tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80981528444562304462024-02-07T17:49:08.389-08:00Bridging The Gap: Teaching English in VietnamAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-86555894593030413792013-11-20T16:10:00.001-08:002013-11-20T16:10:08.550-08:00More information on the programDr. Jon Storslee has created his own website with information about the Vietnam program. He was a particpant in the first program last June.<br />
<a href="http://e-commerce.pvc.maricopa.edu/vietnam/what-to-bring.html">http://e-commerce.pvc.maricopa.edu/vietnam/what-to-bring.html</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-11988418723368309502013-11-08T14:13:00.001-08:002013-11-08T14:13:43.618-08:00Quang Nam province<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This map shows Hoi An, along the coast just below Da Nang. It was founded in the 1600's, and prospered as a major trading port for Vietnam for 200 years until the harbor became unsuitable for larger ships and Da Nang became the major port. However, many of the buildings from its early age have survived.</div>
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Walking around the old town of Hoi An you have the feeling of walking through a time portal back in time yet alive today.</div>
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The people were so friendly, even more so than my experience in China, where people were friendly, but not as much as in Vietnam. Walking down the street people would invariably smile in greeting, and not just if they were selling something!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-5549805824332621372013-11-08T13:50:00.002-08:002013-11-08T13:50:29.574-08:002014 Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Enrollment is going on now for the May, 2014 Bridging the Gap program in Vietnam. A maximum of 12 students will travel to Hoi An, Vietnam for 2 weeks to learn about the art and culture of southeast Asia, but also to tutor Vietnamese college students in English. Last June's trip was a fabulous success. Our group of 10 had an amazing time spending one week in Hoi An and one week in Tam Ky. We worked with groups of students at two colleges in the two towns giving them the opportunity to practice speaking English.<br />
Having led many study abroad programs to Mexico and China for the purpose of studying the ceramics in each country I have to say that this program was the most rewarding for all participants as we were given special insight into the present culture of Vietnam and to make close friends with the students and their families.<br />
This time we will travel a little earlier than before with the hope it will be a little cooler than it was in late June. We will travel May 16-June 1, 2014, with an optional extra excursion to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We will fly from Phoenix to Hanoi, Vietnam, spend a day and a half touring museums and other sights before hopping down to Da Nang, from which we will drive to Hoi An, about 20 minutes south along the coast. We will stay at the same hotel that we stayed in last June, as it was very comfortable, centrally located, and with very good service.<br />
We will work with students at the Quang Nam Vocational College who are in vocational programs in tourism industry jobs. I decided that we should stay in Hoi An for the full two weeks this time so we can provide even more assistance to the students with their English but we will also be able to take advantage of more of the sights of interest in and around Hoi An.<br />
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The Vietnam students were so friendly and appreciative of our coming to help them, we were continually amazed by the lengths they went to to make us feel welcome and special. The photo above is from the welcome ceremony held at the college on our first day. These young girls danced, faculty members sang traditional songs, the director of the school gave a welcoming speech, then we went outside to play folk games as a "break the ice" activity. </div>
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This photo is from the closing ceremony at the end of our first week working with the students of Quang Nam vocational college. This time our group got on stage and sang and danced, then invited all the school students onstage to join us in dancing. It was emotional and poignant to say good bye.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-43789267178115534462013-01-21T09:41:00.000-08:002013-01-21T09:41:27.773-08:00Enrollment ongoingAs of today 9 people have enrolled in the program, leaving 3 spots. I feel sure we will have a full group soon. I have been visiting many classes on campus to tell students directly about the program. Many recognize the value of the trip but can't take advantage due to financial obstacles, or having children, or no time off from work. My heart goes out to them because I can remember being in the same situation as a young undergrad in the 1970's at La. Tech University majoring in painting. La. Tech had, and may still have, a summer program focused on art in Rome that I craved to go to, but, due to financial limitations in my family, couldn't.<br />
