Francoise and I with our Grade Six classroom
Miss Mai Huong and I with her grade six class
Tran Quoc Pagoda on the banks of West Lake
View from my room at Hoa Binh Palace Hotel on the 6th Floor
Lunch time at NBK School! Ceil, Dan, Alex & Mary
Anne Marie and I (An ex-Swede/Estonian or some such background) and an
ex-Finn!) and one of my favourite people out of our group :) .... she has a wicked, irreverant sense of humor! Can't you just tell from that grin??
The student in the yellow t-shirt is a mover and a shaker .... the future of Vietnam will be in the hands of very bright children like this fellow. He is going on a student exchange program to Finland next year, so we had a good chat about the country and I gave him a few Finnish words to start him along.
Upstairs in our dining/meeting area at Hoa Binh Palace .... minus Anne Marie who was having a rest from the group activities that evening!
A typical street scene at dinner, lunch, breakfast or really anytime in Vietnam ..... families gather around to share a "pho" :)
Typical family mode of transportation!
Gathered around the Opera House of Hanoi with our students ... what a fun evening with this jovial group! "Hanoi Hilton" is beside the Opera House but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it .... another day perhaps :)
Meeting up at our hotel prior to our walk-about around Hoan Kiem Lake with NBK students for opening ceremonies for the 1,000 birthday of Hanoi.
Dinner put on for us by hotel management in Chica Restaurant
Cool picture .... Vietnam on a globe with motor cyclist going by, just as I snapped the picture
Various scenes from our "walk about" on October 1st with a handful of students from NBK School along with one of the teachers. What a fun evening it was!!!
The students arrived shortly after we had finished our delicious dinner, put on for us by the Hoa Binh Palace staff . Tummies full, spirits ignited, we set off to mingle with the crowds for day one of the 1,000th birthday celebration. It is quite extraordinary to be here in Hanoi at this time!!! The streets were overflowing in a veritable sea of people, motorcyles, cyclos, taxis ....... oh yes, just the usual street scene in Vietnam, multiplied many times over, for the celebrations :) ..... we walked or rather, shuffled and moved as best we could , jammed elbow to elbow around Hoan Kiem Lake, stopping at an ice cream stand ....... given the lineups, it was a miracle we managed to purchase anything but purchase we did, treating the kids to various treats ...... it was just simply mind "bogglingly" crowded ..... (I add to Webster's when words fail me :) ....... Note the picture of a whole family on a motor bike ...... this is generally a very common sight in Vietnam, never mind now, with Vietnamese families pouring into Hanoi by the thousands from all over the country ..... The parents wear the helmets, the children not!! We have been told that children of a certain age are not required to wear a helmet???!! I have seen toddlers no older than two, holding on to a mother's waist on the back of a motor bike ..... Somehow it all works and accidents are infrequent. Did I mention the thrill of crossing a road??? There are few if any traffic lights to control crossings ...... the only way to get across is to just bravely go for it!!! Never stop walking under any circumstance once you are on the move ....... one quickly learns to weave gracefully :) through the maze. The drivers have things timed "precision perfect" and drive around you, adjusting to your walking pace. It is only in the stopping that things can go awry ...... just another amazing fact about the road life in Vietnam!! ...... Thankfully Mongolia provided great practice :)
I am improving daily on the teaching front, although must say, I prefer working with small groups as I did in Rarotonga ....... still not that comfortable with teaching in front of a large classroom ..... good to have a mix I guess and keep me on my toes ........ the kids are receptive, and seem to enjoy whatever stories we share, all while attempting to engage them in conversation .... a mutual objective! The students' natural shyness improves at a snail's pace. Learned we have a beauty queen to add to our eclectic Global Volunteer group!! .... Alex, who used to live in Washington DC in the 60's was crowned Cherry Blossom Princess in 1964 ..... I team-taught with Alex yesterday .... she is beyond funny and a total joy to be around! Her enthusiasm is contagious :) Reminded me totally of my best bud Mickey Gibson!!
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