I am not sure if this counts, but one of Tam’s friends, spent 50million Vietnam Dong (roughly $2,500) to buy food, and secondhand clothing, and presumably paid for a vehicle to transport these items out to the poor villages some, 120km (75 miles) west of us here.

I, Tam and 4 other friends were crammed into a 4 x 4 Toyota to make the 4 hour trip into the hills. We left around 7.30am to return back to Chu Lai at 10.30pm.

Why can she afford this? $2,500 dollars is a large sum of money to many people in Vietnam, it nearly buys a new motorbike, it certainly will buy 10 decent washing machines,, 5 electric bicycles, or 2 iPads. Of which Tam’s friend has the iphone 4, she has 2 cars, she has a 10,000 diamond ring, so I guess around these parts she is well off. One of the bourgeoisie here.

Poor people, who are they? These people as I discovered live up in the hills and for some I think Vietnamese is not their first language. They grow rice, work the land, but they do not have tourism to survive on, unlike the tribespeople in Thailand, who get tourists thrown at them to see their wooden houses, and buy their trinkets.

Here they live in wooden houses, on stilts, no toilet, a stand pipe for water, no soap powder to wash their clothes in. Children with no clothes were apparent, and yet their smiles and warmth was just like the black Africans of Xhosa people I met 2 years ago.

Like their African counterparts living on the land around Mtatha and on the Wild coast, they probably share a similar life. Eat what they grow and kill what they can eat.

But here, they still have their mobile phones, satellite tv, and moto’s…so maybe some are better off than others. The food was handed out very patiently and to nominated people, old ladies with rags for clothes, parents with kids who had no clothes, and yet here were people as beautiful you could wish for. One woman, 23 years old was stunning, with a 2 year old child, and all she ate was rice and salt. I gave her my hat, my only money, clean water, anything I could put my hands on.

Why is it, after what I have seen in Africa, India, Thailand, and here in Vietnam, I feel so guilty, I feel humbled by their warmth, I feel a sense of living a very lucky life, all these people have is the next meal to look forward to. Me? I can look forward to many things, reading, tv, music, Olympics, teaching, life itself ( but we still don’t know the meaning of that)

So when you see Bob Geldoff, when you see Sir Terry Wogan, or Sport Aid, I can vouch that poor people do exist, and despite the economic hardships many are experiencing in Europe and the western world, you/we are lucky.

You can shower in privacy, you don’t live in a house with holes in the walls wide enough for a snake to sneak through, you don’t have to worry about refuse collection, you can see a doctor, these don’t even have a chemist.

So if you give to help the children of the world then consider all the children of the world.

What was in the plastic bags? A litre of fish sauce, 10 packets of noodles (add water), 4 cartons of milk and 5kg of rice, clothes ranged from baby to adult, a myriad of shapes and sizes. Hand outs for the needy.

Upon reflection, we are lucky, born on the right side of the tracks, these people and many like them can only dream, do dreams come true?

And people moan about John Terry, moan about Jeremy Clarkson, moan about Berlusconi, criticise the banks, wage war for a political end, all pointless really when you see life from their perspective, there is no politcal voice for these people, indeed Vietnam is occupied by the mute majority.

8 months have just flown by, the last two weeks was like being in a marathon, knowing the finishing line was just ahead, but wondering if you’ll ever cross the line. Well our marathon was really over once the kids had done their english exam with us, the game was up once the papers had been sat, and so it was a matter of marking time for two weeks whilst the dust settled on the year.

It all ended with a stagger over the line, kids and I were just ,marking time with movies (Jonny English Re-born), playing games – musical chairs – or other games we could think of.

The farewells amongst the many were tearful, sombre occasions, funny how you can make such a bond with so many children in such a short period of time, I guess they see me as this fuddy duddy of a father figure to them, someone’s shoulder to share their worries with, a shoulder to cry on, a shoulder to lighten their load, and I thank them for that emotion, which for many is as guarded as Fort Knoxx.

The warmth of many of these children is akin to an extended family, they want to know where I am, what I will be doing, and to some extent I am glad they are interested to know, but the relief seen on the many faces is that I will be back to teach in September.

