From King’s to Vietnam

By Brock Eldon '14

The journey from King's, where I graduated with my BA in English Language and Literature, to the vibrant classrooms across South Korea, China, and Vietnam I've taught in for the last ten years has been nothing short of a miracle.

There is no hazy afterglow of my departure from King's University College: its memory lingers with an unexpected persistence, weaving itself through my thoughts.

By twenty-eight, I found myself settled into the role of English Language Educator and then as a lecturer in Foundations in Literature at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's campus in Hanoi. The effort I put into my work at RMIT University between 2018-2024 is a testament to the spirit of respect for my obligation King's had taught me. It propelled me towards a tenure in teaching that continuously circles me back to those formative years at King's. Indeed, I visit those years often in my memory.

For four years, King's became my sanctuary: a quaint microcosm where the sublime beauty of academia was mine –and ours – to claim. I studied and taught at larger universities after, with large auditoriums. In my own teaching at RMIT, each lecture was an attempt to recapture that initial magic of King's University College. Of course, I was doomed to fall short. A flame was kindled in me at King's: a fervent inspiration that has guided me ever since. My bond with King's, forged through intimate associations, continues to shape my narrative.

As a graduate of the Humanities, the experience at King's served as a beacon that guided me back to the Canadian shores for further study at Queen's University in Kingston, where I secured my MA in English between 2016-17. This positive predominant ethos of King's, I believe, is not confined to my discipline alone but is a hallmark of its long-established academic environment of respect and collegiality. My professors worked to unlock my utmost potential. These mentors taught me to discern, offering me a lens (or rather multiple lenses) through which to view the world constantly anew.

There were profound encounters with professors and their subject matter at King's: a single lecture on Kafka's The Metamorphosis and I was ensnared, in love with this work of the intellect. I encountered the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare in contact with Dr. Paul Werstine; I studied the birth of the English novel under Dr. Coby Dowdell and the Modernism of T.S. Eliot with Dr. Brian Patton.

King's instilled in me a belief in the power of words to alter the fabric of reality. Now, entrenched in the world of journalism, the foundational skills honed at King's have been instrumental in realizing my aspirations as a writer.

I continue to live in Hanoi, Vietnam, where I work remotely as Associate Editor of Canada's C2C Journal. I live surrounded by books, my days dedicated to my craft –a daily devotion...

For the unwavering support and nurturing received during the pivotal transition into university life, my gratitude towards the King's community knows no bounds. They welcomed me, guided me, and bestowed upon me the liberty to explore the boundless skies of possibility. King's University College remains a touchstone that lights my way through life.