xin chao (hello)
How is everyone?good i hope!Im great!Not sick anymore and im having a happy time!Im back at work!Loving it!It made it so good cos i had my favourite class yr 6 first up!They are so cute!I had a great weekend!On Friday night my friend Erin and I went to a water puppet show, this is the traditional Vietnamese show from Hanoi (the other end of Nam).It was very interesting, It didnt really have a story line that i followed!The puppets were in water hence the name and there were musicians playing traditional Vietnamese music and speaking for the puppets, this was in Vietnamese so thats prob another reason i didnt follow much!It was funny, there were men puupets fishing and frogs and dragons!We went on a Xe-om in the night in the city and it was so funny pretty scry but safe at the same time, your sitting in a seat while a man is on a pushbike pedalling!Then we went to dinner and i found a restaurant with tacos!Was so excited haha!On Saturday night i went out with a Vietnamese girl i met and her two friends!Nga(the girl)could speak english pretty well though her two friends vuu and Bo couldnt!They took me to a Vietnamese restaurant, i couldnt read the menu so they just ordered.We had potato chips but get this they brang out on a little saucer sugar and butter to dip the chips in, how weird is that!We also had tofu squares and eel, yes i tried eel, it was deep fried and u take the meat off the bone and dip it in some spicy sauce.I didnt think id like it as i dnt eat fish very often but i said i was going to try weird things while on this trip!It wasnt bad, bit like fish not a strong in flavour though.We also got this hot pot which is a pt with boiling water and you cook our meat in it and there was vegetables i didnt know and rice paper and we made our own fresh spring rolls.They were quite nice, was funny making them each person i was with had different techniques how to make them.After this we went to this really nice coffee shop, (they are really popular over here, there are more of them than restuarants in my district) The one we went to was four stories tall and we got really yummy icecream sunday type things!On Sunday i met up with Beth and Erin and we spent lots of money bought some clothes!We found the saigon square has so many cheap everything!On Tuesday night(last night)Koine and i went out to dinner with Sang and Hop (teachers i work with)and some of their friends.We went to this really nice Vietnamese restuarant and got heaps of different dishes including a hot pot that was soup, the hot pot come with the water soup then u put the vergetables and meat and seafood in yourself and put noodle in your bowl!Was rell nice.The desert we had was 'che suong sa hot luu' which was coconut milk, jelly and these fruit thing really yummy!This plus drinks cost 400,000 vnd which is $30 and it fed 6!After this we went to the very popular kareoke!This was so fun and so cool!Kareoke isnt just in a bar over here they have rooms for with lounges and your own tv and bathroom for every group!We all were singing songs.It was so fuuny at the end of your song they have scores and yes im that good at singing i got two 98 scores haha!Defenetly doing more kareoke!Today, Korine and i found the pool near our school which is so good.First time ive been in water since the day i left Lennox!We did some laps!Going to make that a regular place to visit!I found out how to say my name in Vietnamese properly whaa huum haha its really rose but ill go with that!anyways hope everyones happy and staying safe!
Tam biet (goodbye)

Hey all,
Well i have had an interesting week of illness!It started with thinking just the usual sore throat, though eneded up being accute tonsillitis!I was stuck inside my little room since monday then went to the docs and got medicine which i couldnt keep down and i couldnt eat so i enede up in hospital by friday!Now this was somehing new as ive never stayed at a hospital or ven had tonsillitis and it all had to happen while i was here!I wanted to come home!But i soldiered on!The hosital was a french one so it was really good!Lovely peeopl and i had lots of Rosey time!Iread and slept alot!Though it was bit sad i only had 2 visitors!So many friends here haha!Though today i came hme and im still on the mend but spirits are higher and im looking forward to work!Sang said my yr 6 class miss me and wanted to come visiti me haha little cuties!This weeks events have made me see things in different views im more indeoendent doing the wholoe hospital thing by myself!And im looking forward to the future and really settling in!I Have made some Vietnamese friends who i will see soon!Everything happens for a reason!so Its just another experience and hurdle!Hopefully the last bad one for a while!I hope all is well at home!miss all lots this week!xox