I left with them changing their view of how we can teach, what for some is the equivalent of their weekly RE lesson at school we all had to suffer. At times it was tough for them to complete the evidence that teaching was taking place in their books, some filled it in quite easily, on the whole far too many mistakes in the text books and too many things to write down, on the one hand you were glad of them writing things down, it helped manage a class of 55 kids, but on the other hand it felt as short change, by not encouraging enough speaking. But to get them to talk - 55 of them - it can often descend into chaos.

Did I teach them any new tricks on English, yes I think so, but, certainly for my Physics class in Tran Phu for the Gifted, it was a definite ‘no’. They liked me,but saw through the material I had to teach was lightweight and insubstantial to their needs. Pity we all didn’t talk about this in October as a class. How can I change, well the books will be virtually the same, but the challenge is to deliver additional material to stretch the good students, just as we should in England, maybe at times I wanted an easy ride, teaching 24 hours a week is a non-stop business, of delivering each lesson as if it was the only one of the week to the kids.

For many others, I worried about my IELTS class at Tran Phu, was I knowledgeable enough to give them the leg up they needed? Perhaps not at times, but I have learnt a lot about our language this year. IELTS classes were a honeymoon, English names and knowledgeable kids, still not sure why one of the lads called himself Lavender, but he was a very good student, with no gender issues. Einstein also attended these classes.

One major drawback is that English is not English, they speak American English with the accent, not good, spellings can be American, but fortunately the grammar is the same.

But for sheer thrill and challenge of teaching, Le Quy Don school has the edge, I have had such a good rapport with all the varied classes, I get cheered once I enter the room, and at times the lessons can be a gas, we get the work completed, but there is a dynamic in the room unmatched at Tran Phu.

I have C12, a class of 35 or so with one boy, but they are just so funny and have coined so many catchphrases its ‘unbelievable’ to just use one of them. C13, great group, always willing and have great spirit and attitude, Ru Mi, Hiep etc… C9, has the most delightful student who comes from difficult circumstances and is always helpful and willing to learn, I wish she was my daughter, she makes her parents proud. My C2 class, Chief, can never forget him, a nickname I came up with for him, the class monitor, easily the most motivated individual, and everyone will honour his name as ‘Chief’ from here on in. But it is his special name, which will make him always remember me, and so too will the class when I am long gone. Then there is my C4 class, troublesome at times, but has some great characters, some who cannot be bothered to learn a scrap of English, but contained in the class are some good students.

As for year 11 students, these had been around the block a few times, B12 was my first ever class, so I am very fond of these people for just that reason, they are incredibly hard work, and yet amongst them learning does take place, I wage war with card schools, music in earphones, chatting, mirrors and make up, and yet just into the new year they reduced me to tears with their affection for me, they all (55 kids) sang a song spontaneously just for me, I couldn’t cope with such an outpouring of emotion to me a stranger in their land.

B13 – see above, but in here there is an element of goodness too, Chi and Thuy, Bella and everyone contributes to good days and bad days, sometimes I am whistling in the wind.

B1, was a late introduction to my timetable, but funnily enough, it is a class whose names stick in my memory, admittedly english names, Mustang (very good) Bean, V Persie, Superman, Violet, Jimmy, Dragon, Panda…but here too is a class of low esteem, happy to disrupt if possible and yet when praise given they love it…and they seek it if possible.

So Le Quy Don and Tran Phu are two very different schools, one is par excellence, whereas Le Quy Don is like any other school around the world I guess, full of good children, some better than others, and some with no interest at all.

What do they aspire to do? My year 11 Physics class at Tran Phu are the leaders where others follow, bright and articulate, they know they have to change the future of Vietnam to provide equality all round, My English Year 10 and 11 are streets ahead of anything I have encountered, here too are the movers and shakers for the next generation. But the question is, why do parents and the government pay so much attention to a good education, the aspire to go to University (many will) and yet having acquired this knowledge, these skills the country lets them down with its political short comings and inequalities across the generations.

Why do I countenance such a view? People pay big money to secure that job ($10,000 and more) to earn a meagre $500 a month, even if they are not the most able or suitably qualified, money talks. Why are children all forced to write ‘right handed’? Despite seeing children use a badminton racket with their left hand, Why are public workers only allowed 2 children? Otherwise they will be sacked. The private sector may pay well, but people strive for public service for better conditions like maternity leave, holiday pay and a meagre pension at the end of it all. And yet the mass population know of all these issues, but they are frightened to speak out, otherwise face a knock on the door in the middle of the night and disappearance. It does happen.

