Raven Departs...

Heya Folks,
This evening I dashed off after work, beat through the rush-hour traffic and raced (safely) to the airport to wave off my very dear friend Raven as she set off for an amazing adventure working in the Philippines! What a Happy and Sad occasion it was. I met Raven and co through fellow volunteer Emma back in January, and can honestly say they collectively transformed my Hanoi experience for the better! Never have I met a more fun, sweet, genuine, friendly and intelligent bunch of young people. Together we have enjoyed sunday night laughs at the English club, holidays in Cat Ba and Ninh Binh, and countless other lunches, coffees, kariokes and dinners over the last 8 months.
I'm sad to see Raven leave, of course, but more than that, I'm excited for her as she sets off on the unbelieveably amazing, transforming, surprising, character-building and all-round awesome jouney of *Living Abroad*. I remember all too well the excitement of getting on a plane and heading to a faraway land, the feeling of taking a risk and being couragious. I KNOW she will have an amazing time, and I wish her the best of luck.In my experience, the universe has a way of MakingThingsSo, so I have a distinct suspicion this is not the last time our paths will cross...

SarahHeadsEast xx

Doors closing and Windows opening...

Heya Folks,
This week has been personally quite monumental as I made the decision, finally, to leave my volunteering position at the Children's Palace. It has taken alot of deliberation to get to this point; the Children's Palace has been the anchor that has rooted me in Hanoi for the last 10 months, it was the hook which brought me here in the first place, and it has been the one constant 'gig' in a tumultuous sea of ever-fluctuating job opportunities. It has retained a stoic presence on my teaching timetable, providing the stability of regular evening hours and the security of knowing that my rent is taken care of, while still giving me the freedom to pursue other job leads during the daytime (some fruitless, some fruitful).
I think its fair to say that without the set-up of the Children's Palace when I arrived, I might not have made it to Hanoi at all. I'm not the nervous, shy English teacher who tentatively set foot inside the Palace classrooms 10 months ago. The Palace provided the arena in which I've grown and developed as a teacher, as well as allowing me to tap into a crucial resource network of teachers and teaching contacts around the city. 90% of my teaching jobs subsequent to the Palace evolved either directly or indirectly from contacts I made there. I can't ever underestimate the value of those first few critical contacts I made in the fragile and often frustrating world of freelance TEFL-ing.
It wasnt all A-Walk-In-The-Park.
I remembered, forgot, and then remembered again what a challenge it is to take on a cultural system, political system and work administration that is unfamiliar to ones own experiences. In particular, the lacadaisical approach some teachers seem to take towards their classes, their treatment of volunteers, and the reams and reams and reams of red tape/beauracracy/hoop jumping required in order to make yourself heard. I have learned the hard way (surely the path of all the best lessons) the value of having a contract, being clear about terms of employment, and guarding and managing your own income.

In a climate like that, the real gems of Vietnamese teachers stand out a mile, those that show a genuine passion for their job which endures beyond the flaws of the system which contains it. Its the simple things that make all the difference, such as turning up on time, and the absurdly simple principle of teaching English in English. Those are the teachers whose classes I have genuinely enjoyed working with, and those are the teachers that I'll miss.
And the students. The Students. It never ceased to amaze me how much enthusiasm they could command even though they were clearly at the end of a long day of school classes and other activities. Even when the Vietnamese teachers were trying my patience to the limit, I never had an ounce of trouble from the students. They lapped up every single activity and game I gave them and stilll asked for more. They even managed to muster enthusiasm when faced with the driest of dry textbooks (seriously, Let's Go publishers, how about a dragon or a monster every now and again? Honestly, who wants to learn to say 'This is a pencil'?). It's clear to see that Vietnamese students have a genuine work ethic which puts the west to shame; they really deserve an education system which matches their enthusiasm. Its getting there, but its not right yet...
So, What Next?
I have a new job (also through a Children's Palace contact) working for VietEdutech, an education company which administers a highly professional, well-organised education program through numerous kindergartens around the city. Its everything I could wish for in a teaching job, consistent, well-supported and well-resourced. I have the security of (semi-) regular teaching hours and a recognisable teaching format, yet the freedom and variety of traveling to different kindergartens in the city, sometimes two or three in one day! Often these schools are hidden down secret alleyways and narrow but busy lanes, the true underbelly of the city. I cant help but feel that I'm discovering the 'real' Hanoi as I trundle through them on my bicycle.

