As usual, I have tried to obscure the name of the high school and village where I live and serve as a volunteer. I have changed the names and descriptions of some of the people who appear in the story to protect identities. In this chapter in particular, I had

Việt Nam celebrates both the International Women's Day in March as well as their own Women's Day on October 20. On that day in public schools around the country, classes were pre-empted for various celebrations. Mothers and teachers everywhere received gifts. At my high school, the

April 2025 I don't think there is a deeper green in the universe than the green of fully grown rice in a paddy field. Most afternoons, when the school empties out, I take off on my bicycle to the narrow roads paved with white cement that criss-cross the

"He shall know your ways as if born to them." - Frank Herbert, Dune "What the heck is going on??" - Chris in Việt Nam, often March 2025 My bicycle arrives in a surprisingly light box; like all deliveries it comes on the back of a

January 2025 It is nearing the Lunar New Year - or Tê't - in late January, and there are dinner parties to attend every night. An English teacher invites me to attend an end-of-year party for "the neighborhood": the block of houses closest to the school.

January 2025 "Are you cold?" Back in Texas, I would often go without a jacket when it was a little cold and get this comment all the time. I like the weather a little chilly. But I am currently in Việt Nam, and the temperature is 76 Fahrenheit.

Note: For many reasons, I will not identify the village or school where I am living, primarily out of respect for the people I am here to serve. I will not use the real names of people and may purposefully obscure identities in my storytelling. I don't think

Pre-Service Training Week 5, November 2024 Three or four days a week, the trainees of VN03 - the third cohort of Peace Corps volunteers in Việt Nam - go into the office for training. At my house, the trainees come down for breakfast at such distinct intervals, that some days

It's my turn to book the Grab, and when the tiny hatchback car screeches to a halt I jump in the front seat. Grab is Việt Nam's answer to Uber, a taxi-hailing app with an interface that can be set to English, and in which you

The narrow alleyway from the house where I am living opens up at the edge of a bustling park. It is 7:00pm; it is already fully dark, but the dimly lit tree-filled park is swarming with activity. A dozen women in matching outfits do a synchronized aerobic dance routine