Author: Deidre

The manager of our block is sitting in the porch, apparently waiting for our return. Is there a message, something urgent? 'no wa'er '  'no wa'er  two day.. maybe 'ree will be' I raise a quizzical eyebrow. More explanation needed. Will we be relocated, I wonder. He turns to Peter and does complicated turning things…

Our first Sunday here and we have a trip planned. Hai-anh and Luong are escorting us to the museum of Ethnography just outside the Centre of Hanoi. The taxi driver is the brother of the lecturer at the University. We are in safe hands. At the entrance to our block we see that our entire…

Set exercises relating to this and that – distributed postcards of Oxford..what did they notice about it?..'ery 'ery beautiful.. what they knew about England? 'they knew it had got a lot of fog'. Different phrases you could use to make suggestions.. written suggestions to me as a visitor… Their ability to apply themselves to complicated…

First lesson. A lively group of 25 eighteen year olds. Plan -different ways of introducing yourselves. . .. told them about my former work with pre-school children and families. As a demonstration (good excuse) I read them a story. The 18 year olds go wide eyed and silent at The Very Hungry Caterpillar and one…

I have met somebody who informs me about Blue Dragon – an organization on the outskirts of town which works with street children. I'm going to follow it up. Observed two English classes at the University. I am introduced and the students stand up and clap. Checked out Blue dragon on the web – phoned-…

We are invited to lunch in Hanoi Old town with my brother and two new students fresh up to Hanoi from far-flung rural provinces. We walk back past Hoan Kiem lake with Canh to find the bus stop back. I ask what Canh's plans are when he graduates. 'Ha’e you heard the saying … you…

I love the calm and space of the university campus – a glorious collection of colonial, peeling, French buildings set around a huge sports field. On the surrounding pavements very old desks are scattered where students study in the shade of the trees. Staff and students are delightfully welcoming. Students work unbelievably hard. Lecturers earn…

Two days later I  know how to get to the Foundation Studies Department with its French terracotta tiled roof I have removed the stickers from the fridge I know where I can have noodle soup for breakfast with internet access on the way. I have been to a day IT conference and will give presentation…

I am reserved about the cockerel head and the yellow waxy chicken claws in my stew I am buoyed down by the heat I am baffled by the ten lanes of motorbikes in the road I am restless sitting, footweary and confined, in our room with heavily stickered fridge, two toned green paintwork, lemon tasselled…

From our kitchen window on the second floor I see roof terraces –peeling dull ochre concrete walls; bamboo struts supporting dried palm leaf rooves. TV aerials and electric wires go this way and that. The cardboard holder of my Lipton teabag clatters softly against the tin tea mug under the giant pistachio ceiling fan. Windows…