First post in my shiny new blog

I’m not quite sure the “theme” of this blog. I have two months before I leave for Hanoi, Vietnam so I will be covering everything up until that point and my life in Vietnam. I’m also going to write my feelings on travel, and I guess any other erratic thoughts that I feel compelled to discuss with this platform. I apologize in advance for my poor writing skills as I haven’t written anything substantial since college, but I promise that the more I write the better I will become!

For those who haven’t been filled in with all of the details of my big move, here it goes:

In January I accepted an English teaching position in Hanoi, Vietnam with Language Link. I’ll be leaving (officially) May 12^th and I will return sometime in May 2009. When I arrive the school promised to help with my stay at a guest house until I find my own apartment. I’m not quite sure whether I will live with other people, or if I will choose to live on my own. Right now I’m feeling like I will want to live in a studio apartment on my own, but perhaps when I get there I’ll feel differently? We’ll see.

Why Vietnam? I can’t really pinpoint a reason for my decision. Many people are choosing to teach in South Korea because the schools pay very well, but I don’t feel drawn to South Korea. Others choose Japan usually for the same reason, and because there is a great demand for English teachers, but again I don’t feel that pull towards Japan. I definitely believe in following my instinctive tug when making a decision. I saw that there were a few postings for positions in Vietnam, and I felt comfortable with that choice, so I informed my teacher placement person with Oxford Seminars and she sent my CV (resume) over to Language Link and I had an interview set up a week later!

I feel the need to explain the meaning behind the title of this blog, “Further than the lid of a pot” A little over a month ago I called my friend Kristi to tell her that I am moving to Vietnam to teach English, she responded excitedly by saying she’s going there as well for the same purpose but a few months after me. Because she’s Kristi she already had an amazing book to recommend (best book recommender ever!) called The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam by Dana Sachs. Perfect! I immediately ordered it on Half.com and started reading as soon as it came in the mail. Even before the author began her story she offered a Vietnamese proverb:

A frog that sits at the bottom of a well
thinks that the whole sky
is only as big as the lid of a pot.

When I read that I recognized how perfectly this fits into my life. I realize how much I don’t want to be that frog that chooses to sit at the bottom of the well only to be limited by the small view it’s given. I want to stretch myself as far as I can go. I want to be challenged and take risks, I want to learn from people who have lived a life far unlike mine and share my own to inspire others to also make extraordinary choices.

Life is too short to stay in the same place, think the same way, do the same things, and meet the same kind of people. It’s confining, and as Pete would say, “soul destroying.” Obviously, I feel so strongly about the proverb that I had to make it the title of my blog.

The other week my close friend Noelice expressed with such disappointment something along the lines of, “You know, I was looking at August in my planner and all of a sudden I realized ‘Jessica isn’t going to be here.’”. That killed me. This seems to be the sentiment that I’m receiving about my leaving for Vietnam from everyone. I understand it isn’t so much the fact that I’m going at all because I know for a fact that my friends support me and feel that this is something that I’ve wanted to do, something that I’ve been needing to do…but it’s just that I will be gone for a whole year. I don’t know why I am surprised every time I discuss the plans for my trip with my friends and they get this sorrowful look in their eyes. It’s almost as if they feel like I’m abandoning them, and I feel like they should know better than that. I anticipate these feelings to come from Pete and my mother, but I do expect more from my friends. I believe that my friends will remain my friends no matter where either of us travels to and I want them to understand that. Is this selfish? I’ll probably discuss this more in other entries.

There are some things that I have learned that are important to assist in counter-acting culture shock when moving to a new country:

• Discuss problems with someone who is or may have been in your place and can empathize with your feelings.
• Create a schedule for yourself – it’s imperative to keep busy! (More on this later)
• Find time to be alone to process new stimulus and chill out.
• Learn as much about the culture as possible through reading about their history, learning the language, becoming familiar with etiquette, and especially by eating their food! This is the most helpful when done prior to arrival.
• This is a must: accept that certain everyday processes that may have been simple at home may be more frustrating and time consuming in your new country…so just deal with it and go with the flow. I’ve learned this first hand with the post office in Kolkata.
• Maintain an open mind and a sense of humor.

I need to decide on a few goals I would like to accomplish while I am in Vietnam besides teaching English. This will help me develop a schedule and a routine which will make my transition into the county go smoother. I also need routine in my life anyway no matter where I am…I thrive on it otherwise I feel uncomfortable and depressed. Here are a few ideas:

• Yoga classes
• Vietnamese classes
• Volunteer at a non-profit
• Make it my mission to have a deeper understanding of Buddhism
  
• Travel to China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore