Modern Southeast Asia Class Resumes

Hopes remain high that Modern Southeast Asia will convene in person for the first time this semester on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021. Professor Harms is excited to meet the students after an unexpected power outage on the first scheduled day of classes on Thursday, September 2nd forced us to hold the class on zoom. (If you don’t quite believe this, read professor Harms describing the scene here, in the Yale Daily News). It seems there must have been a convergence of sorts, encouraging us to take a bit more of a summer break. September 2nd is also known in Vietnam as Ngày Quốc khánh (Independence Day), and the associated long holiday in Vietnam coincided with an extended three-day Labor Day weekend celebrated in the US. Sunny skies and mild temperatures in Connecticut make for good weather to read the first readings of the class and get ready for a stimulating semester. Meanwhile, we should remain in solidarity with our friends in Vietnam, where COVID lockdowns are creating great hardships across the country, but some loosening of restrictions may be on the horizon.