I know what you are thinking
“Hmmm, Grant posted without a three-week long hiatus, this must be important”
I’ve spent a lot of time highlighting the adventures and sightseeing that I’ve done while in Vietnam, but now I want to shift gears and talk about why I’m actually half way across the world and what I’m doing. Besides, eating, sleeping, and playing Super Stickman Golf 3 with Andrew, Austin, and Harry, the majority of my time here is spent building a bathroom for a local school and teaching English to a class of rising 10th graders.
Construction
The first day on the site, I was really excited to start building something. As a wee young guppy, I loved playing with Lego’s® and building whatever structure, vehicle, etc. that suited my imaginative desires. However, now, as an engineering student, I have few opportunities to work on large-scale projects like a Lego Imperial Cruise or a Vietnamese bathroom outside of the classroom due to the largely theoretical nature of the many introductory concepts I am required to study.
Before you can build, you must break.
Break we did. The first few days were spent demolishing anything and everything in our path. From pickaxe wielding Harry C. Guo swinging away at a slab of concrete, to Diane, the Mountain, Hadley demolishing a two story pile of rubble, we truly worked our asses off. After the demolition, we laid the foundation and started building up with these giant stone bricks, and eventually moved onto smaller red bricks. The work got much easier and more manageable as we got acclimated to hard labor and started to divide the work more evenly.
I’m going to send you now to Eva’s post about construction because it’s honestly better than anything I could write. It’s a pretty great summary about what we do every day, and I think it will be cool to see another student’s perspective.
I’m going to send you now to Eva’s post about construction because it’s honestly better than anything I could write. It’s a pretty great summary about what we do every day, and I think it will be cool to see another student’s perspective.
The only thing I will add to that awesome post is that Bling mason had to leave our group about a week ago. I was devastated. Even though he never understood a word I said to him, we were like brothers. On the day following Bling’s departure, we were introduced to Mr. Lam. I christened him “Safari Mason” due to the safari type hat donned on his head.
I knew that nothing, not even pizza itself, in all its cheesy glory, could fill the gaping masonic hole left in my heart by Bling’s absence, yet, I was very open to befriending this new mason. I instantly tried to get to know him by asking him about his family life or gauging his interest in the newest season of Game of Thrones. Obviously, he couldn’t comprehend what I was saying to him, but his rejection of my olive branch extension really rubbed me the wrong way.
Additionally, whenever we work, the mason’s will demonstrate something, let us do the work, and then come check our progress and make necessary corrections.
Safari doesn’t like this system. Here is how his mind works.
However, besides Safari Mason, the worksite could not be better. I love King Mason and I’m pretty sure he has my English name down. I’ve had interesting conversations everyday with several of the Duke students, our roommates, or Hien (pronounced HIIIIIIEEEEEEEEN), the site manager/my best friend. The tangible progress we have made is really awesome to see and I can’t wait to finish strong and be the first one to “inaugurate” this glorious facility.
Additionally, whenever we work, the mason’s will demonstrate something, let us do the work, and then come check our progress and make necessary corrections.
Safari doesn’t like this system. Here is how his mind works.
- Safari sees the students working hard in the morning heat and notices the task that they are trying to accomplish.
- Safari approaches the students and immediately grabs the tool/brick/bucket out of their hand(s).
- Safari does the task at hand in its entirety as if the student were incapacitated, inebriated, or an unborn fetus.
- Safari completes the task, shrugs, walks away, and proceeds to smoke a pack of cigarettes.
- Safari smiles to himself at a job well done.
However, besides Safari Mason, the worksite could not be better. I love King Mason and I’m pretty sure he has my English name down. I’ve had interesting conversations everyday with several of the Duke students, our roommates, or Hien (pronounced HIIIIIIEEEEEEEEN), the site manager/my best friend. The tangible progress we have made is really awesome to see and I can’t wait to finish strong and be the first one to “inaugurate” this glorious facility.
I’ll post about ESL teaching in the next few days. I wish I had more time to write now, but An and I have to write a musical play about Pokemón that our class will be performing in the culture show in two weeks’ time. May Uncle Ho be with you.