KUE – NTU – House in Phu My

KUE left the decision to book a flight, whether by them or by myself, to me. Many of us chose the flight which was offered by KUE. But that flight was overprized and required stops in Bahrain and in Bangkok.

Hence I searched on Internet for a cheaper and more convenient one. I found the most suitable option after a few minutes. What’s more this preference granted me a free baggage allowance of 38 kg. That was good to have – coz I carried along two bags of German chocolate and candy.

I arrived on time after a trouble free short stop in Bangkok, obtained my Visa at the Immigration office desk and picked up my bags from the baggage claim. To my surprise I didn’t see any of the other volunteers who should have landed just a few minutes earlier than me. So I headed alone to the meeting area. I was warmly welcomed by a friendly young Vietnamese man. He drove me to Nguyen Trai University.

There I was introduced to my coordinator Lan. She explained that the other volunteers had missed their connection flight in Bahrain and stuck there for one day. Therefore we postponed the introduction day and I was unexpectedly free. That day I met my old Vietnamese friends.

The private university was founded in 2008. Its main office is in Ladeco Building, a high rise in the heart of Ba Dinh District. The sight from one of the teaching rooms points to Westlake. The lake is surrounded by traditional quarters and new modern Skyscrapers. Motorcycles dwarf from this height. The university is investing in the 340.000 m2 Nguyen Trai educational complex at Ha Dong District and will move to it after completion.

“Nguyen Trai University is striving to become one of the top universities in Viet Nam and the region by achieving international standards in education programs and delivery. It aims at all-round personal development of students with high moral, intellectual, professional standards and sound physical and aesthetic capability, dedicated to the service of the society.”

The schedule doesn’t keep me too busy with just four hours of Vietnamese lessons a day. But the timetable is rather inconvenient with a four hours lunch break. We additionally teach English at Ha Thanh High School. Further projects are in planning and will follow shortly.

The new semester starts this week. Roughly 200 new students will begin their studies at NTU. We will guide and assist them.

Contrary to the original planning we don’t stay in host families yet. All volunteers live in a house 15 minutes afar My Dinh bus station. Either two or three people share a room. The furnishing is reduced to what is absolutely necessary; a thin small foam mattress. (It was worn out after a few days)

We are still young so I don’t complain. However I cannot even think of easy sleep. Our house is opposite the local cultural house. The squawking loudspeaker announcement starts every day at 5.30. At around 6 o’clock people come to play volleyball on the adjoining field.

Therefore my day starts early. The neighboring village offers a sufficient number of delicious Vietnamese street food. We cover the distance to university on foot and by bus in approximately 60 minutes. Though, I prefer the motorbike instead. My aged but fast Honda Dream II takes me to my workplace in 15 minutes.

I am on good terms with the other volunteers. We undertake a lot in the spare time. We also have close contact to the students of our university. We invited them on occasion of mid-autumn festival to our house. We cooked Vietnamese and German specialties and had a great but short time.

The weather is typical for Ha Noi. Some days it is hot and humid other days rainy. The smog irritates the respiratory tract. Accordingly all of us got ill in no time.

New assignment

It’s been an absence of eight months; time to revive my blog. Here are a few lines to abstract the recent months since my return last winter. I was employed by my company for four months. But I left Germany for Viet Nam another time in April. I was warmly welcomed and quick settled in. I supported a few smaller projects and spent the remaining time with Vietnamese as well as International friends. I discovered Ha Long Bay and went to Cua Lo for bathing. My Visa expired after three months and I had to leave Viet Nam. I took the plane to Thailand, stayed there for one week, and then headed home.

The exchange year hasn’t changed, surprisingly, my German daily life. I remember well my recommencement. It is an undeniable fact that I feel great in my familiar environment. However I found myself thinking back about Viet Nam. Some German companions who also volunteered in Viet Nam experienced a similar sentiment. Hence we decided to meet again in Germany. It was easier said than done in a group of different regional provenance and crammed schedules. We finally agreed on a long weekend in March. We’ve had a cracking good time and we felt like in the good old VN-days. Moreover we even cooked Vietnamese dishes; Bun Cha and Nem. It is rather simple to shop for these ingredients in Germany on account of our migrants. What a coincidence! The owners of the next “Asia-Shop” were Vietnamese and open for a chat in Vietnamese with us, too.

Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood. I grew up in a society where people let others live freely. Live and let live. However, my second home is Viet Nam. I was up for volunteering once more. Hence I sorted the wide range of opportunities and applied at some organizations. An important criterion of the nonpaid voluntary service is the coverage of board and lodging. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany launched the “weltwärts” development volunteers program in 2008. “Learning by serving” is the motto of the volunteers’ service. It promotes the exchange between North and South in this way.

“Encounters between North and South help to promote understanding for one another. And this is particularly true when participants have prepared well for these encounters. In Germany, there are several programs enabling young people to get involved in development activities and get to know other ways of life. These programs are not about giving adventurous globetrotters a travel grant. In seminars, program participants are prepared thoroughly for their encounter with the foreign country. They also look at the opportunities and limits of their own involvement and think about what they themselves and their partners abroad expect from the encounter. And even before the trip, plans are made for participants to share their experience with people in Germany after they return. The young people themselves thus become “multipliers”, sharing their experience and engaging in development education work.” (Source BMZ)

Quite a few German organizations are assigned to run this service. I have signed the contract with the child and development aid association (KUE) for 6 months. I will assist at the Vietnamese-German vocational training center of Nguyen Trai University (NTU). Our volunteer group amounts to 18 boys and girls. Sixteen run services at NTU and two at a publishing company. Each of us will stay in a host family.

I’m already looking forward to my upcoming tasks. Particularly with regard to come up to one’s expectations. I have booked the flight for the 13^th of September and arrive one day later in Ha Noi. Henceforward my blog undergoes a change in the frequency of publishing new reports. I will post once a month instead of twice as in the past. I’m out of here, will pack my suitcase and see some of you in the coming days.

The final post

Back home at the heart of Europe. I’m sitting at my desk. I find myself in daydreams; not knowing what’s going on with me. Where am I? What am I supposed to do here? Well, the everyday life with family, friends and my actual work has got me back. My Vietnamese lifestyle’s still present. It would be nice to continue blogging to deal easier with the changed circumstance. But I won’t blog almost certainly about my current life. A blog about Germany would appear analogous to my Viet Nam blog. If I maintain writing, then I’d start like this: “Germany is not perfect by far. Germans are polite but insecure. It makes them act strange. Quite many Germans occupied the same aircraft on my flight home. A lot of German habits are unlike to the Vietnamese practice. My compatriots are always afraid to act off beam in this and that way. Thus they anxiously stick to their manner of perfectionism. My fellow citizens yearn for firm statements. They cannot live in uncertain case in point. More to the subject, they complain and grumble constantly. Charmingly, however goofy they are. “

I’ve got much love to both countries. My life is basically lined by luck and accomplishments. But I have written about topics which are running not yet smoothly on the other hand. Sigh, it became my main intention. Neither ones country nor culture is considered to be superior. They are different however equal. I reported about differences and picked out weak links. Others learnt from me and I learnt from my Vietnamese sphere. Thanks for your interest in my blog. Thanks for reading the posts and sharing your thoughts with me. Appreciation also goes to criticisms. The foreseen end of the blog has come.

My last days in Ha Noi passed in a flash. I met friends and was busy. Joscha and Yann left on December 30th. New Years Eve started with Italian dinner. We celebrated New Year in a bar afterwards. I did my last purchases on the following days. I started my departure day early and packed my suitcase. The taxi took me to the airport in the morning. I was able to observe the dynamically activities in the streets for last time. The traffic was catastrophic as usual. I wished to ride my motorbike again. Even so I got rid of my bike already. I was quite surprised managing check in without over luggage.

The flight had an eight hours lasting stop in Taipei. The ongoing landing in Frankfurt was astonishing. The sky was still shady at exactly 06:13 CET. Then I saw the first skyscrapers. The locals got up and illuminated their rooms. I observed the beautiful skyline and took notice to the pilot’s announcements. He informed us about the cold 3°C outside temperature. He was right; shivers ran down my spine. It was cold and my hands petrified. However, the air was fresh and clean. I took the intercity express to reach Berlin. I crossed many villages, cities and tunnels and took pleasure in the wonderful snowy scenery on the ride. The snow reflected the golden sunrays. The sky shone in light blue.

I had to change transportation several times to get to the small little village Gussow in Brandenburg. The journey to my evaluation camp ended after more than thirty hours in a remote area. I walked twenty minutes by foot throughout snow and ice. The seminar house was sited in a forest next to a lake. Then I identified well-known faces. I was looking forward to the coming five days. My organization offered us help for reintegration. The units were mostly thrilling and controversial. We exchanged stories and had a great time together. I don’t consider my point of view different to my attitude before my exchange year. But this experience has reinforced my conviction that priorities can change due to circumstances.

