Hello everyone! My name is Jamie Danielle, JD for short. To give you some background information about me. I have been teaching ELS in Asia for over three years now in three different countries. I quite like the experience, as each new country has its own culture, own food, and own personality. What better way to explore and immerse yourself in a new culture then to move there?
Vietnam is a long, beautiful country, with beautiful people. The country has a lot of beaches and the weather is hot, except in Winter. It’s almost always beach weather! Its easy to travel around Vietnam as there are many night buses that can take you to almost any place within the country. The people are friendly, warm, helpful, and all those wonderful adjectives you would use to describe good people. The students on the other hand are just like your normal, loud, outgoing, crazy kids.
Ha Tinh is a small rural city, that is trying to grow and growing it has done. There are always new little coffee shops, restaurants, gyms and/or clothing stores opening up. Vietnamese food is delicious, but if you are craving some western food, there are a few options in town. If Ha Tinh doesn’t serve your needs, you can always jump on a bus and explore the next closest “big” city and get your western food craving there. The beach is just a short drive away. There is a cinema that plays western movies in English, but you have to be quick as a new movie comes out every week. As for a light life, us expats that live here make the most out of it. There are a few night clubs and a few great places for drinking. The expat community is pretty closely knitted together, and hang out on most weekends. Its definitely a sight to be seen.
Teaching ESL in Vietnam is interesting. I joined New Vision in October 2018 and have finished my nine-month contract. Teachers are given free accommodation and a scooter/bike to get to and from the different schools around Ha Tinh City. The students are immensely curious about you. They will want to know every single thing about you. So, be prepared to answer a million questions. The best part about teaching here is walking into a classroom and the students are ecstatic to see you, or if you teach Kindy, you get a bunch of hugs before and after class. The smiles on their small little faces just melts my heart every time.