Blog Post 2

Venturing to Vietnam October 5, 2022
Welcome and thanks for reading about my adventures in Vietnam. I am incredibly blessed to be able to participate in this Fulbright DA program and I will be eternally grateful for being chosen. As a reminder I update this blog each Wednesday. Please forgive any typos I am often writing on my phone, iPad, and laptop … sometimes all at once. I go back and edit and read many,many times but mistakes happen. 

Work

So my goal in visiting Vietnam is to learn how schools are using technology in the classroom. My research before arriving talked about the number of EdTech companies located in Vietnam and the ways technology had been effectively implemented in the classroom. So far in my observations and discussions I discovered that, much like American schools, Covid provided a challenge for teachers and schools. Deciding how to start, what tools to use, and how to provide support was a challenge…the discussions were very reminiscent of our time struggling through the same problems. 

I have been able to observe classrooms from Kindergarten through High School at my host school, Skyline Global Campus. They have multiple schools and I am visiting each of them this week. It has been such a joy to see kids excited about learning. I have learned along with students in Math, Science, English, and more. Hearing “Hello Teacher Nancy” will never get old. Tuesday I met a 1st grader named Kayla and got to show her pictures of my cousin KK and her baby Eleanor. They oohed and ahhed over baby Eleanor, just like my students back at Hillel did when she was born. Not gonna lie, one math class had me struggling to remember the Pythagorean Theorem from my Pickens High School days and I was not doing well, but the students were amazing. I saw an amazing English lesson where kids were using graphic novels to learn vocabulary and practice their English skills. It is from the Cambridge curriculum. I was impressed with the historical concepts taught in this context and it made me wish we had some graphic novels for our Social Studies curriculum. Today I sat in class for math, Language, and English focusing on the steps of research. It was ironic to listen to then discuss the steps of research as I am observing them for my own research. 

I was excited to see teachers and admin using Canva! In Science the teacher shared a Canva template for their lesson and student groups filled in their learning and presented it to the class. They use it for creating signs, posters, and more. We also talked about Nearpod and how it helped them during Covid and since returning as well. When you make a good product it translates to use all over the globe! I have happily used these products as well and can not stop singing their praises. I am a Nearpod Pioneer and if you would like to try it out for free I have a 6 month Gold code! Email me nancypenchev@gmail.com. 

I ate traditional foods with the teachers and tried some local fruits. I told the team here about my Princess Nancy Tea Parties back home with my cousins Willow, Katie, and Ember and how I brought Dragon Fruit and Rambutan for them to try. Our next Princess tea party will be so much bigger with all the new kids in the Roper family!  Maybe I can find some Vietnamese fruits back in South Carolina! 

I learned that because of the tropical nature of Vietnam they have many amazing fruits that don’t grow in America, and different species of fruits we don’t have as well. Here there are many different kinds of mango from sweet to sour! I am not normally a brave eater, but I did try several things and loved it! (learn more) I ate the biggest grape I have ever seen and it was delicious. They shared a spicy salt they dip apples and other fruit in. It was so good! And I even found Clifford the Big Red Dog in the library and immediately sent the picture to my cousin Cliff back in South Carolina.

I was able to visit a Makerspace/STEM room at the Beach campus this week and saw some amazing projects. There were parking garages, buildings, bridges, and even shoes! I loved checking out the students in dance class and PE, too. The design of each school is a bit different. As a teacher in South Florida where rainnstorms come out of nowhere I loved the indoor playspace for kinder and covered playground. I'm impressed with Skyline's commitment to water safety. Each of their schools have a pool for swimming lessons as part of the school day. 

Fun

Part of the Fulbright program in the exploration of the area and cultural exchange through travel. We are fully taking this to heart as we explore Vietnam and the beautiful country. We ventured over to the Lady Buddha statue this week. (learn more) This is the tallest statue in Vietnam and I heard that since it was built Da Nang has not been directly hit by a serious typhoon. There are beautiful trees, a gorgeous view, and very peaceful places to reflect. And there are monkeys. I saw one grab a pouch of food out of a trashcan and start to eat with a fork and another grabbed a coffee cup from a recycling bin and tried to drink it. I kept a watch out because nope, not for me. And perhaps the most surprising part this week was finding Dr Pepper in my corner market. Now Michaela and Sandy can come visit! 

This weekend we went on a trip to Hue City. We took a local transportation van for the 2 ish hour ride at about $9 each person. Thanks Facebook for helping us find this gem. We got to see lots of the city and countryside on the journey. We even saw water buffalo, which made me so excited. My dad was in Vietnam during the war. This was my main reason for wanting to come here. Back about 10 years ago we had planned to come together with mom to see Pleiku and experience Vietnam in a positive way. I didn’t have enough money then to make it happen and now he has Alzheimer’s and is not comfortable traveling. But he has been with me every step. We talk and video call almost daily. I walked them around the neighborhood last night as we came back from groceries. I was worried he may obsess over this trip and worry about me, causing his illness to progress, but he has done well so far. Before we left mom said they were watching tv and out of nowhere he said, “You know she is going to see water buffalo over there”. The fact I finally saw them and could send him a picture made me so excited. Alzheimers is a strange and heartless disease that destroys your heart along with their mind. My sister fights by having family dinner each week where her sons, daughter in laws, and granddaughter get together to eat with my parents. My dad is so funny to watch with my niece Macie. He loves that girl and will get his 70 year old body on the floor and crawl all over with her. “GaPa play wif me” and off they go. We are building memories so when he can no longer remember, we can remember for all of us. Wow that took a bit of a heavy turn…back to the fun!

