ETA Conference!

Hey peeps,

So last weekend was the ETA conference at Tiền Giang University, as well as adventures in Ho Chi Minh City with Trevor and my mom. Fun times, read on!

The ETA conference was originally proposed by me after the mid-year conference in Da Lat. My idea was to bring in ETAs from all around Vietnam to speak at Ben Tre College. The conference would be on teaching strategies, and teachers from Ben Tre could listen to and discuss a variety of new topics.

Bến Tre College agreed to have the conference in mid-January, and by early February plans were in motion. Teachers and staff at Bến Tre College were very excited about the prospect of an ETA conference in Bến Tre, which they had never had before. By the beginning of March, I had five ETAs signed up to participate—Quan, Trevor, Jess, Lindsay and Justin.

But then, disaster struck! Three weeks before the conference I was abruptly informed that the conference was cancelled. The reasons given were sketchy and vague, something to do with having too many foreigners at Bến Tre College. With unsatisfying answers and no more information forthcoming, I was left to shrug my shoulders and muse on the perils of working in Vietnam. I informed my fellow ETAs that the conference had been cancelled, then threw myself back into my teaching, frustrated yet accepting.

Then, out of the blue, the conference was revived! Lindsay, from Tiền Giang University, asked her dean if it would be possible to have the conference in Tiền Giang! With myself having already gotten five ETAs to sign on and to submit their topics, we had an entire conference ready to go. We just needed a place to hold it. Tiền Giang University graciously allowed us to use their facilities, and suddenly the conference was back on! And because Tiền Giang University is only thirty minutes away from Ben Tre College, it barely required any change of travel plans.

Suddenly, the Joint Conference of Tiền Giang University and Bến Tre College was on!

We arrived at Tiền Giang University on Thursday evening at various points in the night. We unpacked our bags, and then lounged around the kitchen. Some of us worked to polish up our presentations, and others cooked American food for the upcoming potluck lunch. Some of us (Justin and I) did neither, and just chatted in the kitchen while getting in everybody’s way. Eventually Aunt Lindsay shushed us and sent us off to bed.

The next morning, we had a full day of presentations. There were five presentations, given by myself, Trevor and Justin, Jessica, Quan, and Lindsay and Annie. Forty teachers were in attendance, the majority from Tiền Giang University but a sizeable group from Bến Tre College was there as well. My Mẹ was there as well, although Dad, Elly and Minh-Anh had already gone back to the U.S.

The audience

First presentation--Culture Shock: Challenges and Triumphs for an American Teacher in a Vietnamese Classroom, by Jefferson Viet-Anh Day

Continuing the presentation

Writing down causes of culture shock

Justin: "I tried to get more pictures of you, but your mouth is just wide open all the time."

Second presentation-- The Benefits of a Student-Centered Classroom, by Justin Trop and Trevor Joseph Gionet, jr. 

Trevor speaks

Third presentation--Formative vs. Summative Assessments by Jessica Plate

All the presentations were very well-received, and there was a lot of good discussion among the audience. The teachers in attendance from Tiền Giang University and Bến Tre College were very good audience members, listening intently and energetically participating in activities.

We took a break for lunch, where the ETAs shared classic American food such as deviled eggs and tuna sandwiches among the more traditional Vietnamese fare.

post-lunch presentations. Number 4--"What does that mean?" Effective activities for teaching vocabulary

Unfortunately I did not get a picture of presentation number 5--Creative Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement by Lindsay Allen and Annie Priest, but it was still a really cool presentation!

The six Fulbright ETA presenters! Justin, myself, Jessica, Quan, Lindsay and Trevor!

Conference attendees and presenters

The Bến Tre College attendees with Quan, Jessica, Trevor and myself. 

After the conference there were plans to go to a restaurant and have dinner with all the Tiền Giang university teachers. However, I was informed at the last minute that Mr. Hoang’s mother had died that morning. Mr. Hoang, my guide and closest friend in Bến Tre, was devastated. Plans in Tiền Giang were cancelled for me as Mẹ and I went back to Bến Tre for the wake.

I came back from the wake late at night, and met up with the rest of the ETAs. We spent the rest of the night playing bananagrams into the wee hours of the night.

Justin, Quan and Jessica had all left by the early morning, but Trevor, Lindsay and I spent some time wandering through Mỹ Tho (To clear up any confusion, Tiền Giang is the province, and the city is called Mỹ Tho).

Wandering through the market

Live squid, eels and shrimp for sale

Cao Dai Temple

Back into the market

Then we said goodbye to Lindsay and headed into Ho Chi Minh City! I spent Saturday afternoon with Trevor, his cousin and his cousin’s friends, then the evening having a nice dinner with Mẹ. That night, Mẹ and I sneaked into the opera house so that she could survey the interior. 

Mẹ relaxing in her comfy chair

Inside the Opera House

Struck with wonder

Later I met up with Trevor and his friend Trinh, and all of us partied late into the night.

Sunday morning was Easter! Which meant 6:30 am mass, after being out until 3:00 am…ugh. Luckily it was still relatively cool that morning, and we went to church at Notre Dame of Saigon, a very beautiful colonial church.

After Easter mass, a quick nap, and Easter brunch, Mẹ and I met up with an old friend of my grandfather’s, and then had a second Easter brunch with my family! Then I spent the afternoon with Trevor and his friends before having one last meal with Mẹ before her flight back home.

Last meal with Mẹ before her flight back to the states

Well, that’s it! My family came for two weeks, and during that time we visited Ho Chi Minh City, Bến Tre and Mui Ne, and my Mẹ came to my conference as well! I’d say it was a successful visit, and it was wonderful to see all of them. The conference went perfectly, so thank you to Lindsay and Tiền Giang University for organizing and holding it! I'm glad so many teachers from Bến Tre could come, and I think everyone had a good time. 

So, that’s another fun weekend in the books. Just realized that I have less than two months left in Vietnam. Gurk. Where did the time go? Will keep you updated on the rest of my adventures!

Peace,
Jefferson

Puppy on a floating fish farm. Two things that are both awesome.