Sean T.

1. What got you interested in the Peace Corps?

I first heard about the Peace Corps while I was interning on Capitol Hill during the summer of 2023. Going into my senior year of college, I was unsure about the path I wanted to pursue after receiving my degree in international relations. As I began to consider all of my post-graduate options, I knew that I wanted to challenge myself to experience something new while doing fulfilling work. It quickly became apparent to me that joining the Peace Corps was the best fit for me as my first post-graduate work experience. While doing fulfilling work, gaining invaluable life experience, and spreading the ultimate goal of world peace, I was excited at the prospect of joining a vast Peace Corps Volunteer community that is spread across America and the world.

2. What projects are you working on?

I am an English Education Volunteer in Viet Nam. My main project is helping to facilitate and improve English education in public high schools outside city centers. Viet Nam is a newer Peace Corps post, and as a member of the third-ever cohort, I get to play an exciting role in building the Peace Corps’ presence here in Viet Nam. Volunteers in Viet Nam serve as high school English teachers in the countryside of Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. I am currently living and co-teaching at a high school in rural Ha Noi. My main responsibility is co-teaching with Vietnamese counterparts and implementing English extra-curricular activities to encourage English language learning beyond the classroom.

3. What strategies have you used to integrate into your community?

I’ve found that three traits are required for successful integration: openness, patience and consistency. Arriving in a new place as a foreigner who does not speak the language most definitely requires a lot of patience and determination. A helpful strategy has been adopting an open, friendly attitude that welcomes new experiences. I have had to be patient while my language skills slowly improve throughout my service while also maintaining a consistent presence in my community. Going to the same people in the market, buying street food from the same vendors, going regularly to my local gym, drinking tea with locals, and so many other things have allowed me to build a positive reputation within my community while also providing great opportunities to make friendships. Seeing everyday interactions as new opportunities to build relationships has helped me so much throughout my time here in Viet Nam.

4. What is a highlight of your time in service so far?

A highlight of my time in service so far has been seeing my counterpart teachers and students grow in their confidence to speak English. Students in public high schools outside the city center do not often have opportunities to interact with native English speakers, so when I first arrived, people were very shy with me. As teachers and students have gotten to know me, many of them have become eager to practice having daily conversations with me. Since my arrival, I have tried my best to be available to have conversations in and out of the classroom to try and make people feel as comfortable as possible speaking English. As time has gone on, people who initially would not say anything more than hello to me will now have full conversations with me. In a recent school performance, a once- shy 10th grade student agreed to sing a song in English with me in front of the whole school. That growth in confidence and skill has been very rewarding to see.

5. What have you enjoyed most about the community where you are serving?

Growing up in the small state of Delaware, I have always been surrounded by a supportive community where everybody knows everybody. When I arrived at my site, a mid-sized town outside of Ha Noi, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in another tight-knit community. In Vietnamese culture, there is a strong emphasis on community, which is evident in my town through people’s everyday interactions. In my school and in my town, everyone knows each other. For example, many teachers live just outside school walls and the local cafes and food shops surrounding my school are run by people who are related to students and teachers, so everywhere I go, I hear the affectionate greeting “Hello, teacher!” This type of familiarity within the community has made me feel at home in what was initially a totally new and unknown environment. I feel very supported and connected every time I leave my school and ride my bike around my town, when I get to experience the warmth and friendliness of Vietnamese people firsthand.

6. What are some of the most important things you’ve learned from your community?

Among the most significant are two things that will always stick with me: the importance of community and being resourceful. I have witnessed firsthand how people in town support and take care of each other while constantly working towards the improvement of their community. I have been fortunate enough to be included in many celebratory events, from small to big. From celebrating someone buying a car to participating in my first Vietnamese wedding, watching people come together to uplift and celebrate each other has been inspiring.

Being resourceful is a very important skill I have learned. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I often have to deal with situations that are difficult to prepare for, so I have to be ready to make do with what I have. Trying to find creative ways to use and adapt to my surroundings is a skill I hope to continue to grow and develop in my future endeavors.

7. How do you spend time when not working on a project?

When I am not working on my project, I try my best to stay active! My site is surrounded by extensive rice fields that have a great network of small roads and paths for bike riding. Also, my town is close to a locally famous lake with beautiful mountains and rock formations so I often like to ride to and explore these new areas. I am also fortunate to have a local gym very close by, so I have developed many strong relationships with people at my gym. Aside from physical activity, I am continuing to study Vietnamese and enjoy testing my language skills in the market, local cafes, or with people I know. I have been very fortunate to be invited to the homes of many teachers and community members and I enjoy trying new foods and making new friends while drinking tea or sharing hotpot dinners.

8. What are you looking forward to in your remaining time as a Volunteer?

I am hoping to solidify an English club at my school to give students the opportunity to continue practicing English outside a formal classroom setting. I am also excited to continue to get to know people here and continue to promote positive cultural exchange. Outside of my project, I am looking forward to redoubling my efforts to study Vietnamese and use this immersion opportunity to improve my language skills and use them to continue creating and deepening friendships in my community.

9. What will you do differently when you return to the U.S.?

This is something that I often think about but I’m not entirely sure yet. What I do know is that I have grown as a person and I am excited to see how I handle returning home to my life in America. I feel that I have become a more patient, understanding, and open-minded person who is excited to see America through new eyes. I certainly have grown to appreciate the diversity and size of America and I look forward to experiencing new things and meeting new people while also appreciating the great community of family and friends I already have in Delaware. I look forward to applying what I learned in professional and personal settings that reflect the experiences I have had here in Viet Nam.

Learn more about serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Viet Nam.