Hanoi, Vietnam

Mar 10, 2013

Someone keeps ringing me, or two people have rung me now, from Vietnamese numbers, on my days off at 6am and 8am in the morning! The first person didn't say anything, the second kept talking to me in Vietnamese… I was not impressed. So after my rude awakening this morning I went over to the volunteer house and spent most of the day there. I cheekily invited myself on a trip with my friend and her family (after she leaves the volunteer ho...

Hanoi, Vietnam

Mar 7, 2013

I woke up feeling like death, I ache everywhere just from tiredness! My feet are so red and sore from walking two hours a day, I have resorted to walking to and from school in my trainers and swapping shoes when I get to school, however when I get home my feet burn and throb for about half an hour! And I have chaffed all the inside of my thigh from walking, but I think this is from wearing tights in hot weather, so that is also burning when ...

Hanoi, Vietnam

Mar 6, 2013

Teaching is definitely getting easier day by day. I enjoyed today the most out of all three days and almost, almost felt in control. I started every lesson telling them that in my classes there was no talking, and that if they talked they would lose stars. (Each teacher splits the class into three groups and gives/ takes away stars depending on behaviour, and they love stars!) I also drew a number line from 1-10, 1 meaning we didn't play a g...

Hanoi, Vietnam

Mar 5, 2013

Teaching went much better today, I am sure this is partly because I had Vietnamese teachers in the class, so they actually listened to me! This may also have been because firstly I stood in front of the class and went through the rules, drawing a number line from 1-10 and telling them that each time they were naughty I would rub a number off and when it got to 1 it meant no games! Also, the introduction of stickers went down really well- the...

Hanoi, Vietnam

Mar 3, 2013

Spent the night in the volunteer house chatting until 1am, good for socialising but not great for my health. They have all taught for a week and are shattered after their first week, many of them have been ill. Mai Chau was great, and I'm glad I did it, but I've realised starting my first week of teaching already knackered is an error... I only got on average about 4 hours sleep a night in Mai Chau, and I am in the school every day at 8am, lea...