How will change occur? Slowly? The Police are perhaps the key, but you see they are in the comfortable position of receiving many bribes, so it continues, they make the money out wrongdoing of others.

What am I doing now? Read on to find out, but for the moment I am content with cycling to the beach everyday at Chu Lai….the heat is a constant 31-34 by day, the sun is out, so we go to the beach at 4pm when it is cooler and I wallow like a hippopotamus in the shallows, ever hopeful of getting a tan. Locals ask the usual three questions wherever Tom, Alan or I go…’where are you from?’ ‘how owe are you?’ (translated as how old are you) and ‘what’s your name?’, my answers are England (UK they wouldn’t know), 22 yrs old, Russell

Here I sit in a monochrome hotel room with tv invariably showing a Chinese martial arts adventure with Vietnamese dubbing or narration, a bathroom with a toilet and hot shower, and the rest of the room is full of our belongings, a tv, cooking pots, suitcase, laptops, fruit bowl, a juicer, items which keep us going.  why are we here?

Well, when someone puts your cutlery and cooking utensils on the floor and claims that because of mould on the mortar and pestle is going to kill you, Tam and I had enough xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx, Tam and I upped sticks, and left….so in a hotel for 5 more weeks then we can go to the sunshine in Chu Lai

So back to Britains Got Talent (BGT), and living in a foreign country, where spoken English is limited, to see an odd tv clip from England is refreshing and reminds me of how we view BGT, often derided because of the tacky acts and poor singing, but often a jewel is unearthed, and is Jonathan that jewel? he is a beautiful singer, along with the Boys Aloud choir from Wales .  It is a s fitting tribute to these individuals that they found a way of enjoyment through singing.

The choir, all white has probably already been critizised as such, but they are Welsh, we are British, and in no disrespect to our multi-cultural society, it is good to see that this group of lads are true to the core of being Welsh and British.  A male voice choir from Wales is traditional , as was once Brass Bands from Yorkshire, and as traditional as Newcastle brown Ale.  we have lost too much of our core traditions on pandering to the political correctness of the minority.  I saw these snippets on youtube and instantly it made me proud to be British, proud to be from the those sceptred isles, a tear, a pounding heartbeat and a moment to reflect on my country. Although I live far away, I knew from watching that I am British and will never thus change.

I think the choirmaster is wonderful to gather such a collection of lads, and let’s be honest being in a choir is not necessarily the coolest thing for a 14-19 year old to be in, but it has shown us that togetherness, team spirit and in times of low economic prosperity, people can come together and support each other, undoubtedly they will be friends for life.

As for Jonathan, and his friend Charlotte, what a friend she must be, how she must have pulled him through, a young man who has obviously suffered bullying at school (where were the political correct people trying to solve that one - probably turning the other cheek when it matters).  I bet there will be many friends coming forward now.  Charlotte shows the kind of friendship and spirit which is lacking in others, I hope they watched and admired her.

And being a parent myself, they too must be walking on air.  Thank goodness Cowell’s show has allowed these people to prosper, to have a day in the sun, for Jonathan, I am sure there are many sunny days ahead.  It certainly shows me, living far away, that we do have talent and skills in our country, I hope Cameron, and other people see this and realise that youth is a way forward provided it is given the opportunity in the right context.

Sorry to harp on - but i just wanted to share these feelings of joy at being british, on what has been many dark days since 2007 and the financial meltdown for many UK citizens.

Madness, it surely was.  It is this time of year many Vietnamese visit temples far and wide, some having more noteriety than others. Yeng Tu is such a destination. Thousands upon thousands of Vietnamese visit these sites in the new year.  They worship and hope good fortune and health are theirs for the year ahead.  The clamber up the steep rocks to reach the temple, carrying their offerings to the buddha, their new clothes (paper ones) for their ancestors to burn, they wash their faces after having touched a budha, hoping it rubs good fortune into their skin, no water is used.

They rub money onto the budha and the ‘gong’ or drum to receive good fortune.  The scramble as you can see is push -shove-  your way through, and in fact for many, it is just isn’t possible to get anywhere near, just on the mass of people alone.

