My new life began in February 2001.

I sat at my computer in Edinburgh

and applied to be a volunteer with VSO (Volunteer Services Overseas). I
was sad; a love affair wasnt working out and the prospect of the same
routines going on for innumerable years seemed so futile. Surely I had
something worthwhile that I could contribute elsewhere in return for
the
experience of living in another culture whilst I was fit and healthy?
5
Great snowflakes were falling on the old city tenements when I pressed
send for my application; I had no idea what I had actually set in motion
for myself.
The selection interview in London was followed by preparation weekends
at Harbourne Hall in Birmingham. Though I didnt yet know where I would
be sent, I was swept along. []
I was still teaching in Stockbridge Primary School in Edinburgh and my
10
new adventure was a talking point. I heard myself spout clichd phrases
like My children have grown up, and being divorced I have no real ties,
and It seems to be the right time to do this, and It will be a challenge
and who knows... I may help to make a difference in some small way.
They were all just words, and as I reassured my parents and children,
perhaps I was really
reassuring myself.
15
The letter arrived telling me I was to be sent to Vietnam.
Although I had spent my early childhood in Malaysia and then nine of my
married years in Singapore and [] East Malaysia, I knew very little about
Vietnam. [] I somehow imagined that Vietnam would be the same and
the people similar to the gentle Malays and the nononsense, efficient Chinese. I would learn that, as in Europe, each nation
20
has been marked by its own history and the people reflect their own way
of life. Asia as a whole seems like a beautiful rainbow; each country is
made up of its own unique colours, which are reflected in the food,
clothes, language and culture. And Vietnam is Vietnam.
The months leading up to my departure saw my arm turn into a
pincushion for exotic
diseases. I tried to read everything I could about the country, but the
25
information was often dry and far too textbook. I was not prepared for
the actuality that hit me on my arrival the geography, culture and
traditions struck me as a tremendous symphony of colour and sound.[]
I was told that I would be working for SCF (Save the Children Fund
UK) as a Preschool
Teacher Trainer. My job was to assist teachers to teach Vietnamese as a
30
second language in Quang Ninh Province, northeast of Hanoi. This area of
Vietnam is inhabited by a number of ethnic minority groups, who are
among the poorest in Vietnam []
I was full of doubts about my ability to train teachers in another
language; I was full of doubts about my ability to live in an isolated part
of Vietnam; I was just full of doubts.
Gael Harrison, The Moon in the Banyan Tree (2005)

1. Tick the right box.

a. The text is probably an extract from
1
pt
a newspaper a science fiction novel an autobiographical novel a personal
diary
b. Justify your choice in your own words (20 words).
Its an autobiographical novel because it is a first person narrative and the
main character is telling about her life.
2
pts
2. Who is the narrator? Give as many details as possible (her possible
age, family, job).
She must be middle-aged, as she has grown up children and her parents are
still alive. She has been married but is divorced. She is a primary school
teacher in Edinburgh, Scotland.
3 pts
3. What decision has she made?
She has decided to change life: she has applied to be a volunteer abroad. 2 pts
Read from line 1 to line 15.
4. Right or wrong? Justify with a brief quotation from the text.3 pts
right wrong
a. The narrator was sad because she had applied to be a volunteer.

she was sad because a love affair wasnt working out. (line 2)
b. The narrator thought she could be helpful.

I had something worthwhile that I could contribute elsewhere. (line 4)

c. The narrator was confident.

as I reassured my parents and children, perhaps I was really reassuring

myself. (line 14-15)
5. In your own words explain the narrators motivations (50 words).
The narrator was fed up with routines, she wanted to have new prospects both
in her professional and personal life. As she was healthy she also thought that
she could be helpful to underprivileged people, that she could share her
knowledge and experience with them. She was also eager to discover another
culture.
5 pts
6. Explain in your own words what the narrator means when she
writes l. 6-7: I had no idea what I had actually set in motion for
myself. (30 words)
She had actually applied for this position but she didnt know what to expect :
for example she didnt know where she would be sent nor what type of position
she would be offered.
4 pts
7. What paradox does the narrator underline l. 9: Though I didnt
know yet where I would be sent, I was swept along? (30 words)
After being selected she couldnt control the process any longer. She was
trained and her departure was organized even if she had no idea about the
destination.
3 pts
Read from line 16 to the end.

8. Right or wrong? Justify with a brief quotation from the text.4 pts
right wrong
a. The narrator had no experience of Asia.

I had spent my early childhood in Malaysia and then nine of my married years
in Singapore and
East Malaysia. (line 19-20)
b. The narrator had been vaccinated before leaving.

my arm turned into a pincushion for exotic diseases. (line 27-28)

c. The narrator could not fi nd the information in the books she read before
her departure.

I tried to read everything I could about the country but the information was
often too dry and too
textbook. (line 28-29)
d. The narrator was going to teach in a primary school.

I would be working as a Preschool Teacher Trainer. (line 33)

9. In your own words, explain the contrast between what the narrator
imagined about Vietnam and what she actually discovered (40 words).
As she had already spent some time in Asia she imagined that the Vietnamese
would be as gentle as the Malays and as effi cient as the Chinese. She
discovered that each Asian country has a character of its own: the people, the
food, the clothes are different as well as the language and the traditions.
3
pts
10. Pick out one phrase the narrator uses to describe Vietnam. Draw
conclusions about her feelings for this country (30 words).
The geography, culture and traditions struck me as a tremendous symphony of
colour and sound. (line 27/28)
2 pts
Obviously the narrator has very positive feelings for this country; the word
symphony conveys an idea of harmony and pleasure, she wants to emphasize
the fact that the colours and the sounds of nature and people combine
harmoniously.
3 pts
11. Explain the last sentence I. 34: I was just full of doubts (50
words).
The narrator is going to experience a new start, she cant rely on her
experience. For example, she is going to assist teachers to teach Vietnamese,
so she has to use a second language for her job, which she has never done
before. She has never lived in a remote place with poor people. She doesnt
know if she will be able to cope with this new situation and she might think she
has made the wrong decision when she applied for this position.
5 pts

12. Translate: from Surely I had (l. 4) to for myself (l. 7).
Encore en pleine forme physique je pouvais srement apporter une
contribution utile ailleurs et faire en change lexprience de vivre dans une
autre culture. De gros flocons de neige tombaient sur les immeubles vtustes
de la ville lorsque je cliquais sur envoyer pour ma candidature. Je ne savais
absolument pas dans quoi je venais de membarquer.
5 pts