From my point of view, they were not that different, but my students could tell the difference. The letter "Z" is pronounced "Zed." “X, Y, Zee” and “X, Y, Zed” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. I wanted to teach them what they preferred, so I had to adapt and teach something that was new to me. I understood that many of my students preferred British English, either because they have learned it before or because they just liked the way it sounds. I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone and teach certain things a bit differently than what I learned growing up in order to teach my students what would benefit them the most.
Certain things are easier to understand than others. For instance, I can understand why I teach British English instead of American English, but I might not be able to fully understand why I get so much attention around town. In the U.S., I blend in because many people look like me, but here I am the only person in the city with braided hair and very dark skin. I stand out no matter how much I try to blend in and sometimes that can be hard to deal with. Some people laugh, some people point, some people take pictures of me. It can be really hurtful and confusing, especially since I cannot speak Vietnamese, so I can’t always understand people’s comments or questions. I know many tourists do not visit this part of the country, so for many people here, I am the first Black person they have seen. I know people are probably just shocked or confused. They may wonder why I am here. I may not know that they are asking me “Where are you from?” in Vietnamese. I have to look at the situation from their point of view and make a good first impression, even if that means smiling for a not-so-sneaky photo in the line for the ATM.