My visa had expired, so I was boarded on to a plane to get me outta Vietnam to come back again to be a legal alien.

I had a visa extension, which apparently couldn’t be extended without a fine, which my employer declined to pay, so I was packed off to Bangkok for a day.

Finished school, sped off for the last bus to Hanoi at 5pm, arrived by 7pm, hunted down a hotel, the usual one was fully booked so had to pay $14 for a night on a 4th floor.  Up at dawn, chauffer to the airport and that’s where my troubles began…

First, as I knew the visa had run out so she refused to give me a boarding pass, until I had been to customs and paid a fine, 20 minutes later 1,250,000 VND had been parted from my wallet - approx $70.

Off to Bangkok with only about 30 people on my flight - yes 30 people on a 200 seater plane.

Arriving in Bangkok is a doddle, no visa for EU citizens…until you see the mass of people trying to enter the country, it took just short of an hour to get through passport control (eat yer heart out Heathrow - you are a model of efficiency), so that was my next delay.

After gaining entry, I had decided to visit the MBK shopping Mall - shops (inc Boots) and markets and there is a whole floor dedicated to Mobiles (like being in the Harlequin centre, Watford and it only sells mobiles and electronics bits..) Only to get there I missed a train by a whisker, another delay of 30 minutes.

Arriving at the Mall, it was how I had remembered from previous visits, I went to Boots for a toothbrush, 5th floor for a new t shirt and some boxers (they don’t make them big enough in VN) - not that I am fat - lol!

Very tempted to get an iPhone for half the UK price - in hindsight I am glad I didn’t. Sticking with my BBerry.

My highlight of the day was certainly eating a Burger King at the airport…

However, onto the flight and into VN, and a new visa upon arrival for $25 for 3 months.

Very tired and watched a snowy Stoke City play Sunderland  play on my tv until ZZZZZ’s beckoned.  A grand day out (Wallace would have said)

I thought my troubles were over…it was just the beginning

Sunday afternoon I managed to get a game of football, I had played earlier in the week, and all was well no hamstrings, groins etc.  Only on Sunday, I did my knee again, it was very much like the injury in 2009, it never really went away, so I have now offered to hang up my boots at the age of 53.  Or have I?  I was laid in bed for 2 days, couldn’t walk and had a witch doctor.  She used acupuncture and marajuana.  Acupuncture into the damaged ligaments (I think cruciate ligaments) and made a huge roll up from marajuana leaves and some powder and lit it.  She used i to put heat into my wound.

That was anothe $25 for two days treatment, back on my feet Tuesday to teach Wednesday……then the final nail into my woes is 1 Rectory Drive, a burst pipe, just as I was going to exchange…insurance invalid because the property has been empty for 60 days..ho hum…then 3 days later the ceiling collapsed.

Thank goodness for Enid and her resolve to help me out, goodness what her partner must think, but perhaps typically summed up by her mother when she went to the house with Enid, she always did have a dry way with words..she said “Its come to something when you have to help out an ex boyfriend” I can just picture her saying that to Enids partner, I can imagine he didn’t laugh…

The house is drying out, and needs a ceiling repaired..wait for more news…

Finishing school early and on the road from Hai Phong to Chu Lai some 1,000km away by car was like doing the Top Gear (BBC tv) road trip in reverse. So Tom, Tam and myself set forth with the car all packed.

Leaving around 12.45pm, we left under cool grey clouds for Vinh, our target for an over night stop, about 300km away, a long drive.This took until 10pm at night with one pit stop for a sandwich. Clever Russell, handed duties to break the bread for a sandwich, went and nearly cut his thumb off with the sharp knife. Well tomato ketchup was as fresh as it ever would be for sandwiches.

Blood pouring out the locals administered first aid. First, tobacco was applied to the wound, still not sure why, but must have a chemical to stem the flow, sellotape to hold the tobacco in place until a plaster and liniment and iodine could be administered.

Hotel in Vinh for $7, sleep to the rumble of a disco somewhere in the night, up at 6.20 and off before 7am to Chu Lai. A long drive, a short pit top after 2 hours for a coffee and breakfast, a new dressing and a fuel stop.

