Life's Been Good (ELI version)

It will soon be time to put this dormant blog to rest now that I'm not teaching in VN anymore but now it's time for one more entry.

During my long ride to Binghamton and back today I came up with an ELI/VN teacher's version of the Joe Walsh classic, "Life's Been Good."

Three caveats about the lyrics: 1) They're going to be more meaningful to those who have "been there, done that." 2) In no way are they meant to be disrespectful to my host country or school. 3) Yes, I did have a VN license.

So here they are. If you're not familiar with the original, it's on YouTube here.

I bought a ticket, forget the price

And now I live where we all eat rice

I’m in the guesthouse, mold on the walls,

Got my own bathroom, ceilings are tall

I may be crazy but I have a good time

I'm just looking for games ‘case I have to fill time 

Life's been good to me so far 

My Honda Wave does eighteen-point-five

Ain’t got no license but I still drive

We ride together, wife in the back

She hides her purse so it don’t get snatched

I’m writing lessons, my class they can’t wait

They send me emails, tell me I’m great

I ain’t got me no office, the kitchen’s down the hall

Send me a text and maybe I’ll call

Traffic is insane but I always get through 

Everybody say I'm cool (He's cool) 

I can't complain but sometimes I still do 

Life's been good to me so far 

There’s karaoke, sometimes until four

The music’s so loud, my ears are sore

It’s tough to handle this, “Hello Tay!” fame

Everybody’s so different, I think I’ve changed.

I go to Big C but it takes all my time

Everybody say Oh yeah (Oh yeah)

I keep on going and my students are why

Life's been good to me so far

Blogs & Wikis for Class?

Last week I was handed an intensive 3-week writing course that will begin in December. Forty students meeting three times a week adds up to a lot of writing to review. In search of an online alternative, I spent the afternoon searching for a way that students can post their homework to a blog or wiki, revise it as the course proceeds, and view and comment on their classmates' work.

wikispaces.com may be a solution but I'm a bit concerned that it involves too much tech and tech English for my students. I don't want to have to spend a week training them how to navigate a site just to be able to turn in their homework -- especially since we don't have computers in the classroom. Of course, emailing it is one solution and we've used it successfully in the past, but I like the idea of them being able to see their progress, work together with their classmates and show off their work to others by sending them a link.

Any suggestions? Anyone know of any sites out there that might work? And students -- do you think this would work or is it too complicated? Would you like to do assignments online?

Typing IPA symbols in Word 2007

fə'netɪks

Since switching from Word 2003 to 2007, I've been trying to find a simpler way to type IPA symbols than Alt-N-U-M and then searching through all the symbols. Uniqoder worked fine in 2003, but I couldn't figure out how to get it to work in 2007. There's an online editor where you can type and then copy & paste, but I was looking for something to use offline.

After a bit of searching, I found several options in this document on the website of Professor John Wells at University College London. I've opted for the AutoCorrect method. It took a while to set up, but I think it will be the easiest to use. I set up some easy-to-remember shortcuts for common IPA symbols (\sw\ for ə, \ch\ for ʧ and \sh\ for ʃ -- not exact, I know, but easy for me to remember). For the more esoteric symbols, like ʊə, I used example words (\tour\). It may take a while to get them down, but at least I'll always have an example word ready when I need one in class.

Since the CELTA course I've become more comfortable using IPA and this should help me get them into my printed lesson plans.

I Love Fan Mail

Here's something, lightly edited, from my inbox today:

Hi Mr. David,
im one of ur student keen on every single post on Facebook as well blogspot. as u know, [it's helpful that you] spend time on blog or give useful english techniques to students, u r the respected teacher i have known

 One of my past professors, Dr. Wendell Price, said he used to keep a file of encouraging letters he received and read them after a bad day. Maybe I should start collecting them.

Christmas can be weird here too.

The newspaper article quoted below is about Ho Chi Minh City, but it's similar in Hanoi - if you take out the religious part because about the only thing you see up here are lights, trees and Santas. It's kind of depressing.

The festivities climax on Christmas Eve, when it seems that half the city's 9 million residents take to the streets for something akin to a holiday rave. Churches overflow for midnight Mass while Vietnamese outside drink beer and spray each other with fake snow. It can take two hours to travel a few miles in District One as everything comes to a virtual standstill.

"Vietnamese want to integrate the country with the international society," said Che Huyen Bao Vy, wearing reindeer antlers and angel wings at a holiday display outside another shopping center in District One. The 21-year-old college student, along with two other reindeer angels, stood next to a blue Santa.