Hi everyone!!
I have had a pretty good week, teaching is going good!My yr 6 class are so fun!Yr 9 are a handful, and the rest are good!The funnest classes are when we play games to help them with their english skills, like introducing, questioning!I have to plan lessons, which is probably the hardest part, to know what they will understand and be interested in.So far so good!I have another Vietnamese english teacher in the class with me to help translating.My placement is pretty good In my little room that i share with Korine we have a fridge/freezer, tv with cable, a computer, we actually have 3 in the room as we both brought our laptops.On Sunday Beth, Erin and i went on a tour which took us to a place where the disabled make heaps of the art that is sold, they showed us here, how they make some of it which was really cool!Though it goes to show how much we get ripped off at home as its so cheap here.Then we went to the Cao Dai temple, the great holy see Temple.It is the headquarter of Cao dai, a religion with a colourul mix of Buddhism, christianity and confucian.We attended one of the daily mass's which was really iteresting.Then we went to the Chu Chi tunnels, where part of the Vietnam war men fought in the Vietnam war.This was in the jungle and was very hot!The tour guide showed us weapons that the men made, and we saw some of the tunnels that the men crawled through, we could go through them if we wanted, though i started to do it then i piked it!It was too scary and i get clostrophobic sometimes!My friend Beth did it and she said it was really hot, small and it got darker by the end but she enjoyed it!You can also shoot a gun there which i wish i did but i didnt take enough money!I was out to dinner with the princpal, vice principal, the owner of the school and one of the teachers, we went to a place called the Thai garden (yeah Lenno) and we ate some traditional food which was nice.They also gave me my name is Vietnamese its whah nn haha i cant spell it and it probably doesnt sound like that but its funny.
Hope all is well at home.See you all later!

i forst arrived and my first few days, as it was a huge culture shock!The roads are crazy!!!!!moto bikes coming at u from all directions, cars weaving there ways, horns beeping u never get a break!Though this is all so nice at nite all the lights!I am used to it now!And i also know i will last!We were in a motel at first and were shown a little round the city!Now im at my placement living on campus at Thai binh!Where i get woken up every moring at 6 am by drums and loud songs waking the boarders up!Though im now getting used to!I started teaching last thurday which was so cool i have classes from grade 6 who are so cute and up to grade 11!It funny they are not much younger!i have a 18 yr old in a class and wen a boy talks to me they make funny comments and they ask if i have a boyfriend!hahahThese kiddies make me appreciate school more than i did!They start at 6:45 and some dont finish till 9 at night!They try so hard and the ones who board have no life but studying! I have been going to see beautiful pagodas which are so nice!its inspiring seeing so many praying!Seeing the streets how unclean and the smells of polluted air makes me appreciate home so much!I havnt seen a beach since ive been here and i had one pretty much at my door step wen i was home!We have clean air and nice big homes!I have men sleeping in there carts cos they have no homes and little children with their baby siblings begging for money!Everything is so cheap here to and beautiful!Im starting to become a stinge with my money thogh even with things that are $3!Riding on the back of the bikes are so fun the wind in my hair sucking in the bad air haha!Taxi men are rip off artists at the best of time!Ive defenetly coped the ups and downs but its all worth it even wen i wake up every moring with puffy eyes cos im allergic to something!ahhhhhh I miss everone but know i will be seeing you all

Sin jow everyone!

Im finally writing after beiing here for 2 and a half weeks!

My first week was really good in the way of learning again!Havnt done so since xavier days!I had to learn how to teach our language in 5 days!We also learnt some vietnamese which was fun!Not that im remembering much!I made some friends which helps!Though i was unsure how i was going to last here for my time wen in April after my travels to china, laos, india, thailand, cambodia, and the top of nam!yay how fun!Keep well everyone!much love!

Im going to Nam soon!

Well im moving to vietnam in 5 and a half weeks for six months!Something different!Im goin to teach english-conversational classes, to 12-18 year olds, Thai Binh Secondary school.Pretty exciting stuff!I will be living on campus, with another girl, from the uk!Ill keep u all updated!its going to be so great!Plus ill be doing so much travelling, all vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, maybe china!woooo ill miss everyone but!best friends ever!