Somewhere on this trip I have lost my glasses, I think it was at the mid morning fuel stop, my reading glasses have disappeared. I think it was at the petrol station where I took my hoodie off ready to drive.

I drove for about 5 hours non-stop, eating a ham sandwich as we went along. It is all steady, only supposed to do 80 kph, but squeezed some 100kph stretches into the drive as they slept.

A stop near a town to Doc Mieu, the first thing we noticed was the temperature, a comfortable 28 degrees, a place where I got a new pair of glasses. No opticians here, just a market stall, which after determining I was +2, lenses were ground down to fit a pair of D&G frames, all for 350,000 VND, $17 (£12), they fit and I can read, not as good as my prescription glasses, but hey I am able to read!

Oh and a pair of sunglasses for $6 or $7.

The AH1 is the main road from North to South, and at Hue it turned into Central Drive, Wingerworth, for about 20km. The road pitched and rolled the car from left to right on the road, it had more pockmarks than a kid with acne.

Finally, we were on the last stages of the journey, into Da Nang to pick up children, sister-in-law, and to Tam Ky for food and to leave Tom with Tam of Tam ky.

Da Nang had changed in the last 3 months since I ws there, a new shopping mall, market and looking like a city on the up.

Arriving in Tam Ky, was the first time Tom met the woman of his dreams (?). She grabbed him as if it was a trolley dash at the supermarket.

We ate and made the final 20km home to Chu Lai, around 10pm. An estimated journey time of around 20 hours on the road, door to door.

Days ticked by until new years eve on Sunday. In the meantime we visited relatives and the graves for worship in Tam Ky. At the graves we pray and burn clothes and money so their spirits too can have new clothes for new year. But it was unfortunate vagabonds roam the site, offering their services to clean the headstones of the dead. If you don’t offer a tip to the 15 or so kids who follow you, then the likelihood is the grave will be damaged. Even young men were here. Shame for this is something the Vietnamese revere, they respect their dead ancestors here, and new year is part of remembering the dead ancestors.

To cap all this off, couldn’t get to see City/Tottenham or United/Arsenal live on tv. Had th wrong channels, BBC Radio five live cut off as the game kicked off because of broadcasting rights, couldn’t get an internet feed..so was reduced to web text. Good result for the Reds, 2-1, bring on Liverpool on Saturday.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi (happy new year) the year of the Dragon

My house mate and work colleague was coming home by motorbike and had to see a very unfortunate event.

At the corner with the two lane highway (we all use), as always every evening 26 wheeler lorries are heading to the port for their next container pick-up, and on this occasion, the lorry picked up another passsenger it didn’t really want.  A motorbike driver was instantly crushed to death.  Now deaths here are not uncommon on the roads, over 10,000 die each year in Vietnam (UK around 3,000 deaths)

Deaths like this are avoidable, first of all motorbike riders and car drivers DO NOT LOOK when entering a main road or any road, therefore crashes are going to happen, hence this is probably what happened here.  I would also emphasize the truck was probably doing under 30 kph (20 mph) due to traffic and the road conditions.

Secondly, my friend had to drive past the corpse, he could see everything, the body was not even covered by the police. Awful.

This could all be avoided by stronger road safety and greater road discipline, for example a give way sign ot two.  Kids are the same the on their bicycles, riding 3 or 4 abreast on main roads, no-one looks over their shoulders before performing any manouevre.  Bring the British police, any European police force out here for a tv documentary, it would make interesting viewing.  They would not know where to start.

You need wits, concentration and an attitude to not let anyone use your road space.  Particularly the kids on bicycles and some motorbike riders just ignore red lights…just go and ride on without thinking for safety or traffic flow… or that their might be someone coming round a corner.  It is only a matter of time before the grim reaper strikes and its too late.

My work collegue saw a girl some years ago wobble off her bike whilst waiting at traffic lights with 2 other girls…yup as she fell she was decapitated by a lorry

source:http://images.wikia.com/villains/images/f/f0/Reaper.jpg

Christmas came and went very quickly, luckily Christmas fell over the weekend, otherwise it would have work everyday at the schools here.

