preventive disciplines became submissive and controlling them would mean taking your safety at risk in a socialist country. I cannot fully impose discipline to them because I'm afraid of the Vietnam laws. There were times that I want to shout and whip them because they were very noisy but I never did it. Some of them could hardly understand English language while others could not even pronounce the words correctly, which is a common instance in Vietnam because of the effect of their local language. My students have been studying the language for almost five years starting high school. Despite the ordeal, I still managed to finish the scheduled lessons until the final exam last 04 June 2009. In general, all students passed the subject, my efforts paid because I believed I inspired some although not all students.
From 05 June to 14 June, I have no class schedule because ITCC is still arranging my class schedule in other schools, I was there unluckily when all students are on vacation. Also, Dr. Anh seems reluctant to deploy a male teacher in other areas due to previous cases, that is a fact and I have to accept it. I consumed my free time to conceptualized and submit a proposal for a possible cooperation between ISCAF and ITCC. Prior to the proposal writing, I emailed Dr. Ngohayon, President of ISCAF asking permission if he could allow me to submit a proposal in which he positively gave his empowerment. I submitted the proposal along with the profile of ISCAF to the ITCC office on 08 June 2009 just after our meeting with the ITCC Director. The following day, I and other Filipina professors went to Hanoi, Vietnam for an educational field trip. We visited the place of Vietnam's national hero, Ho Chi Minh with his real body embalmed inside the coffin after 40 years of death. Everyday, there are many people coming from different countries to visit the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh in a granite Mausoleum modeled after Lenin's tomb in Moscow. The national hero is well known for leading the Vietnamese people in resisting the powers of the French colonizers. Thereafter, we visited some supermarkets in Hanoi, the central capital of Vietnam.
Every morning, I also go for jogging alone around the campus and do some exercises. Even though all my companions in the guesthouse are Filipina, I find them friendly and approachable. In fact, we always share meals every lunch and dinner as part of our bonding session. For the month of June, six are from Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), two are from University of Rizal System (URS), and I from Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry (ISCAF). However, I am not honored to represent ISCAF because there is no existing official cooperation from ITCC yet. Our number vary each month because some are going back home and other new professors arrive.
After waiting for a week, I finally got my schedule to teach in another province called Bac Ninh, 4 hours away from the guest house of TNU. I was to teach basic English language to professionals who are enrolled in the MBA program. I also have another schedule to teach advance language in one of the campus of TNU so I need to travel back to the guest house to prepare my lesson plans. Teaching professionals older than me was a real challenge. There were times I was forced to mingle with them and experience their culture which I found it interesting, quite different to the culture where I grew up.
After several days, weeks, and months of stay in Vietnam, I felt that my time was up. I need to make a decision to go home since I was about to complete my three months stay. I informed Dr. Ngohayon and Dr. Gascon about my decision to go home in which both of them agreed without reservation. I am convinced that I have done what I need to do, teaching English language to BSBA and MBA students and also lobbying for a ISCAF-TNU future partnership by submitting a proposal to Dr. Anh. In general, my stay in Vietnam is so fulfilling but challenging in the same way. Fulfilling because I have successfully completed the course works in relation to the purpose of my stay. And challenging because for three months, I have assimilated Vietnamese lifestyles, customs, and culture. But despite the influence, I realized the true essence of the saying: "there is no place like home". So I finally decided to prepare my documents, and prepare for another chapter of my life, a short stay with my family before my departure to another country for a master's degree.#
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