As I speak to classes I feel more and more the potential value of a trip like this recalling my own transformation from traveling to Mexico, China, Argentina, and France. From each trip I have gained firsthand knowledge of a culture, a place, a world view that I only knew threw media. As an artist I understand very well the ways that communications can be crafted so that a particular point of view is stressed, while sacrificing a whole picture of a place or a people. Being able to talk to people in person, in their home environment, smell the smells of their place, taste their food, see their world gives you a much more viable understanding than what we get through movies, TV and the internet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vietnamese students in Tam Ky, Quang Nam province.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself with Yen Nhi, of Vietnam Tourism Department, and Hu Phong, Tam Ky University administrator.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vietnamese student at Quang Nam University, Tam Ky.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0Tam Ky, Quang Nam province, Vietnam15.5666667 108.4833333000000315.321944700000001 108.16060980000003 15.8113887 108.80605680000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-50660878535124438172012-12-04T12:12:00.002-08:002012-12-04T12:23:41.348-08:00Spreading the WordI have been having a great time visiting my colleagues' classes to tell their students about the Bridging the Gap program. Today I visited Hedy Fossenkamper's CIS class and was really gratified by their positive attitude, in general, and their sincere interest in going to Vietnam as part of this program. I intended to only be in the class for 10 minutes but ended up answering questions for 20 minutes.<br />
Most students wondered about prerequisites for the Art111 class, of which there are none. One asked if we will visit any war museums, to which I related about my touring the "Reunification Palace" in Ho Chi Minh City during a layover. I noted that I was surprised by the lack of ruins or evidence of war activity at all. You would never know the war had been there by the scenery, architecture and positive attitudes of the people.<br />
Growing up the sixties, the war was front page news daily, and led the evening news, in fact, until my visit last May my first thought of Vietnam always was accompanied by "war". Now I have real firsthand experience to stand instead of those associations in my mind. Its amazing to consider how an idea of a place can be so strong for so long, but can be displaced by another so completely. Now when I think of Vietnam I think about the friendly smiles I saw everywhere, I think of the beauty of the blooming flowers, the flavors of the fantastic foods, the richness of the historical heritage still surviving.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-5430488107617108722012-11-30T10:40:00.004-08:002012-11-30T10:40:51.288-08:00Its an investment in your futureI have been visiting as many classes on campus as I can to spread the word about this program, and I can see it in the students' eyes when I say it will cost $2500+, because I know what its like to be living on the edge, paycheck to paycheck.<br />
I try to make clear to everyone that this program is a great opportunity that can cause amazing positive change in one's life.<br />
I have traveled quite a bit since becoming full time faculty. I have taken advantage of the funding available to faculty for travel to China, Mexico and various cities in the US, and have found that not only have I learned about the region visited, but that my own understanding of where I live has been transformed by the exposure to new ideas, new ways of relating to a community, new ways of viewing my role in my society, and new concepts of how a culture can operate.<br />
That's the first benefit, but in addition, for this trip to Vietnam participants have the opportunity to experience providing a humanitarian service for Vietnamese people. We will be working one-on-one with Vietnamese college students in vocational programs for training in the tourism industry. To be employed as tour guides and in hotels, they need to be fluent in English. As native English language speakers, we can help them with pronunciation, vocabulary, sentence structure, and understanding English idioms. We will be helping them improve their employability and consequently their quality of life.<br />
So the benefit for pariticipants it twofold: Imagine being an employer looking at stacks of resumes, job applications for a job opening and seeing one that has all the same qualifications as all the rest, but in addiition, shows that the applicant has traveled abroad, to Vietnam. Not only traveled there to experience the culture, but has provided a service to Vietnamese citizens as part of a college Study Abroad/Service Learning program that was paid out of the participants' own pocket and not a free trip. I believe that any employer would understand that this represents a lot of positive qualities about the applicant.<br />
It represents experience interacting with, and understanding a foriegn culture. It represents experience dealing with unexpected situations where patience and flelxibility are necessary. It represents experience providing a service to an underserved constituent.<br />
I believe these are qualities and experiences that are valuable in most occupations.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-9565861897806341922012-11-28T14:22:00.002-08:002012-11-28T14:22:09.185-08:00Hoi AnWe will be spending one week in Hoi An, Vietnam. It is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in Vietnam. Check out the Unesco website<a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/948" target="_blank"> here</a> for more information about Hoi An.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-42484167001994322972012-11-28T14:04:00.000-08:002012-11-28T14:04:02.161-08:00How to enroll in the programSo, the Bridging the Gap program is for American students to travel to Vietnam and tutor Vietnamese college students in English. They will be in college vocational programs to help them get jobs in the tourism industry, for which they need to be fluent in English. The American students will use drawing as a means to overcome the language barrier and communicate, when necessary through the medium of visual images.<br />
