This intermission brought to you by...military training

So for everyone who has been waiting to hear exciting stories of Steven's first days of teaching class in Quy Nhon, we regret to inform you that such stories have been delayed slightly.

One of the facts of student life in Vietnam is military training. Every year (or perhaps every other year...?) all college students in the country are required to spend a few weeks with their classmates sleeping in barracks or out in tents learning how to march, clean firearms, and the like.

This year for the first time, military training for freshmen was placed right at the beginning of the school year. The freshmen--who usually start class late anyways because their university entrance exams take time to process--are now starting a full five or six weeks later than everyone else. Mid-October was the last ballpark date I heard for when classes were starting.

Since I (Steven) am teaching all freshman classes, that means I've got an extra few weeks to plan, find my way around Quy Nhon, meet students from past years, find great coffee shops and the like. It also means I might have some extra time to update the blog, so keep checking back...