"I don't practice the religion, but I enjoy the Western culture a lot," she said. "Christmas Day, the Christmas spirit, is happy. It's a Christmas-spirit thing."

from "Vietnam Catches the Christmas Spirit."

John Howard

I'd be surprised if he's still alive - he'd be in his 90's. Though it's not unusual for someone to live that long, the "old Sea Daddy," as he sometimes called himself, was a former Marine who was among the first to enter radioactive Hiroshima at the end of WW II. He was also my high school science teacher.

Specifically, Mr. Howard taught me chemistry when I was in 11th grade and physics in 12th. Somehow knew how to get the most out of his students and, after nearly failing me in chemistry with a D in the first quarter, my marks gradually rose to a C, a B, and then a 92 on the final exam and an A for the last quarter.

Then came physics and another rough start. Once we got beyond vectors, it began to make sense. One of the most helpful things Mr. Howard did was to teach us one basic formula and then show us the steps to get from there to the other formulas we would need. With a few simple steps, we could get from an easy-to-remember formula to a more complicated one. It was so much easier, and made much more sense, than simply memorizing a one formula after another.

I thought about Mr. Howard when I was lesson planning for my reading class this morning. The units we teach are incredibly difficult for second-language learners - next week is a 2007 article from The Economist about the West's unfavorable response to the Hamas-Fatah coalition government in Palestine. My students frequently come across words and expressions that they may never see again, like "poster child" and "self-defeating machismo." Still more important from their point of view, is that they will likely be handed a final exam with words and concepts they never saw in class.

So, instead of just teaching them concepts and vocabulary from each unit, I've been trying to teach them how to look at a brand-new article and work, step-by-step, toward an accurate understanding of the most important parts. My goal has been to help them apply simple steps to reach a complicated goal.

The translation of this blog's header is "like teacher, like student." The old Sea Daddy apparently rubbed off on me. I don't know if he knew the concept of "teach others so they can teach others also" but I'm reminded again of how important it is in so many ways.

VTF is back!

Most of you know that Nancy and I were team leaders for ELIC's Vietnam Teaching Fellowship (VTF) from July 2007 till we had to go back to the USA for Nancy's cancer treatment. Last year there was no VTF team but the program is back in business for the 2010-2011 school year. This year's team of 3 teachers is led by a China Teaching Fellowship alum and the four of them will be teaching a few km west of here at Lomonoxop High School where our VTF team was supposed to be placed back in 2007.

VTF is a great program for those who have recently graduated college and are thinking about serving overseas. It gives them a chance to get their feet wet and see whether it's a long-term calling. In the three short years of the VTF program, sixteen teachers have participated. Of those, four are back teaching with ELIC in Vietnam, one has left ELIC but is beginning her fifth year in Vietnam, and one has been teaching in Laos since she left VTF. Six out of sixteen is a pretty good ratio!

We're pretty happy that the program is back. Our role this year is to be "on call" for the new leader as she breaks into her first year as a team leader. I guess we're still in the mentoring business and that's a good thing.

Fall Schedule

As the sun sinks slowly into the western sky, a second week of teaching comes to a close. I've been given two reading classes and two listening classes, all 4th year students. Half of the students have had me before so I'm hoping that will lead to some good connections. I'm trying to get all their names memorized and that's a pretty big task when you have a class with four people named Ha, three named Trang, two named Mai and two with exactly the same name (first, middle and last). Fewer names to memorize, I guess, but then you have to learn who's who. Fortunately, like people the world over, they tend to choose one place to sit and sit there every class.

The classes have been enjoyable and they seem to be tracking with the material so far - even the minority students who have had much less English and really struggle with the advanced coursebook.

That's the quick version of the teaching update.

100 Things

This really has nothing to do with teaching EFL but the prospect of moving to a new house, combined with a recent newspaper article, got me thinking again about living simply. Ever since reading Ron Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger more than 30 years ago, the idea of living simply has really appealed to me. That's not to say I didn't poke at the iTouch at Best Buy this summer or spend time online to find out if you can read a Kindle in the dark (you can't). But, it has made me think more about my stewardship of the other 90%. As my family tires of hearing me say, "You can only spend it once." Living simply allows me the freedom (or maybe it's the pleasure) of deciding the best way to spend it. I like that.

Chasing links from the newspaper article, I found a 2-year-old Time magazine item about people trying to cut their personal possessions down to one hundred things. (The article, How to Live With Just 100 Things, doesn't actually tell you how.) It seems to have originated with a guy named Dave Bruno. It would be tough for me to whittle things down to 100; in America I easily had more than 100 tools! But, once we get moved I think I may do an inventory and see what I can live without. Maybe I can get to five or six hundred?