Fortunately, we three wise comrades (Tom, Tam, and me) set off for Ninh Binh very early Christmas eve, we set of for the 7.30am bus. Arriving at 7.23am, only to discover the erstwhile bus driver had decided to head off before 7.30am…I shouted, I hissed and booed at the woman behind the counter, she looked back with a shrug as if to say its our fault, no apology for the driver leaving early, well we are in pantomime season. We even took my huge Christmas cake with us on the journey in a box, presented to me by my students at Tran Phu, it was beautifully decorated.

Undeterred, Tam enquired where another bus could be caught, and so we had a 10 minute trek to another street, only this time it was to be 2 buses for out 100km journey.

At least we were heading out of Hai Phong for a short break. 3 hours later we were off the bus, being tapped up by a moto driver for a hotel from $3 a night. Off we followed the salesman on his moto for a quarter of a mile walking at a brisk pace. No snow, no icicles, no Widow Twanky, just another lookalike city in Vietnam.

Our hotel down a side street was full of Europeans, how did they find this place, the new Queen Hotel? After a quick break, we decided to head off with a hired driver to sea the wonders of Ninh Binh.

First stop a historic King Le(surname) Emperors Palace site, full of school children on day trips and tourists in the cool but clear blue skies, it had a chill in the air, which made me think of Christmasses past. I of course was the centre of attention with my floppy Father Christmas hat and had to pose for photographs with the locals.

Lunch was not befitting Scrooge, very expensive, so much so Scrooge would have choked on the soup alone, costing $12 and the goat meat costing a similar amount, boy did Christmas arrive all in one day for the restaurant owner.

Following a hearty lunch we took to the peace and quiet of the waters, a boat rowed by a woman (they do all the manual work here) she rowed away with her feet like a proper Santa’s helper. The tour took in 9 caves, on the clearest water amongst limestone outcrops (like Ha Long Bay). Very tranquil and felt the peace and quiet of Christmas and the Christian spirit of Jesus on the 2 hour trip. Peaceful in December, perhaps rather more busy in Summer, but you have to make the effort to get to Ninh Binh, it is not many people’s itineries who visit Vietnam, but it soon will be.

After this trip, rather cream crackered, but more waters to float on and hills to climb, ancient temples to see, but the clock was ticking. We took another baot trip, before we retired back to the hotel for a short nap and sharing a Christmas drink with the hotel’s proprierters…what was missing was mince pies, sherry, Slade, Band Aid, but there was soccer on tv…you can’t escape the Premiership reruns out here.

Christmas eve was further enjoyed with a short walk to the Catholic church nearby. It was very busy with a huge screen showing some Catholic dignatory on the screen, beautiful lights, a tree and everyone semed to want to see, the whole town of Ninh Binh on moto’s had turned up..but did they know it was more than Father Christmas? It was a religious festival? who is Jesus? We had an little BBQ at our table for warmth and cooked pork and beef for dinner.

Christmas Day and we were off to Cuc Phuong National Park, some 60km away. An early Breakfast, and a driver for another $25.

Upon arrival we took a hike to the 1,000 year old tree, Tam in flip flops, me and Tom in regular footwear and we were accompanied by German George on our visit.

In the afternoon after a visit to the Monkey sanctuary, funded by many leading Zoo’s we headed back to Ninh Binh and our 3 hour journey.

Boxing day – normal working day, teaching, but, the week ahd a little surprise in store. I had been giving private lessons to Viinh (22yrs Old) who was leaving for the UK to do a Masters course at Birmingham University. His parents treated Tam and I to a slap up meal (well that’s what you used read in the Sparky comic, cica 1970’s)

we had 4 Lobster (expensive), Hai Sam (soup – translated to sea cucumber) ($400 a kilogram), wine a bottle of 12 year old Chivas regal whisky…in other words the works, all very delicious…so I did get a Christmas dinner of sorts.

The new year….passed off with Tom, his woman of the hour, her friend and Vinh and his wife (our landlord), we scoffed some crab and soup -Karaoke, and a roof top cafe for midnight….no Big Ben, no balloons, streamers, or party music, just techno pop, and when the moment arrived, the DJ played ‘Happy New Year’ a tchno version of Abba’s song…a few quick steps on the dance floor and off to bed.

New Years Day? Well you go to a wedding of course….off we three trotted to a wedding, drank some beer, karaoke and ate some more food.

And so what does 2011 leave behind?

