The culture places a great deal of respect toward anyone who teaches, so students feel honored when they learn, even when they’re not in class. Teachers feel similarly glad to be able to invest time into getting to know their students.
While I’ve always been excited to make new friends in Can Tho, I was a bit caught off guard initially when my students would ask me to go out for milk tea or play soccer with them after class. Sometimes I would agree to go, but other times I wasn’t quite sure how to respond, simply because I wasn’t used to such a custom. In my academic experience in the United States, my relationships with professors were friendly, but also very professional, especially in college. It was rare for me to socialize with teachers, not because it would have been uncomfortable necessarily, but because in American culture, there is a more defined line between being a teacher and being a friend.
In the Vietnamese learning environment, that line is blurred, as teachers are friends and friends are teachers. Although I was initially hesitant to accept this part of the local culture, I’ve really come to enjoy it throughout my time here. I see students regularly outside of class, and we have friendships that go beyond learning English together. We can talk about family, friends, music, sports, art and anything else we want!
I have a ton of fun with my students, and I’m glad to have been exposed to a different perspective on student-teacher dynamics. Vietnam continues to surprise me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn even more during the rest of my time here!
