Da Nang - volunteering at an English school!

I arrived in Da Nang on Friday, where I’ll be staying for two weeks to volunteer at a small school and café called Tipi, helping teach English. After a lot of moving around recently, it’s been nice to stay somewhere for a bit and have more of a routine.

My first day was Saturday, and it didn’t start off great - my first class was cancelled. But it worked out well in the end. I spent the day with one of the other volunteers from Slovakia who’s been here a couple of weeks. We went to the beach and went out for drinks in the evening, which was a fun way to settle in and hear a bit more about what the volunteering’s actually like.

There have been a few things that haven’t matched the expectations from the Workaway listing. The communication with the coordinator has been a bit unclear, and the post said we’d be assisting teachers in class - but in reality, I’ve mostly been leading lessons solo.

I’ve never taught a class before, so being put in front of a group of 6 to 13 year olds with different levels of English and only being given teaching materials about an hour into the session, I was slightly thrown in at the deep end. Once I got over the initial scramble, it wasn’t so bad. The kids are great - full of energy, really sweet, and willing to learn :)

Tipi also runs English-speaking sessions in their café, where locals come to chat and practice in a more casual setting. These have been a highlight - relaxed conversations, good people, and a great way to learn more about Vietnamese culture from the people who live here.

In my free time, I’ve been going to a local gym, hanging out with other volunteers, and making the most of being by the beach. Having a bit of structure again has actually been a relief - I think I’ve hit that point where travel fatigue starts to creep in, and a slower pace has been really welcome.

The school is closed for the next few days to mark the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification of Vietnam, so I’ll take the chance to explore more of the city. One of the teachers has also asked me to help prepare her for a job interview with an English-speaking company, which I am looking forward to helping her with!

So far, this stretch in Da Nang has been a mixed experience - not everything has gone smoothly, but I’m glad to be here and looking forward to what the next week brings🕺🏻 xxxx