The Six Week Journey Begins

Eric and I arrived in Hanoi at 11pm after a long flight--13 hours to Seoul and then another 4 to Hanoi. We were met by Vy and the Academy's driver, Mr. Giang. Vy is a student at the Vietnam Women's Academy where I'll be teaching for the next 6 weeks. She later introduced us to Thao, another student and friend. Vy and Thao were very helpful over the next several days as we attempted to settle in. I will post several photos at a later date, but the broadband isn't so broad, so am having a difficult time uploading!

Where we live: We live in a room on campus- a bed, 4 chairs, a desk, a small fridge/microwave, a clothes rack, an ironing board and a TV. To the left as you walk in the door is a small room with a toilet and the next door on the left is a small room which includes a shower head, a sink and an automatic washing machine. We have an air conditioner and hot water now which is wonderful!

Where I work: For the next six weeks, I'll be teaching labor relations and other related topics to undergraduate students and faculty at the Vietnam Women's Academy (VWA). The Academy will be celebrating its 60th year and is an arm of the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU): a women's socio-political and developmental organization mandated to protect women's legitimate rights and strive for gender equality. There are approximately 15 million members in the VWU at the national, provincial, local levels. The VWA has been a training ground for members of the VWU and has now expanded to become an accredited university. Since 2013, it has created 6 bachelor's degrees in the areas of social work, business administration, law, gender and development, multimedia communication and tourism. In fact, it is the only university in all of Vietnam to offer a degree in Gender and Development.
 
The first 3 days: The first days in any new culture are always a blur. The combination of jet lag, new people, new conditions, HOT weather, etc add up to feelings of anxiety, excitement, overload and exhaustion. It helps to have been through this phase before and to know that it is temporary. It also helps to have a husband (Eric) who reminds you to breath and relax. He's the best. So here's the summary:

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were start-up days where I met with faculty to discuss my teaching schedule, conference presentations and workshop activity. There were festivities for the start of the new school year as well as an evening gala for the freshmen. All of the dances and song were performed by VWA students. Very impressive! The Vietnamese culture is famous for its festivities and this begins at a very young age. While I was busy getting oriented, Eric did his thing: rented a motorbike, purchased local phones, joined in during the lunches and got together with friends for coffee/beer. More to tell, but signing off to motorbike to our friend's house for dinner....here we go on a fun filled, hard working journey!