First Day of Class.

Things are looking up.

Hanoi, Vietnam – Coming off a September holiday weekend, I felt a little like a kid embarking on his first day of school.

Which, in many ways, I was.

The roads were swollen following Independence Day, which signifies the return to school in Vietnam. Children gathered onto scooters – young girls outfitted in smart white blouses with red ribbons tucked neatly under their collars – and I melted into traffic with them.

With my equivalent to an elementary literature primer, I’ve begun perfecting my Chào buổi sang/tối (Good morning/evening) and Cám ơn (thank you), adding to words I had learned previously. I was only missing an apple for the teacher.

Today was my first day at the modest, yet expanding, campus for Bắc Thăng Long College (BTL), where I met with the dynamic Rector, Mr. Vinh, Mr. Viet, Mr. Hiep and a couple long-term volunteers for the first time.

Mr. Vinh is a man of many ideas, and the two-hour meeting dissolved at times into an ever-expanding vision for my mandate before Ms. Ngoc attempted to narrow it once more. I am, after all, only here for three-and-a-half more weeks.

Strolling through campus.

Despite the fact many of these anxious discussions were carried-out in Vietnamese, I found it fascinating to see how many times I felt I knew exactly what the Rector was getting at based on his facial expressions and body language. He reminds me in many ways of my manager back home – which is a good thing.

Big vision and a desire to make necessary change are attributes with which I can very easily get on board.

Mr. Vinh invited us to a celebration lunch at a Korean barbeque-style restaurant, where we feasted and I was challenged to try to tell the difference between Saigon and Hanoi Beers. Priorities.

Despite not being a drinker, our host led several rounds of cheers in order to make me fell welcome.

And I do.