Training Session 1
Last Saturday, we had our first Ecoventure training session. The atmosphere at the start was rather quiet and tensed, probably because everyone was busy rushing through last minute discussions and going through their presentations. (Presentations always make me nervous!)
In a while, the training session commenced with our hopes and fears regarding the training sessions. We were supposed to come up with tangible items for the list. Here's what we came up with:
Hopes and Fears
- Basic Vietnamese (H)
- Wrong Pronunciation (F)
- Feedbacks on Presentation (H)
- Communication of wrong information (F)
- Better understanding of the content stated in the exhibition panels (H)
- Proactive in Ecoventure-related activities (H)
- To learn more about the Vietnamese Culture (H)
- Team Building (H)
- To have a good collaboration between Ecoventure participants and the foreign organizations (H)
- Absenteeism for training sessions (F)
- Good Preparation (H)
- Behind Schedule (F)
Following that, we discussed some rules and regulations for the training.
Training – Motto & Rules
Purpose: To create an ideal learning environment
Rules:
- To be punctual
- Be open-minded
- Maximum contribution by everyone
- English-speaking environment
- Speak up, especially if you face difficulties
- Be updated on the progress of our preparation
Penalties: Cook for everyone (Cool huh?)
Most unfortunately, I was appointed the heavy task of noting down the people who violate the rules, cute as I thought the penalty was.
We also went through various terms during the session. Recall the UN and its 6 principal organs, what NGO stands for, what is service learning etc.
I quote the most memorable lines from that day that caught my attention, "I serve you in order that I may learn from you. You accept my service in order that you may teach me" (Principle of Reciprocity, Timonthy Stanton, 1992).
When we came to learning the Vietnamese from our friends, Harry and Truc, the atmosphere finally lightened up. A foreign language sounds well, just really foreign! Despite that, we were able to catch snippets that sounded like Chinese and dialect, much to our amusement and the peals of laughter chased away all the initial tensions that lurked in the room.
Here's a recap. Do you still remember what we had learnt?
Xin Chao! Bạn/em/anh/chị tên là gì? (what’s your name?)
Mình tên là …. (My name is…)
Bạn bao nhiêu tuổi? (How old are you?)
Mình 21 tuổi. ( I’m 21 years old.)
Bạn đến từ nước nào? (where are you from?)
Mình đến từ Singapore/ Malaysia. ( I’m from Singapore/Malaysia.)
Rất vui được gặp bạn! (Nice to meet you!)
Hẹn gặp lại bạn vào ngày mai! (See you tomorrow!)
It is always fun to learn a new language, don't you think?
After that, the teaching team presented their ideas for discussion and feedback. More details can be read from the "Updates" tab.
Then came the brief presentations for the eco-forum and eco-exhibition.
There was not enough time for me to present my part on writing a photo-essay though. Perhaps it'll be for another time then or I could upload my slides and everyone do your own e-learning!
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Kang Hua i really like this post! Great editing skill!