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… Read More »Glee

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… Read More »A Sunday outing

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… Read More »Exercises

First lesson. A lively group of 25 eighteen year olds. Plan -different ways of introducing yourselves. . .. told them about my former work with… Read More »Starting

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… Read More »Joining in

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… Read More »Proverbs and motorbikes

I love the calm and space of the university campus – a glorious collection of colonial, peeling, French buildings set around a huge sports field.… Read More »Bonded

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… Read More »Satisfaction

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… Read More »Uncertainty

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… Read More »From our kitchen window