One of my main roles here is to practice English with my coworkers. With some of them, I can have real conversations, which are always super interesting. Others are still learning, but little by little we’re making progress together.
Outside the office, English is not very common in the area. But if you go to Mũi Né, just 30 minutes away, you’ll meet plenty of English-speaking (mostly tourists). That’s actually where I met a Vietnamese girl from Phan Thiết who also speaks English. Encounters like this remind me that you can always find someone to connect with. In the meantime, it’s also a great opportunity to pick up a bit of Vietnamese.
When visiting families supported by the Thiện Chí Center in the mornings, someone always explains and translates what is happening. Sometimes it’s a coworker who speaks more or less good English, other times it might be a friend, a daughter, or someone connected to a community part-time employee. Either way, you always understand what’s important, and it gives you the chance to spend time with different members of the Center while practicing English with them.
Some evenings, I help one coworker and her daughter practice their English. We usually meet in a café and chat about a theme for an hour or more. I try to correct their grammar and pronunciation, but mostly we just talk and laugh, it’s a really nice exchange.
All in all, English has been both a bridge and a challenge. It has given me opportunities to connect with coworkers, children, and even new friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise. At the same time, not many people here speak it, so daily life often pushes me out of my comfort zone.
Leticia