January 24/97

r

Hanoi on a cyclo.

p to Vietnam

‘e tropical climates, foreign
‘cultures? Thought about
nbia Asia Pacific Scholars’
or Dr. Olga Kempo did just
»ther world for almost four
our application before the
| could spend your summer
hina, Hong Kong, India,
, Malaysia, Philippines,
a, or, perhaps, like Olga, in
n is funded by the Ministry
ing, and processed through
for International Education.

i

t more information.

}

Canadian songs and books by Canadian
authors. I am a real ambassador for
Canada.

It will take a few weeks to get a full
complement of courses, so I look for
some other volunteer work. No
television and no radio means a
lot of spare time.

An Australian
colleague
working on a
special project
at the
Language
Centre asks
me to teach
English to
some
street kids from
7:30 to 8:30 a.m. every
Monday. Hoa Sua, a French non-
governmental organization, teaches the
bakery and restaurant trade to street kids
and children from poor families. Within
six months, these children will have
jobs. There are between 25 and 35
students learning restaurant vocabulary
with lots of improvisation from me.

I also volunteer on Mondays from
9:30 to 11:30 a.m. teaching a group of
people who work for the Ministry of
Science, Technology and Environment.
They want to learn vocabulary for
international conferences. Plus, I find
myself teaching the three or four staff in
the Language Centre.

My salary is 200,000 dong per month,
or US$18. In comparison, a doctor
makes about 250,000 dong, or US$22
per month. I have lots of doctors in my
class because the university is close to a
hospital.

Meanwhile, back at the university . . .
I am facing a challenge — no direction
and no curriculum. I teach what I want.
Every two weeks I manage to travel out
of Hanoi on one-, two-, or three-day
trips.

July 8:

Three months later . . . | am just
getting into the swing of things and now
it’s time to leave. I spend a month’s
vacation travelling from Hanoi in North
Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh City, in the
south. A system of minibuses makes
travel both inexpensive and very easy. It

costs me $US54 to go from one end of
Vietnam to the other. Hotels cost
approximately $7 per night. Back
packers can find accommodation for
about $2 a night.

I look up one of our former
instructors, Al Oberndorf, who now
lives in Ho Chi Minh City. His hospitality

is incredible.

Employees of the
Ministry of Science,
Technology and
Environment pose
for a photo with
their teacher.

July 22:

Finally, the fulfilment of a
dream of a lifetime — a visit to the ruins
and architectural achievements of the
Khmer civilization of Angkor, built
between the 9th and 13th centuries.
Located in North West Cambodia, it
includes a series of monuments, one
more astounding than the next.

July 26:

Next, on to Laos in south east Asia and
its capital Vientiane, followed by a visit
to its former capital, Luang Prabang.
Then —

August 6:

Home.

I’d like to thank John Potts for his
assistance and everyone from the College
community who donated books for me to
take.

I got to know two female doctors who
were in my class and I’m now sending
medical books to them. If you know
anyone who is going to Vietnam, please
ask them to contact me to arrange to take
a book over to these doctors. I’m at local
2422, or at e-mail
okempo@capcollege.bc.ca

I would also like to encourage others
to travel to different countries like I did.
With this award system, you can go toa
variety of places. It was an extremely
enriching experience and one which left
me completely renewed when I returned
home.