I'll be back soon.

It's been a long hiatus with the summer travel. Now life is in an uproar because, in addition to the usual beginning of the semester stress, we need to move to a new place. Soon I hope to get back to contributing substance to my blogs but it won't be for a while. Stay tuned. You might even hear about some of the opportunities we checked into this past summer.

Rules

The sign says, "No parking area"

Vietnam has a decidedly un-American approach to rules. I've been in the USA for a couple weeks now and I've already noticed that - from turn lanes to grocery lines - most Americans are sticklers about rules. Admit it, have you ever counted the items in the cart in front of you at the express checkout lane?

In Vietnam, most rules are followed if 1) they are convenient and 2) they make sense.

But even that general rule is subject to change. For example, the city of Hanoi has been (sporadically) enforcing a rule to keep sidewalk vendors off the sidewalk for the last year or so. That's inconvenient for anyone who's used to buying food from the vendors and it doesn't make sense to take a source of income from vendors in a society where unemployment and underemployment is so high. Personally, I think the vendors gives Hanoi much of its character.

Rules are different even within the same country; elementary students in NY aren't expected to use "Ma'am" and "Sir" like they are in the South. Being able to adapt is important. It's what Paul said about becoming "all things to all men."

Locks of Love, Long Bien Style

About 3 years ago, padlocks began mysteriously showing up on the fence on Long Bien bridge. Most of them belong to young couples and were placed there as symbols of their love.

First, the couple finds a good location. Some have been known to measure the fence so they can be sure to buy locks that fit. Then they return with their steel locks, intertwine them, and snap them onto the fence. The last step is to throw away the keys as a sign of their commitment to each other. The couples believe the locks will bless their love and keep it alive.

Some locks have saved relationships. A 21-year-old student said that she and her boyfriend put their locks on the bridge two months ago. After a big fight, they were ready to break up,

"But then we went back to the bridge and saw our locks there. Through all the scorching sun and pouring rain of Hanoi, they are still holding onto each other. We immediately found a way to solve our problem. It's better then therapy."

from Vietnam News Service, 23 March 2010.

I Love Tết (but I missed it)

Tết, the Lunar New Year festival, is a time when life in the city calms down and everyone seems to be in a good mood. Hanoi is noisy and over-crowded, but when everyone heads back to their hometowns for the holiday it's so peaceful! (Imagine what it would be like if everyone in NYC or Atlanta whose roots were in another city left town for a week.)

I've come to really enjoy the peace and quiet of Tết but this year I missed it because I spent the 2-week school holiday with my kids and grandkids in Hawaii where our youngest daughter lives. No regrets, though. There will be another Tết, if I live that long, but I don't always have the chance to be around when my grandkids are born.

Hello USA!

This afternoon I was one of four judges for the "Hello USA" competition at school. Three teams, representing the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, the Center for American Studies at Hanoi University and the University of Social Science and Humanities, competed in games that tested their knowledge of American history and culture. Hanoi University won. They were quite impressive. We were a distant second. The photo below is some of the students setting up the rehearsal (Both photos were taken from one of my student's Facebook album - the guy sitting at the computer.).

Christmas 2009

For the first time, Christmas in Vietnam seemed as hectic as Christmas in the United States. Many people in Hanoi have begun to celebrate Christmas as a time to have a party. Unfortunately, most don't seem to "get it" any more than I understand the reason for having a party on St. Patrick's Day.

Two "Vietnam: Christmas traditions have developed for Nancy and me. One is making Christmas cookies with students. It's incredible how artistic they can be.

The other, which dates back to the 2007 VTF team, is helping to wrap and deliver presents for the preschools sponsored by CAMA Services. (The kids memorize lines from the Christmas story and put on a little play.) It wouldn't feel like Christmas in Vietnam without it.

 

(L to R) Innkeeper, Mary, Joseph

Shepherds and Angels

Magi

Twitter

Someone suggested that in order to understand Twitter, I need to try it out. So, here goes. But if you're in North America and you get tweets on your phone, you'll want to check out Setting sleep time for text messages. No one likes hearing their phone in the middle of the night!

Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor

Part of the curriculum for my reading classes is the US Declaration of Independence. The document ends with the signers fully committing themselves to the cause. Last week I told the students to write an essay explaining what they are committed to. I thought I'd share with you one of the more articulate answers I received.

