Author: Deidre

It rained heavily in the night. We swerve to work on the back of the motorbike past water buffalo, swampy rice fields and pagodas. Many people are flinging giant nets across the water. In the staffroom the talk is of escaped fish. All families have their own fish pond. Banks have broken. There are more…

 What is that expression? Flying by the seat of one’s pants? Hitting the ground running? On our first day we observe two English lessons at the local secondary school. These consist of verbal chanting and exercises by a teacher whose English needs work. Six teachers sit at the back of the class. We are given…

The train has colonial high backed slatted wooden seats. We pass pagodas, hens picking across marshy morning glory fields,Thang Son, the mountain where Ho's body was hidden during the war, and mist. Grey-worn silk-skinned water buffalo with carved curved wooden yokes plough the rice fields. Westerners do not use this trainline. Everyone is helpful. We…

We need to get out, to catch the arranged train to Phuto Province. I had bought well fitting plastic shoes for sea bathing. I feel well equipped to wade groin deep in the brown water with my plastic mac tucked into my swimming costume and a rucksack on my back, negotiating submerged low walls, debris…

All porch steps have an integral ramp for access for motorbikes to parking in the front room. If the ramp were just 10″ wider Vietnam would be the most sophisticated country in the world for disabled access. During the night people in the block opposite drive their motorbikes up the steep stairwell above ground level.…

Did you hear the dog in the night? Sh..It’s too early ‘It was singing ‘Sh.. I heard the rain ‘Really singing ‘ Yes, I heard it. And yesterday afternoon I heard Killing Me Softly from our kitchen window, in Vietnamese. But the rain, the rain, it never stopped.   All packed up and ready to…

At Monday’s early morning breakfast meeting with Phoung at a French Deli in the Old Town we are told that where we are going to teach next is a 'non-designated area for foreigners' and the communist party in this province will require copies of all our educational qualifications before we are allowed to reside there…

I find unexpectedly that I have become fond of the students in my classes during the month I have taught them. One class takes a long time deciding what Vietnamese song they should sing me to say goodbye. Another has hand knitted me a grey scarf to protect me against the cold foggy English winters.…

Different streets specialize in different produce and artifacts. I like to explore. Behind the street children’s hostel the order of the day seems to be intricately woven flower arrangements for funerals and whole barbecued dog with all teeth intact. The image of these well marinated roasted snarling faces will, I know, add an unwelcome tone…