I've learnt a valuable but unexpected life lesson; that I adore the freedom, flexibility, variety and autonomy of freelance work. The satisfaction of earning your own dong at the end of the day is worth far more than the hard graft and almost relentless networking I have to put in to keep and maintain it. Above adjectives I hope to find again in any future jobs.

So. I shall add soon a few 'last lesson photos' from the Children's Palace. Can't help but be reminded of Dr Kafle's response to Kat leaving the Nagarkot Health Centre in Nepal....

"Happy and Sad, isnt it".

It really is.

UntilNextTime

SarahHeadsEast xx

Bangkok

Heya Folks,

Last weekend it was visa-run time again, and I decided to tick off another Asian Megacity and pop over to Bangkok, Thailand for a few days of exploring and shopping! Unlike Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, by lucky chance this time I was joined by a few expat friends who also had reason to be in Thailand, and together we hit up Bangkok!

We arrived mid-afternoon friday, and first thing we did was explore one of Bangkok's many shopping malls. DISCLAIMER: Before you call me vain, Hanoi is notably lacking in clothes for western-sized ladies (and gents), so this was more out of necessity than vanity! We spent a happy few hours exploring the city, and zipping around on the Bangkok Skytrain, which once again was a breeze to navigate. Bangkok is undoubtedly as western a city as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, so we marvelled at finding such delights as *REAL CHEESE*, *STARBUCKS* and *BOOTS PHARMACY!*.
Thankfully, Bangkok still has lovely Asian touches such as the TukTuks which took us around the city, and some really really cracking streetfood. While there we got to try barbequed bananas, barbequed sweet bread (which was so tasty I ended up eating the plastic fork as well), and a really yummy Pho-style soup on our last morning.

Going to see the Temple of the Jade Buddha, and the Reclining Buddha, was one of my favourite parts of the weekend. The Reclining Buddha especially, I completely underestimated its sheer size and peaceful presence it commands. All along one side are small metal bowls, with people passing along in a line dropping coins into them. The sound of coins clinking into the bowls was a lovely one which echoed around the giant hall containing the Buddha.
My friends Ashton and Isobel were keen to try and get an authentic Thai Massage whilst in Bangkok so we were pleased to find a centre in the grounds of the Grand Palace, offering massages to weary tourists. Now, I dont like massages. After a 'Massage-Misadventure' in Long Xuyen, Vietnam in 2005, of which NO MORE WILL BE SPOKEN, I swore I would never get another again. However, with an hour to kill while my friends got de-knotted, I signed myself up for a foot massage from a lovely happy Thai lady. After having worn flipflops every day for 6 months, and then dragging them around Bangkok for two days, I felt they deserved a bit of TLC. So sorry feet, I know you are probably dying to see the inside of a properly-supported shoe, so I hope this makes up for it. It was *heaven*. I drifted in and out of sleep during the hour while the Thai lady did wonderful relaxing things with my feet. They were literally singing with relaxation at the end of the session. Money and time well-spent!
A moment to mention the 'other' side of Bangkok. We ventured out during the evening on friday and saturday hoping to find a quiet bar in which to catch up and relax. Such a thing does not exist in Bangkok. It's as alive at night as it is during the daytime, although it gets notably more seedy the later it gets. The thing about Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and other Asian cities is that they do not 'appear' to have a renowned red-light district. Of course I'm sure that such activities go on, as I'm sure they do in every city in the world, but it is very much hidden and secretive. Two adjectives that would not accurately describe Bangkok. There is no red-light 'district', as the sex industry is plastered over the whole city. And it is not hidden, every single street contained 'dancing bars', 'go-go shows', 'live shows', 'happy bars' and the like, and walking through the night markets any foreign men would be accosted on several occasions to try and encourage them to visit such establishments.

The whole thing struck us as really sad, in the true sense of the word. It's all sad, from the young Thai girls and boys who convince themselves and others that they enjoy themselves, to the loneliness of the foreigners who come and take advantage of the industry. You wouldn't believe that prostitution is actually illegal in Thailand the way it is so open. An eye-opening experience indeed. It is always a shock to discover a way of life and a way of a city that is different from your own.