If you read the Declaration carefully, you will not forget the last sentence, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." In this occasion of 1776, 56 signers of the Declaration committed to devote their lives, their fortunes and their honor to fight for their country's independence. At this time, if asked to give my life, my fortune and my sacred honor, I would give them to my family - the closest and meaningful thing to me. If there were no family, I would not be in the world. In addition, my family has given me everything, from materials to spirit. It is always my support when happy or sad. As regard with 56 signers of the Declaration, fighting for their country, emancipation it from the oppression of Britain is getting freedom for their family and themselves. I was born when our country was independent, as for me, at this time, my family is the most important and most sacred thing in my life. What I give to my family is to repay what my family has been giving for me. When I contribute my life, my fortune and my honor to build my family, I make contribution of my life, my fortune and my honor to my country as well, because the prosperity of each country is built by one of each family. It is also the way I seek to my own independence and happiness. Because, when you know what you would give your life, fortune and honor to and know about give and take, you are really grow up and it is time you achieve your own independence.

Long Bien Art Festival

Sometimes you get to do things you never expected. This weekend, the famous Long Bien Bridge across the Red River was closed to traffic for a two-day festival of arts. Nancy and I were able to walk across without getting run over or choked by exhaust. In fact, the breeze off the water was quite cool.

The bridge is a historical landmark in Hanoi. Designed by Alexandre Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame), it was built in 1898 and originally named the Doumer Bridge after Paul Doumer, who was president of France during Vietnam's colonial period. During the American-Vietnam War, it was repeatedly hit by American bombs and repeatedly, and rapidly, rebuilt by Vietnamese youth.

Most of the art consisted of paintings of the bridge. White banners were stretched along the bridge so people could add their comments and graffiti.

A few sketch artists and calligraphy artists had set up shop along the side of the road.

 

I'm grateful to the student who told me about the festival. It was a great afternoon to be out and about down by the river.

Rainy Day Thoughts

If I owned a house in Hanoi, I'd figure out how to catch the rain and use it. According to the leaky plastic pot in our courtyard, today's rain dropped about 4 inches (10 cm). That's pretty typical for the "big rain" that falls here in the summer and fall. With this one four-hour storm, 1300 gallons (4900 lit.) of fresh water poured off our steel roof and down the drain. That's at least two weeks worth of water for the two of us. And, as polluted as the Hanoi sky is, it would still be cleaner than what comes from the tap. It's not that I'm worried about my $5/month water bill, it's just that it seems like it would be a better use of this valuable resource than having it flood the streets and wash into the sewage canal.

The U.S. Virgin Islands requires a rainwater collection plan for all new building permits, as do some parts of Arizona and New Mexico. About 5% of the population of Hawaii depends on rainwater. Maryland encourages collection on a small scale to slow the runoff of pollutants and lawn fertilizers into the Chesapeake Bay. Colorado recently changed their laws to allow limited collection. With the availability of fresh water becoming an increasing problem in the Middle East, the American West, India, China (of course) and a lot of other places around the globe, rainwater collection seems like a good part of the solution.

If you're interested in reading more, the Texas Water Development Board has some good information, including a downloadable how-to manual. If you just want to start thinking about a winter project for next year's garden, this Sustainable Gardening blog has a lot of information for you.

Routine at Last?

Life seems to have settled into a rhythm, but change may be in the air. It's possible that my two "English Enhancement" classes will be switched out for regular undergraduate classes. Most of the Enhancement students have excellent English already and are earning their livings as interpreters. They graduated years ago and are taking this course to improve their interpreting skills. The Enhancement class is a small component of it. Unfortunately, because they have good language skills already, there's not much to teach them and they often are unwilling to do any of the exercises in class. A few are downright argumentative. (Please don't try to tell me "gauge" can also be pronounced "gawge.") If my schedule gets changed, I will not be sorry to see them go.

On the positive side are my 4th year reading classes. While some of the students are new to me, I've taught most of them in one or two other courses over the last two years. It's nice for them because they know what to expect from me and for me because I know what I can expect from them.

The Supper Club is back in business and each Tuesday night Nancy and I have dinner with five students we've known for a while. Dinner's usually followed by Jenga, Uno or Taboo. It's our turn to cook next week - an expensive proposition when you're making western food for seven people, but worth it for the friendships.

Nancy still tires easily, but is able to do more than she could a month ago. She's started tutoring one student from last year, a friend, and a woman who's trying to pass the exam to get into the DAV faculty. This morning she went out to Ciputra where a friend, Peggy, invited a group of women to officially celebrate Nancy's return to VN and to hear her story firsthand. (It's 5 PM and she's still gone, so she must be having a good time -- of course, Kirsten's in town too.)

I know I should put some photos on this blog, but picture taking hasn't become part of my routine yet.