Once in a while, our job is fun...

Adrianne from Hanoi came to Dalat this week to visit us and also to observe our classes so that she could help us improve in our teaching. We get observed at least once every semester. Yesterday, Adrianne observed Karen's class, so I took the opportunity to sit in as well. And I am glad I did because it was a once in a lifetime experience. Below is an email from Karen describing what happened. The title of her email was "The Pride comes Before the Fall..."

…OR does the Fall come before the Pride?

Oh boy,

Yesterday was a pretty crazy day.

~I said goodbye to my friend Nancy who came to Da Lat from Hanoi to visit me,

~I had class 45 minutes after she left,

~Two people were observing my teaching,

AND

~I totally fell in front of my freshmen class.

So here’s the story of my fall.

I had just gone over attendance for the freshmen class and I put a stack of papers for the next activity on the corner of the desk.

**Now I’m not sure if you know this, but there are “stages” or small platforms in the front of most Vietnamese classrooms. Usually it is a thin strip the length of the chalkboard with a desk in the corner and one or two steps going up.

This was my second time in the new classroom building. I think I’m use to a stage with a longer elevated platform near the desk – that’s my excuse anyway.

I picked up the papers on the corner of the desk and started talking about how I was going to choose five people to come up to the front of the class.

I took a step forward and before I knew it, I fell about a foot off the stage.

I’m not quite sure what hit the tile floor first – maybe my elbows or maybe my face. All I know is that my legs were in the air over my head, papers were flying everywhere, and students were leaping out of their desks to help me.

I tried my best to jump up quickly from the craziness and tell them that I was okay. I was more embarrassed than hurt. There were tears streaming down my face and I was laughing so hard it was difficult for the students to know what to do or think. They were all so concerned and worried for me but I kept telling them that I wasn’t hurt. The only thing that was hurt was my PRIDE. I don’t know why I was crying, it all happened so fast.

Not only did I fall for the first time in my five years at Da Lat University AND in front of my fifty freshmen, but I did it with two observers watching.

The observers in the back are my friends so it was more funny than embarrassing.

Adrianne had her head down making notes and she didn’t even know that I fell. She heard a commotion then looked up and said, “Where did Karen go?”

Andy (my teammate) kindly let Adrianne know that I fell.

After a few minutes of me dusting off my pants while the students picked up all the stray papers and doting upon me, I continued my lesson with “grace and poise.”

We all kept laughing throughout the whole three hour lesson. Whenever we were reminded of my fall, I would make a joke and they would laugh.

I made it though and have yet again another klutzy story to share with my friends and family.

I’m really okay, don’t worry. I called my mom and she was concerned but I was laughing the whole time I was telling her. She asked if anyone got it on video.

Sadly, I can’t submit it to America’s funniest home video because no one was taping me at the time.

I just wanted to share a small part of my life in Vietnam with you where every day is a surprise.

Oh yeah, and after I came home I looked in the mirror and realized that the clips in my hair also did a little tumble and part of my hair was sticking up the whole rest of the lesson.

Oh well. That’s Karen for ya.

I’ve realized that I’ve had a lot of situations where my pride was hurt, but that best part of getting over it is to laugh.

I just have to tell you… I’ve laughed A LOT in Vietnam. J

Here are two pictures of the classroom “stage”

(Insert mental picture of Karen falling)

You can see that there isn’t a lot of space on the stage where the desk is placed in this room.

Oops. Yep. I was pretty close to hitting my head on those desks too. But I didn’t. J