SarahHeadsEast xx

PS Thank you to Isobel, your photographs are SOOOO much better than mine, so I hope you dont mind me using them!


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Click here for more of my Asian city-breaks in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

Cafe Surfing

Heya Folks,

This week, oive been mostly.........stealing WiFi from Hanoi's great and good cafes and coffeeshops.

Never have I had so much caffeine, or eked out bottles of waters for so long, as in the past seven days. Since the internet failed in my house over a week ago, its been a daily task to 'get online'. Luckily Hanoi is technomologically fantastic so it hasnt been too hard! It started out as a novelty, then a mild irritation, and now it's just outright annoying, especially when I have lessons to plan. I shall be glad when the internet line is fixed at home.

Luckily all this cafe-surfing has had an upside too. I have been very busy this past month in reviewing all the places I spend so much time in for 'The New Hanoian', expat website and fount of knowledge for all things Hanoian. I must say its been excellant fun writing creatively again, and it's encouraged us to break out of the routine and find new places to review. Have discovered some absolute gems this way. Click here for my musings.

Every month, they give prizes to prolific reviewers, and in August, I was the lucky one! I won a bounty of delicious dishes from the aptly named 'Yummy Desserts', which I've decided to savour for a few weeks until my birthday, and host a desserts party! Fab, fun, tasty and FREE. What could be finer.
This week, we also hosted the weekly pub quiz at the R&R Tavern, steadfast expat hangout. The quiz is a firm fixture of our weekly socialising and so it was only a matter of time before we were to host it. Together with my friend Ashton, we put together two rounds of trivia, an awesome music round, beer round, and what I consider to be the best picture round in R&R history (Characters by Mr Potato Head, and Famous Facial Hair). Everyone seemed to have a good time, and I must admit it was such a buzz to host it, that we're already planning to host again in September.

And thats about all up to date for my fun and full Hanoi life. I'm in Bangkok next weekend to renew the visa stamp, and cant wait to explore a new Asian Megacity!

Until Next Time

SarahHeadsEast xx

A Post Entitled: Things You Learn about Hanoi in the Middle of the Night

...or Why Puku is my Favourite Cafe in the Whole World.

Heya Folks,

So I came to Hanoi, first and foremost, for An Adventure. I was looking for the kind of randomness, spontaneity and freedom of possibility that I rarely find in the UK. I was not content to return home until I had stories to tell, until I had had some of the crazy experiences I so wanted. Well, last weekend, Hanoi delivered a cracker...

It all started when I found myself on the wrong side of my front door at 1am, without possession of a working key, due to the keyhole being blocked from the key on the inside. Banging and yelling proved fruitless, I suddenly found myself stranded and stuck in Hanoi's twilight hours.

From this point on I am thankful for many things...

I am thankful for my bicycle.
I am thankful for my local knowledge of Hanoi's streets.
I am thankful for my woolly wisdom and calmness of spirit.
I am thankful for Puku cafe and its 24hr opening, and even more thankful for its comfy couches.
I am thankful that said 24hr opening is NOT a myth.
I am thankful for the ANZ ATM which finally accepted my card, and provided me the means to eke out scrambled eggs, coffee, water and tea for 5 hours, rather than trying to milk a bottle of water for the same amount of time.

And I will never be thankful enough for the Puku staff who, sympathetic to my plight, let me linger far, far longer than I should, gave me extra cushions to sleep on and, most of all, Didn't Mind.

I am thankful for my great friend Linz, for keeping me distracted from the other side of the world, until my credit ran out.
I am thankful for the opportunity to witness a night pass over the city, the chance to see the lilting flow of life, waning and then waxing with the dawn.

I am thankful for the story I will one day tell, in a time and place a long, long way away from here.

There are only a few things I'm not thankful for.
I'm not thankful for the housekeeper who left the key in the lock.
I'm not thankful for Hanoi ATMs which seem to stop working at night.

And I'm definitely not thankful for the RATS which come out after all the customers leave, which are crawling around underneath the couch on which I am currently sitting composing this!

UntilNextTime

SarahHeadsEast xx