Working Abroad

Most of my blog posts thus far have focused on all of the fun things I have been experiencing in Vietnam outside the work arena. But, since I am actually here in Vietnam to volunteer as a business development advisor and many of you have been asking about how my work is going, I thought it only appropriate to dedicate a blog post to my actual work life.

Work thus far has been very challenging, but also very rewarding. There are many steep learning curves for me to overcome including understanding the Vietnamese business and government systems, the handicraft industry, the non-profit arena, the disability sector --- all while working with language barriers. I am also learning how to be more flexible, patient, resilient and resourceful in my quest to be an effective and contributing member at work.

But the rewards certainly balance out the obstacles --- I love interacting with the youth with disabilities at the center every day. They are incredibly fun, endearing and talented individuals. I love the challenge of working at a social enterprise that also has a business side and trying to determine how to effectively weave these seemingly opposite concepts effectively together. Additionally, I love the opportunity to share the skills that I have been blessed with through education and experience with those at the center.

Yesterday, I started my weekly marketing and business development 101 training course with the administration staff. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed teaching the material and even more surprised by how satisfied I felt at the conclusion of the interactive session when those who participated smiled and said that they had learned something. Wow - what a great feeling that I didn't expect to get from teaching a training class. I am excited to see how next week's training session goes.

Sometimes it is hard to visualize the way that things are without images (at least for me) so below are a few pictures of the center, the people and the center's products:

A Fun Weekend

This past weekend, my dear VSO friend from Hanoi came down for a visit. Despite our age gap (she's in her 50s and I'm in my 20s) we really connect and always have such a good time together. This past weekend was no exception.

We had the opportunity to explore some true treasures of Hue that are a little off the beaten path including a colliseum arena where people of Hue's past would fight elephants and tigers (the elephants represented the monarch and the tigers represented rebellion so the elephants would always win the fight), a Japanese covered bridge situated in the beautiful, incredibly green countryside and a Chinese meeting house in the ancient part of Hue. In addition to these historical visits, we ate some yummy Vietnamese food, went to a Vietnamese/Western party at a high end hotel in town, went to English club, etc., etc. Needless to say, the weekend was action packed and enjoyable.

Below are some picture highlights from the weekend:

Visiting the Real Vietnam

I have always loved traveling and experiencing the sights, tastes, sounds and smells that make a particular corner of the world a unique and different place from all the other places out there.

From a young age, I would look forward to family vacations and now, many, many years later, I remember with fondness the fun-filled trips we shared together: Colorado, Arizona, California, England.... And, as a teenager and now, as an adult, I have been fortunate to take part in many international adventures -- studying abroad in Oxford, participating in mission trips to Honduras and Jamaica, taking business class trips to Argentina and Italy. From all of these adventures, I got to see life from a different vantage point for a brief moment of time.

While my time in Vietnam is another opportunity for me to experience life from a different vantage point, this experience is quite different in that I am getting the unique chance to immerse myself in the culture rather than getting a tiny, little taste -- kind of like diving into the pool versus dipping your toe in the water.

I was thinking about this as I watched a pack of tourists with a Vietnamese guide this weekend. Their experiences here will most definitely be different from my own. While we both probably visited the citadel and took a dragon boat down the Perfume River, there are many things these tourists will probably not have the opportunity to partake in:

- Learning how to make a Vietnamese handicraft from a teenager with disabilities -- one of the sweetest, funniest and most talented teenagers I know
- Eating a variety of Vietnamese street food with my local friends
- Experiencing the wind whip through my hair as I drive to work every morning aboard my electric bike
- Singing my heart out with my friends at kareoke and trying desperately to sing a song in Vietnamese
- Visiting church every week and interacting with the church members who are so welcoming and encouraging....and also trying desperately to sing along with the church songs in Vietnamese :)
- Riding aboard my friend's motorbike to a beautiful place in Hue well off the beaten path
- Playing tien len, a very popular Vietnamese card game, with my friends and experiencing the sheer joy of beating them after they were confident I would lose big
- Practicing English each week with a college English club and seeing firsthand their dedication and enthusiasm for learning a new language

These are just some of the things I have come to love here. While there are certainly days that are frustrating and hard, I am truly loving experiencing the real Vietnam.

Getting Around Town in True Vietnamese Fashion

Before I arrived in Vietnam, I read all about how the main form of transportation is by way of motorbike (or more like off roading/dirt type bikes for those reading this in the US) and I thought it would be really cool to learn how to drive a bike during my time overseas. However, when I first arrived and observed the unsystematic and very unfamiliar traffic patterns, I thought that there was no way I was ever going to drive a bike here, especially in a major metropolitan city like Hanoi. At first, I was very hesitant to cross the street as a pedestrian, let alone attempt to control a moving vehicle!

Yet, upon arriving in Hue, a much smaller and more manageable city, especially traffic wise, I began to rethink my initial hesitations and concerns. I slowly got used to the traffic patterns here as well as being transported around on my friends' motorbikes as a passenger (don't worry Mom -- I always choose to ride with safe drivers:). And, after a few weeks in Hue, I decided to invest in an electric bike, as my work place is several miles from my home and much too far to cycle to during the hot, summer months!

Learning how to drive an electric bike for the first time made me reflect on my days as a fifteen year old, nearly eleven years ago, when I first began driving a car. I can remember being so unsure and hesitant behind the wheel of a car. In the same way, I was a little tentative as I practiced the first few times on my bike (again, Mom -- don't worry!; I practiced far away from other drivers) and provided my local friends here with some good laughs at my expense as I timidly drove about 10 miles an hour down the street. However, after LOTS of practice and a few weeks of driving, I am happy to say that I now feel very comfortable on the road, although I always drive much slower than the locals :)

My electric bike operates very much like the motorbikes here, except it runs on a battery and I have to charge it every 40 k or so. It is nice to not have to worry about the language barrier in the instance of getting gasoline every week for my bike, but we shall see how high our electricity bill is at the end of the month!




Yes, there are actually heart and doll graphics on my bike. Since one is not legally able to operate a true motorbike until he/she is eighteen, most of the people who drive electric bikes here are teenagers (or foreigners!), hence the teenage-like decorations.