I will return to Viet Nam soon. The evening crowns the day; my purpose in Viet Nam is still incomplete. Work and friends are waiting for me in Ha Noi. My project was all in all a prosperous mission. I experienced intercultural exchange. Giving and receiving insight into a different culture. I learnt much. I am not a saint as you can see. My future is uncertain. Well, what was relevant yesterday, may doesn’t count today. I thank once again for the loyal readership. I wish all of you happiness, health and success.

Best and warmest regards

Michael

My time in Viet Nam has come

Only one week left. My flight’s on the 3^rd of January. I will head to Berlin to the evaluation camp right after my arrival in Frankfurt. The seminar takes place in Gussow/Berlin, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Subsequent get back to the grindstone. I will go back to normality; get up at half past five in the morning, come back from work around six in the evening. I am curious to discover how my life has been changed by this year. I would wallow in self pity if it didn’t change me at all.

We had to move out of our house on the 17^th of December, due to the landlords missing backbone and omitted legal permit. The owner blithely ignored the problem which was provoked by them. They couldn’t stand the possible confrontation with the authorities. They mocked us and kept my deposit money in their pocket. They’re pathetic, but this circumstance won’t solve my case. We had to sell our furniture. I wrote around five hundred E-Mails to friends and acquaintances from Indigo. We got rid of everything with much effort and discounts of over fifty percent, sigh. Our hotel “Prince 57″ is not far from Hoan Kiem Lake. Thus the place’s very touristy. It is strange to be among many westerners again. The price level in Old Quarter is incredibly high. Everything is so expensive and inferior quality.

Our residence

Christmas in Viet Nam. Well, the shop window advertisement changed to a bizarre kitschy snowy something. I can even find cheesy Christmas pictures and banners in my Cau Giay District. The true acceptation of Christmas is mostly unknown. But at least the profitable strength of this event has been recognized during the years of western influence. For me, Christmas is best with family at home. But this year I stayed in Asia. I celebrated Christmas Eve with friends in Ha Noi. Besides I think that this New Years Eve will be different because it’s not the Vietnamese New Year. The Vietnamese New Year “Tet” is directed after the lunar calendar. Tet is at the end of January in 2009.

Actually, I miss my old residence. The people and the surrounding area. Even the noise of drilling, hammering and yelling of the construction workers. The melodies and singing voices of the mobile traders on their bicycles. The friendly but confused people who couldn’t stop looking at us mostly in combination with a murmured “Tay”. On the other hand I also miss the countless low-priced restaurants which supplied me all day long with snacks and delicious Vietnamese food. I miss the people who invited me for tea or rice wine. Even so the entertaining chats with locals. Further the laughter about my mispronounced Vietnamese. I miss the contrast. I found myself in a steadily changing neighborhood. My house represents the traditional style. It is located in a narrow, winding lane. It is high and contracted. My neighbors spoke no more than Vietnamese. I often observed the life from my roof terrace. I listened to Vietnamese voices, perceived the sound of motorbikes and watched the workers on their construction sites. I saw children playing, women washed clothes and men processed rice, vendors waited for customers, dogs romped around and here and there singing or whistling Vietnamese. Sometimes I was just quiet and studied. The life’s different a few streets ahead. There are large buildings, shopping centers and a developing amusement industry.

Around our residence

I haven’t had much holiday this year. Hence I stopped teaching at the beginning of December. But I kept work for Indigo and held workshops. VPV’s evaluation took place in a Welfare Center in Ba Vi, extended Ha Noi. It was all in all satisfactory. The time will tell if our comments, criticisms and encouragements will improve VPV’s operation process. I felt strange while telling my learners that the end of my teaching had come. I realized that I enjoyed my volunteering much. My pupils are important to me and I’d like to work longer with them. However, the subsequent weeks weren’t monotonous at all. I stayed in touch with many. I received SMS, E-Mails and calls. They invited me for drinks, parties and even marriages.

It is time to say goodbye. I leave my Vietnamese community. I have to return to Germany. The year passed too fast. I’d like to turn back the hands of time; spending additional time with friends. But then I remember one of my student’s words. She said: “I don’t say goodbye. I’d rather say, see you soon!” I agreed. Viet Nam, see you soon! Best wishes and a Happy New Year.