8 months in Vietnam – the home stretch.

It’s now my last week in Saigon.

My Secondary School has closed and I am only in on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon as it is a National Holiday on Wednesday. Standard. But it allows me to organise everything before leaving for two weeks of travel with Aoife before going home!

I wanted to reflect on my time in Saigon now that it’s my last few days here. What a year. I’ve had serious ups and downs throughout the whole time. I don’t think I could have lasted the whole time without the various prospects of people visiting and travel possibilities. For example, Kirsty had a layover one week after I had arrived and it was the most perfect timing.

The 9 weeks waiting for Iacopo to arrive went slow but fast. Everything was so new in the beginning that the weeks almost whizzed by. When he left however, it was probably the most alone and depressed that I have ever felt in my life. Most days were filled with tears, with no want to leave my room, see people or continue my hobbies. Even going to the gym or salsa classes didn’t cheer me up. At that point, all I wanted was to be home, to be with him. His two weeks in Vietnam were amazing. I kept my working lifestyle but I was always super excited to come home to see him. The two of us driving around on the bike, trying exotic new things and falling more in love. It sounds cheesy but him coming out to VN really proved how much we wanted to be with each other. How could I have left him in Glasgow? The guilt was an issue that I struggled to deal with throughout my time away. Not just for Iacopo but also for leaving my family.

So December was an emotional blur. Thankfully Kirsty had another layover, so o got to get a lot off of my chest. Plus, mum had sent over tonnes of Christmas presents and an advent calendar which was a great cheer up. Kirsty and I got to explore the Mekong Delta on my day off. Impeccable timing yet again.

Once she left, the depression was creeping up again, now thanks to my dodgy school timetable and last minute schedule changes. That was when I booked my weekend to Hanoi to see my friend Claire who was also working as an English Teacher. That trip away was a lifesaver. Poor Claire had to put up with my dilemma of life choices, my constant moaning about the company and my fears for the future. We chatted a lot that weekend and I felt so much better when I returned back to HCMC.

I had made myself available to work over Christmas as I needed the money. To my disdain, the government sent out a weather warning for a big hurricane hitting the south of VN. Consequently, all schools were closed – which is a bloody joke as all we experienced was a slight drizzle. Where was the weather warning when my classrooms practically flooded during the rainy season?! Regardless, the week of Christmas was a blast. As we were all off Kaytlyn, Russell and I all went out on the randan for Xmas day. We had spent Christmas eve making Mulled Wine and drinking it in the pool, it was the best. The whole week was so chilled, filled with wine food and movies.

New Year was the best. A cheap flight to see Kirsty in Dubai was perfection. Beach days, dessert safaris and amazing food; it was the perfect end to the year with some home comforts. Despite getting a bollock in for missing two days of work when I got back, it was totally worth it.

January was long but I think it’s the same in every country. We split up the month with a trip to Singapore and I started up my hobbies again. February was amazing. Lizzy coming was the highlight of my time in VN. It was so nice to have a friend from back home. We spoke about university, family, friends and future plans. It was the best three weeks travelling around South East Asia with memories and laughter that I will never forget. On Valentine’s day, I discovered that Iacopo was getting sent over to Malaysia for work. It was the most amazing news; the las two months were going to be a breeze.

One week back to work after the TET holiday and I was on a flight to Australia for a family reunion at my cousins wedding. Excitement did not cut it. I hadn’t seen my brother John since the year before and it had been 7 months for my poor mum. It was an amazing weekend, plus I got to see a whole new continent!

The weeks after Australia were hard. I was dragged and nobody seemed to know when schools would stop. It was all very unorganised and half my classes had changed after TET so I had no real connection with a lot of them. A weekend in Mui Ne, celebrations for my 24th birthday and with most weekends spent at the pool, mid-April was upon us and it was time for Iacopo to be in the same time zone as me (minus one hour).

My four days in Malaysia were bliss. I got to explore a new city with my best friend beside me. Plus, I never spent a penny thanks to his company! His trip to Asia really helped me get through the past few months but it made me crave home even more. I was sad when he left but I only had 2-3 weeks left of school then I was off travelling with Aoife for two weeks. Another month was nothing, but I did really miss him.

I didn’t really have any hard feeling about leaving Vietnam. It had been an amazing experience and I had learned and gained so much but I wouldn’t be back in a hurry. I love Vietnam but living there was a whole other challenge. I am so glad that I stuck it out as there were times when I was so close to coming home. I am proud of myself for having put up with 50 students in each class, risking my life everyday driving around on a scooter in insane traffic, polluting my body with smog and unclean food and completing my contract. I had no idea it was going to be as hard as it was but boy am I glad that I did it. I will look back on this experience as probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done. I was completely thrown in at the deep end but I reached to the top and I now have an impressive CV behind me. Any other teaching job in going to be a doddle, so long as the time zone is closer to home.

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