A Week In the Life

I’ve had a few people recently ask me how I’m always busy and always doing something.

And honestly, it’s quite hard to explain, because no two weeks are ever the same.

I very much take each day as it comes. There’s no real routine, which of course has its pros and cons.

So I’m going to try my best to generalise my weeks, just to give a bit of a picture of what it’s actually like being a teacher abroad.

I definitely came into this thinking I’d be travelling all the time.

And that’s not to say I haven’t, I’ve done a fair bit of travelling around Vietnam and other countries, but when you’re actually living somewhere like this, surrounded by the hustle and bustle, I’ve found I enjoy spending a lot of my free time doing other things, picking up new skills, trying new things, and just making the most of it while I’m here rather than constantly being on the move.

Monday

Monday is my sacred day off.

In theory.

In reality, I do have a tendency to fall into a trap of job applications, “extra work”, and convincing myself I need to be productive 24/7, which I’m actively trying to stop.

So now I’m making more of an effort to actually switch off.

Sometimes that means I’ll end up going somewhere. I’ve done a few beach trips, short flights around Vietnam, even managed a quick trip to Thailand at one point, usually leaving Sunday after work and getting back before work Tuesday afternoon. I’ve also done a couple of hiking trips a bit further out from the city.

If I’m not away, I’ll still try and do something with the day. Next week I’ve decided I’m going to the rooftop infinity pool, no laptop, no “just one quick application”, nothing.

This week, for example, we went out to Chinatown, had goat curry, got a tarot card reading??? and then ended up in the park painting… which are all things I would never do in the UK, but here just feel like a normal way to spend a Monday.

I’ve also done things like ice baths, random tours, even tried archery… just any side quests I can find in the city.

Basically just forcing myself to start the week doing something that doesn’t feel like work.

Tuesday

Tuesday mornings (if I’m not away) start at the dog shelter.

Genuinely the best way to start the day, who doesn’t want to cuddle about twenty dogs first thing in the morning?

It’s a bit hectic at times, but I love it. Not just because of the dogs, but because it actually feels like I’m doing something worthwhile as well.

Then it’s straight to Wayne’s for coffee with one of my friends from there, followed by pickleball, which I didn’t expect to become a weekly thing, but here we are.

If I’m still feeling motivated, I’ll go to the gym.

Then I’ve got work, and I’ll usually carry on working a bit more later in the evening as well, so it’s not all just coffee and pickleball, despite how it sounds.
(When I say work, I mean both my actual teaching job and the extra bits: learning new skills, job applications, and things I’m working on for the future).

And if I’ve got no plans at night, I’ll go for a run.

Not during the day though. Absolutely not. The heat here is something else.

Wednesday

Wednesday is my “no plans, get my life together” day.

I’ll get up early, go to the gym, and then sit in an aircon café for most of the day getting work done before heading to school in the evening.

It’s probably my most productive day of the week.

By the time I finish my last class around 9:10, I’m absolutely done, usually just grabbing some food and going straight to bed.

It’s very rare you’ll catch me out on a Wednesday.

Thursday

Thursday morning is back at the dogs, followed by (shock) another coffee.

It’s pretty similar to Tuesday, but a bit more flexible. If I’ve got no plans, I’ll sit and get some work done, but everything here is so last minute that if a friend suggests lunch, you can guarantee the laptop is getting shut.

Then more work in the afternoon.

Thursday nights are usually my “I’ll just have a couple” night. It’s kind of my designated let-my-hair-down evening.

Sometimes it really is just a couple and I’m in bed by 2.

Sometimes… it’s two Sojus later and suddenly it’s 6am on Bui Vien, which is always an accident, I swear.

Friday

Fridays are for FaceTiming my parents and doing a full weekly debrief.

During the day, it’s either very productive, like a repeat of Wednesday, gym, work, feeling like I have my life together. Or I’m in bed, slightly regretting the night before, trying to piece things together until I have to get up and go to work.

My parents either get the put-together version of me… or the slower, slightly quieter version. There’s not really an in-between.

I do sometimes make plans on Friday nights since a lot of my friends don’t work the same schedule as me, but with an 8am start on Saturday and not finishing until 9:10 that night, it’s usually not my best idea.

Weekend

Weekends are actually quite nice and chilled for me.

I’ve kind of got used to them not really feeling like “weekends” since my schedule is so different to the typical 9–5.

I’ll usually go to school 8–12, go to the gym, then do a bit more work.

Recently, I’ve been trying to pick up extra shifts where I can, so for the past month I’ve been doing 12-hour days on Saturdays and Sundays. It sounds horrible, but I actually don’t mind it when I know the extra money is going towards savings for my next trip, or wherever I end up next.

By the evening, I’m a lot more relaxed. It’s usually dinner or drinks with friends, nothing too hectic.

I’m definitely less into the whole clubbing scene now. If that’s your thing, there’s plenty of it here, but I’m much more of a sit-on-the-side-of-the-road-on-plastic-chairs, a few beers, and a good chat kind of gal.

No two weeks are the same.

But I can guarantee there’ll be too much coffee, a bit of pickleball, time at the dogs, and dinners with friends.

It’s a very social life, and being somewhere so affordable makes it so easy to actually enjoy it.

The teaching schedule helps as well, it gives you the time to try new things and work on other goals outside of teaching, while still having a decent work-life balance.

Of course, the lack of routine can be a bit of a problem when it comes to discipline and productivity, and it’s not always the easiest to navigate.

But for now, it works quite nicely for me.

Definitely not a long-term plan… but for this year, I’m enjoying it.

With Love from Saigon,

Anaïs

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