drink-drank sink-sank shrink-shrank wink-

I've completed all my assessments for week 1, and all I have to do is show up tomorrow (Friday) and take some notes, and I'll be 1/4 of the way finished with the CELTA, or something. Granted, next week will probably be a lot harder than this week. Granted, if I don't want next week to be hell, I have TONS of work to do this weekend. Still, besides the panic attack I had before my first observed lesson, it hasn't been as bad as I expected.

I got an "above standard" overall grade (which are a little uncommon) on my 40-minute observed teaching this morning, and promptly felt elated and capable for the remainder of the day. (Yes, I'm still obsessed with grades.) I don't think I've taken it to mean I'm going to breeze through the rest of my lesson plans, but rather as a confirmation that I do know something about teaching and that (once I know what my evaluators are looking for) I am perfectly capable of achieving what's expected from me on this course. In a way, I needed it. If I'm not sure I can do something, my lessons fall apart (not in the planning, but in the carrying out), which is the reason for my panic attack and subsequent hesitance in the classroom during my first lesson (today was my second lesson). I hope my confidence holds through next week; my lessons will be a lot better if it does.

The students I'm teaching are absolutely wonderful. They're so cheerful, and kind, and energetic, and eager to learn, that I hardly have to do anything to get them working and practicing. It's a complete change from my students in Seoul, where I sometimes have to provide 90% of the energy in the classroom and feel completely drained after the class. Their English is really high - right now I'm teaching intermediates, whereas next week we'll switch to elementary level, which will probably be closer to what I'm used to teaching. It's nice teaching people you feel like you could be friends with. One of my students offered to show me how to (illegally) circumvent the restrictions on Facebook in Vietnam.

We'll see how I'm doing next week, but for now I've found my footing. The pollution and heat are still making me a little short of breath sometimes, but my knee seems fine and I'm keeping myself hydrated.

I haven't taken any pictures of Vietnam yet, probably because I haven't really seen much that's not on my way to school, and also because taking pictures marks me (even more clearly than I'm already marked) as a naive tourist and an easy pickpocketing target. But I'll try to take some pictures of things this weekend. For now, <3.