We toured the Citadel, a museum, and several tombs. Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (learn more) I get excited about the strangest things here, one of which was a mahjong table belonging to the mother of the King (I think). I immediately thought of my former colleague Rose Joh and how she was excited to retire so she could play more. As I travel through Vietnam I find myself making these connections to home, like the Citadel here reminded me of the Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine. I walked 8.36 miles on Saturday and just under 3 on Sunday. 

We took the brand new double decker bus tour around the city at night to see the bustling markets and communities. The Big Red Bus just started in Hue in September. While it is a staple in bigger cities around the US, it is still a novelty here and we were the only people on the day trip and one of two families for the night trip. They had a great audio tour that explained different locations around the city as we passed. The tour was available in several languages, which is helpful for this tourist spot. They have dragon boats that take you along the Perfume River down the center of Hue. This is the traditional hop on hop off method of getting around the city. But I tend to get motion sick on boats so this time we opted for the bus. Next time I will try to find dramamine to take so I can do the boat. 

We stayed at the Thanh Lich Royal Boutique Hotel for around $35. It came with a free breakfast which we totally took advantage of. Well Konstantin did anyway. Fish balls, fried rice, all kinds of delicacies. I focused more on the egg fried rice and pastries.  It was in a great location with many restaurants nearby where I got to try an amazing fried chicken dish. Konstantin was surprised I already knew Ga was Vietnamese for Chicken, but let’s be honest it was the first word I learned. I needed to know my favorite food. We also ate at another local spot, Morning Glory Hue, across from the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. The sticky rice and beef was a bit spicy but very good. Konstantin enjoyed this tomb as he got to become an emperor himself. I made friends with the snack shop lady who was at first concerned that he may have left me until I explained he takes a lot of pictures. She was impressed with his picture in the emperor costume and said he was very handsome. I got the best book here too about Vietnamese folktales and legends. It is in English and Vietnamese and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about why ducks stand on one foot at night among other stories. We also visited the very step-heavy tomb of Khai Dinh and the serene lakeside tomb of Minh Mang. I even found a Harry Potter store that I knew my cousin Ally would love. 

The Best Part

We have met wonderful people along the way, from hotel employees to drivers to tour guides who have been gracious in our struggle to communicate and have been so kind to ensure we had the best experiences. Our waiter at the local Butcher shop was a great help in discovering more about the foods and spices in this country. The tour guide in Hue who was helping another tourist but stopped to speak with us as well and find out about our travels. Our driver in Hue who was very concerned about us not having babies and who video called his kids to show us his babies. Our amazing apartment staff here at HB Plus in Da Nang who have gone out of their way to make sure everything is working and we are happy here. Our amazing realtor who showed us so many options for places to live and was so patient and kind. I highly recommend Trieu Pham if you need help finding a place in the area. The teachers and my advisor at Skyline School here in Vietnam have been wonderful and welcoming. I know it must be hard having some strange person visiting your class and you do not know what they are doing and thinking, but they have been wonderfully accepting and kind. 

What’s Next

This weekend we plan to visit the next town over Hoi An. We will be checking out the lantern festival and the town. I am visiting more schools and observing more classrooms. I am meeting with their STEM director and giving them feedback on what I have seen. And after that? Well … Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city, Pleiku, and more explorations. More classroom observations and planning some time to show teachers some of what we do in classrooms.

I just found out about an EdTech conference in November in Singapore. I am hoping to check it out and make more connections across Asia!

Any suggestions? Have you been to Vietnam or wanted to come and have a suggestion for a place to visit, a food to try, or connections within the country? I would love to hear about it! You can email me nancypenchev@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog. Feel free to share my blog with anyone you feel would benefit or who could help me make more connections in the country. I am looking for more schools to visit and teachers to connect with, all help is appreciated!

My Cousin is Cooler Than Your Cousin

My cousin Dixie climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last week at age 66. The tallest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet above sea level and the highest free standing mountain in the world. In 2020, at age 60,  she did the 52 mile hike of rim to rim to rim at the Grand Canyon…28 hours of nonstop hiking. She completed the hike to raise money for a cause near and dear to our family. She and her son Winston run a charity called Wheels to Africa that helps get bikes for people in Tanzania and other places. The bikes help kids and adults get to school, work, and get needed medical care. I am always amazed and proud of their work. You can find out more and get involved at https://wheels-to-africa.org/.Dixie is trying to find a time to visit me in Vietnam in October/November and I hope she makes it over!