So the search for jobs in Vietnam left the internet and hit streets of Saigon today.  It was a much more trying experience than we anticipated, although I’m quite willing to admit that our strategy was misfounded.

Basically, I finalized my cover letter and resume, meticulously emphasizing my experiences and credentials that might make up for the fact that I don’t have a TEFL certification.  I hopped down to a nearby internet cafe to print all the documents I might need, then walked to a pharmacy that mysteriously doubled as a copy place.  The copier was ancient, stained yellow, and spat out ink-speckled copies on thin cheap paper.  All in all, the slow machinery made this trip far more of an endeavor than I anticipated, although everyone I met was extremely nice and polite.  Given all the smiles and their obvious patience with the language barrier, it was hard to stay frustrated.

I also printed out a list of school addresses, pulled from a handful of internet sites of varying reputations.  Turns out that we couldn’t find a searchable map of Saigon, so the addresses were relatively useless without knowing nearby cross streets or drawing on local knowledge.  We opted for the latter, renting a Vinasun taxi at an hourly rate to drive us around to all the addresses.  Well, by “renting a taxi” I mean consulting the ad hoc council of taxi drivers that assembled to understand our request and provide us a price quote.  Again, I’m astounded at the patience of so many people in the face of a language barrier.  My Vietnamese vocabulary consists of basic basic words, and my fumbling attempts to use them are met with either besumed but benign laughter or genuine applause.

At any rate, the taxi drove us from address to address, with our camera crew following along to document the adventure, or as it turned out, the misadventure.  The first 3 addresses no longer belonged (or never once belonged) to schools, and the stares I got as I wandered around in my slacks and white dress shirt were thicker than the sweltering humidity.  It felt as if all the gazes clung to me like the moisture that constantly collects on my skin.

We finally navigated our way to a couple schools, where I filled out some applications, dropped off the cover letters and resumes, and had a couple brief interviews/conversations.  Despite all my efforts into crafting this resume, I think I basically boiled down to 2 primary characteristics: I didn’t have a TEFL degree and I was only staying for 3 months.  Little else on my resume seemed to matter, though obviously the search is just beginning and these impressions could prove short-lived.

So the first day of physical visits was disappointing, and I returned to Pham Ngu Lao heavy hearted…and also exhausted.  Jet lag woke me up at 4am and my own concentration had kept me from eating.  Hopefully tomorrow will bring some better results, and I will shift my approach.  I’ll update as the process unfolds.