#ihp

Inferno Lynda’s tour around London I’ve been *doing* feedback for decades. I didn’t always get it right in the early days. But I’m kind, considerate and constructive. What I’ve learned: 1. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. 2. Read it back – how does it sound? Will it be perceived and received in the way you intended it? Read and delete. If it’s verbal feedback perhaps…

for @askslytherin-dorcas‘s Interhouse Party

coming to you live from a cafe in the old Medina of Rabat, Morocco! forgive me for this being a little late, but here we are cause i just could not delay my sharing my excitement about how much i love love love Viet Nam any longer!

for our last couple stops in Viet Nam we were in Hoi An for about 4 days and HCM city for about 3. Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage site on a river delta on the central coast of VN. We stayed along one of the rivers, which always became filled with lanterns at night. Being in the central part of VN and then the south near the delta was veeeery warm, but just spectacular!

One of the most memorable moments I had was an interview I conducted for my term-long research project with the daughter of two of our guest speakers, Clara. My term project, a comparative study of the education systems in all of the countries I visit (including the US), was perfect to discuss with Clara. She has spent many years in the Vietnamese public school system in multiple cities before going to her international school in Hoi An. She had many criticisms of the general education system, but showed me a more holistic view of what the curriculum actually is like, and how it is applied with the students. I learned about some really surprising similarities between the VN and US school systems, like the emphasis on math, but the differences in how that is implemented. Clara showed me more evidence to something that I had already suspected; that the government’s ideals and what they want for their children not only determine their immediate school experience, but transitively also their futures. This is only a little terrifying, as I look back to home to see my corrupt and oligarchical government back home in the US. However, it also gives me hope, because (and I say this veeeery optimistically) with good policy and government representatives looking to progressive sustainable education systems, we can give our kids the better future they deserve. Clara and I talked about this, and her powerful views on what makes a healthy classroom, a lot.

In addition to spending time in the classroom in Hoi An, our incredible country coordinator Phuong set up an awesome site visit for us where we got the chance to discuss waste management with one of the leaders in the sanitation sector in Hoi An. We visited a wonderful organic farm amidst rice paddies and some temples outside the main city area of Hoi An. They support the local economy, supply locals with fresh produce, and make their own safe pesticides with a mix of teas and vinegar! The waste management director showed us all around, and even had us go on a little boat ride near the farm. With the director we talked about how Hoi An is really setting a positive example for the rest of VN by getting communities involved in practices like composing and recycling, which in turn benefits a lot of the agricultural land that surrounds the immediate city. A lot of what our group talked about was the implications of why this happens - to benefit the tourists and bring in more revenue? For simply the good of the city and its people? A lot of my group members thought the former, but the perspective of the waste management director came seemed to come from the latter. Either way, seeing communities come together for a cause is heartwarming and does indeed set a great example for the rest of the world. Sustainability is realistic and very possible!

Not going to lie, I didn’t get to see a whole lot of HCM City while we were here for a few days. I got pretty ill and was resting a lot of the time. Rest assured, the excellent health care and abundance of love and care I received from Phuong got me better super quick. I feel all better now! Pro tip - if you are ever struck down by a stomach infection AND period cramps, fast food pho and mint tea will be a perfect cure :) however, I did go on plenty of walks especially in the evenings when I was feeling more up to it, and would walk all around the plazas and the river we were situated near and got a little taste of the city. HCM city, the former Saigon, is the most populated city in VN and it certainly feels like it! In a way, it felt like my own little slice of heaven because bubble tea is easier to acquire than ever as there’s one on nearly every corner, it feels like! Our last day, one of my close friends Riley and I managed to find some of the most amazing coconut coffee in the world before we hopped on our plane to Dubai, then Casablanca.

I could not possibly finish my last VN blog post without talking about Phuong! The amount that I have learned from her, in and out of the classroom, is definitely more than I can express. Phuong has spent time in both the VN and USA school systems, with a history in a lot of civil society programs in VN. Currently she works as in education freelance and also as a professional photographer! She traveled with us every single place we went in Viet Nam, and organized everything from where we stayed and how we got there to every single guest speaker and professor and site visit. We would not have had nearly the same program with anyone else. This past month has been nothing short of life changing and that has definitely been made by Phuong! Not to mention, she took me to the clinic every time I had to go to the doctor! I am in awe of how committed she was to our group - all with the utmost inspiring compassion, dedication, and thoughtfulness. Everyone back at the Rock, don’t worry, I am in good hands!!

All in all, (and y’all who know me know I am sappy as heck so let this last bit come as no surprise) everything about being here feels just right. Being abroad feels just wonderful. I feel like so much of my education has been building to this and I feel liberated by how much I am learning and how open and happy I feel. I definitely am living in my yellow zone all the time, and learning and pushing myself a ton because of it, but man am I feeling good and feeling lucky to be here. I am learning about what I am passionate about, and getting the chance to learn from people who have really changed my life and my perspective. Viet Nam is just amazing - my vocabulary isn’t big enough to express my love for this country! I know I will find my way back here. :)

Get ready to hear all about my incredible Moroccan homestay and the wonders of being in the desert!!!

agapé, hugs,

jessie 

outside a temple in the middle of some rice paddies in Hoi An

my friend Jack and I at the organic farm in Hoi An! he is the biggest Oasis fan ever!

in traditional boats on the river in Hoi An!

Riley and his INSANE coconut coffee! a local delicacy!!

This weekend I am taking part in the following two rp events:

On Saturday, Jun 2nd for the Interhouse party (organized by @askslytherin-dorcas ), I am coming on as Alice Fortescue around 7pm BST.

On Sunday, Jun 3rd for Languages weekend (organized by@the-moon-and-stars-my-love ) I am coming on as a bilingual Luna Lovekiva (aka Lovegood) she will be speaking Finnish and Swedish. Remember to include in your ask in which of the two languages you would like her to answer in, otherwise I will just randomly choose one. I will be online around 5pm BST.

(Fem!Sirius Black is online for @askslytherin-dorcas‘s Interhouse Party.)

The prettiest Black family member is online.