It looks like the Ha Noi VIA Vols will be celebrating Black History Month in Viet Nam this year. We’re often asked to share U.S. American culture, be it in the classroom or meeting someone who is curious about U.S. culture. It’s been a struggle trying to think of what American culture is because we’ve never had to think about it. As I was talking to Tiffany one day, she thought to simply follow the U.S. holiday system. Wow… why didn’t I think of that? She has decided to show at least one movie during February to open up discussion on African Americans in U.S. history.
Another idea came from Conference when Janella talked about having her class in Nha Trang write “I have a dream” speeches. The purpose was to have students talk about their dreams in a writing and speaking assignment. I want to have my students write and deliver a speech about their dreams as well. In addition to this, I would introduce them to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which was the original inspiration.
Leading up to February (also, because we have two weeks off due to Tet), I am having them start their speech now and hope to have their first draft marked for editing before the Tet holiday. I am also showing “Akeelah and the Bee”- an idea I borrowed from Virginia, in Ha Noi. My students loved it, though they said it was difficult to understand without subtitles. Yes, it was. I am also using the movie as a listening exercise but will show it again in February with the subtitles on.
Black History Month will be a good discussion base for the importance of culture in the U.S., Viet Nam, and the world.
What else can we do for Black History Month?
I can go on and on- standing on a soapbox- imposing my view on the situation, but I will not. I understand that I do not know the many stories of the previous generation and that I may never completely understand, as Kathy reckoned. But like Cecil, I want you to be happy in life. I want you to find your reason to smile and to smile as many times as you like.
Today I finally unlocked my phone from the States. It is a Cingular LG CU500- the last phone I had while in the States. This picture was taken at a Barnes and Noble in the U.S. before I left. It’s a good phone and I liked it. One of the main draws for me was that it was an international phone. But the downside was that it was locked when I brought it over. After forgetting about it for five months, I finally called Cingular via Skype with the help of my friend. Five minutes later, my phone is unlocked and ready for use. Excellent news!
Me and a friend have been listening to John Legend’s “Get Lifted” album for the past two weeks. She found it in her things and it has become somewhat of a nightly listening session. It’s a beautiful album. We especially love the “lubby-dubby” part of the album- tracks 8-14. Her boyfriend is coming to Viet Nam on February 1st, so she is on Cloud 9 at the moment and won’t be coming down for a long time. This one’s for you, J.