What a week!

I can't believe it's one week since I set off on this adventure. I've had such a busy time; settling into my hotel room, buying an electric kettle, plate, bowl and mug so that I can at least have a drink and a snack in my room. I usually eat with Mark, either at the school canteen or at a 'cafe' where we may eat noodles or rice with some veg and meat. Not exactly like Chinese food; somewhat more basic. The national dish is pho, pronounced 'far', which they have for breakfast; noodles in broth with meat and a bowl of leafy greens that are added to the hot broth. It's very nutritious. One morning we had this at a roadside establishment that serves this all morning then shuts for the rest of the day. This is our breakfast being made.

To go anywhere we go by bike and I ride pillion withMark or anyone else who's going with us shopping or to the Cinema, which are in the same building. The underground 'Car park' is full of bikes, with not a car in sight! The Co-op Mart is a three story supermarket, each floor for different departments; food, household and clothes, and stationery and books. On the very top floor is the plushest Cinema that rivals even our own Cinema world and to see a film only costs the equivalent of £1. It's more expensive for refreshments!

Most of my time has been spent at the English School where I've already started teaching, meeting the teachers and trying to remember their names, and attending Mark's classes with the more advanced students, which are always stimulating and fun. The students range from 5 years old to teenagers and even older. They are all so keen to learn and usually very intelligent. There are the odd ones who find it all a bit of a bore and are only there because their affluent parents want them to get on in life, which means mastering the English language. This is only one of many private schools here, catering to wealthy parents.

In this town of Bien Hoa (Been Hwa), oppulent houses with fancy iron railings and closed gates line the roads together with what can only be described as hovels, selling anything from fresh food to cooked food, laundry to barbers and from toiletries to clothes; the seamstress sitting at her sewing machine in the open shop and the mechanics with a backlog of bikes. They acknowledge my greeting with a smile. As I take my life in my hands, poised to cross the road against the surging tide of bike traffic, a passing rider may pat his pillion seat encouragingly as though to offer a lift but I haven't gone that far yet!

You would not believe the traffic! Like an army of ants scurrying and weaving in and out, barely acknowledging any rules of the road, and yet flowing with hardly an accident, I think, because they don't speed and there are hardly any cars. I have seen an occasional bus, lorry or expensive car picking a child up from school or depositing ladies at a restaurant. Pedestrians just wade in and let them flow around.

This is so alien to my usual life, yet so stimulating that I don't feel tired, but I do sleep well. So goodnight and sweet dreams.

Great to hear from you Celia... let me know how your plans are going!