To be part of the program, a student has to enroll in Art111, section 38649, 3 credits, Introduction to Drawing, and EDU282AA, section 41850, 1 credit Volunteerism in Education. These classes are listed <a href="http://classes.sis.maricopa.edu/index.php?keywords=edu282aa&subject_code=any&all_classes=true&terms[]=4132&institutions[]=PVC09&start_hour=any&end_hour=any&startafter=&instructors=" target="_blank">here</a> in the spring 2013 schedule on the www.pvc.maricopa.edu website.<br />
Cost of this program is $900 plus $1800 for airfare. These costs include all lodging, insurance, tour fees, tuition and some meals. A valid US passport is required, so if you don't have one you best apply soon because it takes up to six weeks to go through processing.<br />
There is a mandatory orientation session on April 17 on the Paradise Valley Community College campus, then the classes start June 3 for drawing instruction and tutoring instruction. We will depart for Vietnam June 14, and return June 29.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-89272509938130455272012-11-28T11:25:00.004-08:002012-11-28T11:25:43.717-08:00My first visit to Vietnam.I visited Vietnam last May to conduct the site assessment, which means inspecting the prospective locations for our program, making connections with the Vietnamese college administrators whose students we will tutor, checking out hotels, restaurants, health care facilities, etc. I traveled by myself from Phoenix to LAX, then to Hong Kong, then to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), then Da Nang. I was met at Da Nang airport by representatives of the International Labor Organization and the Vietnamese Department of Tourism. They introduced me to the college administrators at four colleges, two in Tam Ky, and two in Hoi An. Both towns are in Quang Nam Province along the coast in central Vietnam.<br />
Having been to China four times, I was prepared for the extreme range of images; modern Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, next to very poor hamlets and villages. Cell phones, motorbikes, and water buffaloes.<br />
I was not prepared for the friendliness of the people. Not only shopkeepers and wait staff in restaurants, but walking down the street getting nods and smiles from passersby.<br />
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I experienced no tension, animosity or negativity of any kind from anyone in Vietnam, including English speaking taxi drivers to whom I inquired about their war experience. From one I learned his family had paid off the south Vietnamese army so he could spend the war time on his grandparents' farm in the countryside. From another I learned that he lived near Hanoi and his home was destroyed by an American bomb, but fortunately no one was hurt. From still another I learned that he was the offspring of an American GI and a Vietnamese mother, and being mixed race has meant ostracism by other Vietnamese.<br />
The trip and personal interactions with Vietnamese people have given me a huge mental reset of my idea of Vietnam. Prior to my visit I associated Vietnam with the War, as my adolescence was consumed by the daily TV reporting of deaths and casualties and political and military actions in the cause of defending democracy from the plague of communism. At the time, the US government viewed communism the biggest threat to world peace and the American way. One can only wonder how things might have turned out had we not waged war in southeast Asia and let communism burn itself out.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8098152844456230446.post-56454479135804506732012-11-26T18:12:00.002-08:002012-11-28T14:07:35.064-08:00IntroductionThis blog is to share information on a program created to take students from Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona to the central coast of Vietnam for tutoring Vietnamese college students in English so they can get better jobs in the tourism industry as tour guides.<br />
We will spend the first two weeks of June 2013 on campus learning how to draw, that's right, draw! I will instruct you basic techniques in drawing freehand, as well as provide an indepth orientation on what to expect in Vietnam. We will depart for Vietnam on Friday, June 14 and return June 29. The first week we will be in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province, just south of Da Nang. The second week we will be in Hoi An, one the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and a beautiful city.<br />
Cost: $2700, which includes 4 college credits, airfare, lodging, fees, tours etc. It includes everything except lunch and dinner which will be on our own.<br />
Enroll now for Art111 section 38649 Drawing 1, and EDU282AA section 41650 Volunteerism in Education in the spring schedule at <a href="http://pvc.maricopa.edu/">pvc.maricopa.edu</a>.<br />
Contact me for more information david.bradley@paradisevalley.edu<br />
602 787 6615<br />
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<a href="http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/" target="_blank">http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386879516393003170noreply@blogger.com0