It's hard to believe that in just 36 hours I'll be on my way to Vietnam where I'll live for the next 10 months. My name is Jonathan Hettleman and I recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University where I studied Political Science and English. I have always seen law school in my future, but while I was at Hopkins and thinking about what I wanted to do next, I realized that the best time to work and travel abroad would be in the year after I graduated. So, I decided to apply for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Vietnam and after an application process that took about 9 months I found out that I had been accepted.
Since having been awarded the scholarship, the most frequent question that I have been asked has been, "Why Vietnam?" The answer, while true, is fairly boring but since you may now be wondering too, I'll share. First of all, Vietnam lies in a part of the world about which I know very little. Second, I have always felt like my education on America's involvement in the Vietnam War has been embarrassingly inadequate. While I'm not expecting to become an expert on the Vietnam War in the next 10 months, I would like to get a sense of the conflict, its lasting impact on the country, America's role in it, and its impact on the relationship between the United States and Vietnam. Beyond the reasons that Vietnam is intriguing to me, I am charged by the Fulbright Program with the task of fostering mutual cultural exchange. This responsibility is something that I will take very seriously and the opportunity to forge genuine relationships with citizens of a different country and members of different cultures is incredibly exciting to me.
After I arrive in Vietnam on Saturday (yes, it's going to take me about 25 hours to get there), I will be staying in Hanoi for all of August. The other Fulbrighters (yes, that's what they call us) and I will be staying together in Hanoi and participating in an orientation that will include (among other components) intensive language and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) training. After the month in Hanoi, I will be setting off to a small town of about 50,000 people just south of the Chinese border called Cao Bang where I will teach English at a "Gifted High School." As a cool side note, the waterfall that is the background picture for this blog lies about 50 miles northwest of Cao Bang City and straddles the border with China.
For now, I'm continuing to prepare for my departure. Emotions abound, but for the most part I can't wait to get to Vietnam and to begin what I hope will be an amazing 10 months. I will do my best, during my time in Vietnam, to offer consistent updates on this blog. Please feel free to contact me via the blog or by any other means--I really would love to hear from you. I look forward to keeping in touch over the course of my adventure!
All the best and next time from Hanoi!
Jonathan
Also, as I'm obligated to tell you: This blog is in no way affiliated with the U.S. Department of State. All of the views expressed here are my own and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.
