Smiling takes you far
Starting second week in Vietnam. I’m here for just one week now and seems like three, so intense has been this time. A lot of impressions, cultural aspects, experiences, all transformed into information being delivered constantly to my brain. The convivence with the colleagues attending the Social Sabbatical plays also an important role on making it an unique period. We are like a true family. Using WhatsApp groups we don’t let anyone stay alone, always calling for dinner, trip, coffee, gym or just talk in the hotel convenience areas. They are simply great!
What has impressed me a lot is the Vietnamese people. Vietnam, as you know, is a development country, and as such it faces the challenges of any development country: pollution, fast-growing population, traffic, low income, bureaucracy, etc. So you expect Vietnamese have a lot of challenges to deal with along the day. But they smile, all the time. And are confident about future. Vietnamese are humble people yet proud about their country, origins and culture. Like in the local traffic where thousands of scooters outline the cars, the Vietnamese face the problems, find their way to surpass the difficulties and move ahead.
Teach for Vietnam is an organization that aims to provide social and emotional learning by teaching English to students in primary and lower secondary schools all over Vietnam. We are supporting them to design and implement a Mesurement & Evaluation framework that would make possible to determine how effective the program is being applied. Collected and evaluated results will help Teach for Vietnam to adjust their efforts, obtain further funding and spread its program to more provinces. I’m sure they will make it, so confident and determined they are. And of course, smiling helps and takes you far! :-)
