Skip to main content

Xin chao Vietnam

#nextchaptervietnam

I have now been in Vietnam for 1 whole week and let me tell you that it’s been nothing short of…C-R-A-Z-Y!  Lots and lots has happened, but my major highlights this week have definitely been finding a new home and being assigned a “new” temporary role at my new school, which you can read more about below.

FINDING A NEW HOME
Upon my arrival in Vietnam, one of the very first things I needed to do was to find a place to live. Since I had no plans to drive while living here (*look up driving bikes in Vietnam on YouTube and you’ll understand why), I really had my heart set on finding a modern and reasonably priced apartment close to the school, but also to restaurants and shops. I quickly found out that my expectations were a little too high however. Unlike many other newcomers who were snatching apartments left and right, it took me 3 days to find my new home. Too old, too high, too far, too small, too pricey…I had an excuse for everything I was shown. On my 2nd night, just after I found out someone else snatched one of the only apartments I really liked, I emailed my assigned real estate agent and requested to see some apartments right across the street from the school. She hadn’t spoken much about these apartments; she just mentioned the buildings were really old. What did I have to lose though? Fortunately, I found my new home that next day. Not the newest and most modern, but still very nice, well priced and BIG – with a kitchen, dinning room, living room, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a storage room. Best of all, it's got some really cool views! I really look forward to hosting some friends and family some time in the future!
My spacious apartment
Window views

 BEING ASSIGNED A ‘NEW’ TEMPORARY ROLE
Once I was moved into my new home, I felt ready to begin focusing on my new job. I couldn’t wait to start my new position as Elementary Lead Teacher, though I still wasn’t 100% sure what my responsibilities would be. The vibe on those very first days at school was really good. Everyone seemed so relaxed, so happy, so excited and so positive. I met many new people, old and young, single and married (lots of couples and families), but best of all, I met lots and lots of French (Canadian French of course hihihi) speaking people with whom I am so excited to converse throughout this year! This was a really fun surprise, but believe me it wasn’t the only surprise. Just 4 days into the week, I was called into a meeting with my bosses. Only a few words came out of their mouths and I said “I saw this coming.” See, earlier in the week, I found out that one of the G5 teachers wouldn’t be arriving until the end of August. As soon as I found out this piece of information, I had a pretty good feeling I’d be asked to cover that first month of school. Funny enough, despite being so excited for my new role as Lead Teacher, I can’t wait to be in the classroom with the students. It will be yet another enriching experience that will help me grow and further help me support my colleagues down the line. I'm so looking forward to meeting my new G5 kiddos next week!
My school to the left, right across the street from my new apartment
Great smoothie and salad place in the malls

As you can see, it has indeed been a very C-R-A-Z-Y first week in Vietnam! Some of my other weekly highlights have been testing out the gym's crossfit class, which was a blast, and eating various types of foods (Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish, Korean…and lots of fresh juices and smoothies), which has all been soooooo yummy!


Stay tuned for more updates in coming weeks.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ready. Set. Go.

 “Once in a while, it’s good to challenge yourself in a way that’s really daunting.” Since returning to Dubai in January 2020, I have participated in numerous fitness events around the city, mostly in pairs, trios or teams of 4,5,6 athletes ( aside from our internal community weightlifting/powerlifting throwdowns ). Many of these events have challenged me with new formats ( e.g. Hyrox and Primal Race ), movemenents ( e.g. swimming and sled pulls ) and/or equipement ( e.g. the worm and the yoke ). Being part of a team has been a whole lot of fun, and I’ve been so incredibly blessed to team-up with some really good athletes who have pushed me to achieve great things, both in training and in competition. That said, for a little while now, I’ve sort of wondered what it’d be like to compete individually again. Are my body and mind still up for this kind of challenge?   Throughout my time living in Vietnam, from 2017 to 2019, I became fully invested in the sport of CrossFit. I thoroughly enj
Post a Comment
Read more

The power of a PAUSE

 “Don’t underestimate the power of a PAUSE; it allows you to reflect, recharge and refocus.” We live in such a fast pace world. These days, when people ask how we’re doing, we regularly say “I am so busy!” and “I am so tired!” When we are not occupied, we think something is wrong, we feel lazy, and we immediately try to find things to do to fill up our time. We’re constantly looking to move forward; to go, go go and to do, do, do. Why is it so difficult to stop and take a break? For me personally, when I am in ‘work mode’, my routine is pretty consistent; work, gym, eat, sleep, repeat. In the past, I was really hard on myself when I didn’t feel productive and accomplished, but over the last few years, I have really tried to look for and embrace ‘down time’. Now, I am more aware of my needs and my boundaries. I am capable of laying on the couch and watching TV without feeling guilty. I can also turn down weekend plans if I don’t feel like socialising and would prefer to have a restful n
Post a Comment
Read more

Jack of all trades, master of none

  “Sometimes we strive so hard for perfection that we forget that imperfection is happiness.” At a very young age, my parents signed me up for ice skating. They invested lots of money over the years, on skates, outfits, coaches, private lessons, and competitions, and I of course invested lots of time into improving my skills. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, you could find me at the ice rink most days, trying to prepare for my next test, competition or show. Now, I was a decent skater, but realistically, I wasn’t on a path to the Olympics. Once I went off to university, some difficult choices needed to be made, and for some reason, I decided to quit skating and invest more time in my education and career, as well as playing soccer during the summers. For several years after college, soccer became my main sport. Especially when I first moved to Dubai; I played indoor, outdoor, 7 aside, 11 aside, womens leagues and mixed leagues. Some weeks, I was playing 6 consecutive nights,
Post a Comment
Read more