October 1995:

Hanoi, Vietnam in April. Sounds
exotic doesn’t it? That experience
became possible for me thanks to a
$3,800 Asia Pacific Award from the
British Columbia Centre for
International Education.

My proposal to teach either
English, French or Women’s Studies
met the November 1, 1995 deadline,
but there is still a crucial element
missing — an invitation. In order to
go to Vietnam, a person must have an
invitation from an institution
corresponding to what they want you
to do.

As luck would have it, a
visiting Vietnamese
official Dr.
Mai Van
Tinh,
senior
expert with
the Ministry
of Advanced
Education, is
in British
Columbia at the

Aime. John Potts,
dean of Business,
Human Services
and _ International Services,
puts me in touch with him and he
supplies me with contacts. I spend
hours in front of the fax machine

sending messages. None are answered.

Dr. Tinh leaves Vancouver in early
December. In a last attempt to procure
an invitation, John manages to get a
message to Dr. Tinh asking him to
assist me further. Within two weeks of
his return to Hanoi, I have an
invitation in my hands. The Economic
University of Hanoi has offered me a
three-month contract to teach English
as a Second Language in their
Language Centre.

The weeks before my departure are
hectic and include a meeting with Mr.
Hai Le, a Vietnamese instructor for
the Asia Pacific Management
Cooperative Program, who gives me
tapes and Vietnamese lessons. Then,
vaccinations, last minute purchases,
and raid the ESL Department of any
old books. Tony Souza, Laura
Tamori and Joan Acosta are

extremely helpful. As I was asked to
teach business English, Gerrie Waugh
lets me pick and choose texts freely. My
colleagues in Humanities and Social
Sciences clean their shelves, while my
travel agent manages to talk Cathay
Pacific into letting me take 140 extra
pounds of books at no additional charge.

April 9, 1996:

Departure day. I will be away for four
months. Three teaching months and one
month vacation.

Overnight in Hong Kong, then
arrival in Hanoi.

Olga, her
students, and
the director,
Song Thu
Bideau, in
front of Hoa
Sua in Hanoi.

April 12:

I was supposed to have been met.
Oops — no one. Fortunately, St.
Christopher and Tara, the patron saint
and goddess protecting travellers, come
to my rescue by means of a Vietkieu (the
term for a Vietnamese national who has
left the country and has lived abroad)
lawyer, who gets me to the university.

April 13:

Move to the Residence for
Foreigners. First ride on the back of a
motorcycle whizzing though the streets
of Hanoi. (Is my insurance valid?)
Saturday and Sunday I explore Hanoi by
foot.

April 16:

First official day of work. I will be
teaching evening conversation classes,
Monday to Thursday, from 5:30 to 7:30
p.m. Class sizes range from 20 to 50
people, ages 18 to 45. Thank goodness
for the materials I have brought with me.
I try to use everything Canadian —

|

Olga Kempo tours F

Diary of a Tri

Have you had dreams of motd
foods, unique and ancient |
applying for a British Colum
Award? Humanities instructo
that and found herself in anof
months last year. Submit y¢

February | deadline and you

in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cl
Indonesia, Japan, Korea,
Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan
Vietnam. The award progra
of Education, Skills and Train
the British Columbia Centre ff
Call BCCIE at 895-5070 for

@nformer