Some recent sad losses?, Harry Morgan (aka Sherman Potter in M*A*S*H), Gary Speed (why?), Colonel Gadaffi, Osama Bin Laden, Kim jung Il, Jane Russell, Joe Frazier, Neil Young (MCFC scorer of FA cup winning goal 1969), Michael Jackson, Clarence Clemons (E street Band), Russian Ice Hockey team in September plane crash…and finally John, the husband of my great work colleague Freda Richardson also passed away..so many.

What will 2012 bring?

Hopefully the greatest sporting event - the Olympics - will be a triumph for London and Great Britain, pity I will not be a part of it, I really wanted to say I went to the stadium to watch at least one event, but its all too much, good luck to the ticket holders for an event to treasure.

A Man City league triumph? A Real Madrid Champions League win? Usain Bolt centre stage? An economic recovery or collapse of the Euro?

China government to buy into Apple? Terry Wogan to host Strictly come Dancing? Who knows and that is the beauty of the future..

A final Happy new year to Emily, Gregory, Phillip, Kirsten, ex-work colleagues Rob Fletcher, Geoff Nicholson, John Malamatenios, Anne Waring, not forgetting Basil and Pete and David Opperman…and Enid Skelhorn, inseperable part of my life many years ago..

I just can’t find that Christmas spirit we get at home, I feel something is missing, the shops are all decked out to sell gifts, with trees and everything, costumes for kids, but its not like home with Big outdoor lights, shops all looking pretty, pantomines, Pubs and special gifts for christmas.  It just is lacking that christmas feel.  There aren’t the malls to stroll and look, its ‘park yer moto and buy’.  Big C is doing its best with christmas songs being piped out of the PA - jingle bells in Vietnamee is not the same. But the country is embracing change and the children we teach know of Christmas, but the religious aspect is lost, who is Jesus? It is a commercial exercise here. No pictures of Jesus anywhere, there are christmas cards but not religious.

The Shelton staff had a trip around HA Long BAy, if you don’t know this place it is now one of the top 7 modern wonders of the world.  Great on a sunny day, but not on a cool winter’s day.  Well 17-18 degrees, to us Brits it’s still Summer.

It was a grand day out as Wallace would say.  It is a place everyone should strive to visit for its calming atmosphere, over 1969 limestone hulks of rock everywhere in the bay, 7 floating villages, and calm waters, very tranquil.  i guess you have to be of maturing years to fully appreciate.

What else? well the schools have been having their end of year exams, and so we had some down time, and we paid a visit to Ha Noi, principally to help Tom get a box through the postal system. He was experiencing the same difficulties as I with Saigon - DHL - and my tv in Ha Noi.  He had to play the same games as i did…hand over bribes, declare his goods were new, despite being years old….the system wreaks here of over officialdom.  Whilst in the post compound, I can easily vouch every item is opened and re-sealed when it enters the VN postal system.  Everything, I saw a ‘JD Sports’ parcel opened, inspected, catalogue was read by the staff and never returned to the package.  Tom’s package contained an old leather biker jacket, helmet, gloves, of no real value, put he was going to be initially charged 1m VND ($50) for him to get the parcel. 

Also our 16 and 17 yr olds participated in an English speaking contest, to be concluded this week.  Some of them are excellent, especially at Tran Phu School for gifted children.  They would give British students a run for their money.  However, others were disappointing, reading their notes verbatim, but you can have two points, its understandable, after all English is not their first language, or another view is that they were not prepared sufficiently after 3 weeks of work.  Some students were really excellent, global warming explained fully to me in English, to Shakesperian acting to telling me about Wayne Rooney’s life story.

The children are generally great with me and lessons fly by as have all the weeks since my arrival here in September.  I have been back to Tam’s hometown a couple of times for admin purposes, but all in all I have been in Hai phong.

Here we are outside one of our favourite restaurants in Ha Noi

Iwantoneofthose.com??? Free to take

Decorations galore, Ha Noi

Am going on little trip by bus early Saturday to Ninh Binh about 100 km away from Ha phong.  One night, back to teach on Boxing Day.  It is supposed to be very nice here with an old church and some caves and rice fields, and cool weather…but they really don’t get excited here about Christmas.  Its Tet for these people - but this is their lunar new year - like China.