Have You Ever Seen The Rain

Same routine as yesterday morning. When I arrive at school it’s nice to hear they quizzed the teenagers from yesterdays class and apparently I was a hit, the kids loved that I made them laugh, seems a lot of the classes are run by teachers who just teach whereas I’m a bit of a clown – but you know that. I only have one class today and it’s the nine year olds again. The smart one has the exercises finished by the time the others have found the page it’s on and the one that is in over his head is not interested at all.

One of the boys throws a tantrum and sulks for the second half of the class, I didn’t see what happened but I think one of the girls emasculated him and the rest taunt him a little bit, This what kids do of course but I am told they are not vicious here. Being one of the weak ones when I went to school I try to redirect them and shelter him a bit without being too obvious – yes I am protecting myself when I was at school. Towards the end of the class I focus a lot of one on one attention on the slow one at the expense of the rest of the class – what to do? I suspect he may actually be ADD, he is not hyper but cannot seem to focus and when I push him he seems to know some of the answers. Lizzie informed me that these kind of conditions are left undiagnosed and ignored because that would cause the family to lose face. I guess I will work it out, I just feel sorry for him in twenty years when he’s asking “you want fries with that?” and the others are doctors or lawyers but again, I’m not the saviour today, just trying to keep afloat. This all a lot of fun and very interesting, especially because I don’t have to do it it does not seem like work, just something wacky to break up the week.

Tessie gave me my roster for the week, one afternoon class Monday and Wednesday, two afternoon classes Thursday and one morning class Saturday – awesome!

Mr Wah is busy today and he cannot pick me up so I grab one of the bike riders near the school and head back to the hotel. Clouds that look like they might rain tease me. I head out for coffee and a snack and go for a massage, my back is nowhere near as sore as it was working in Sydney but the bike rides do make it ache after a couple of days.

I go for lunch and end up sitting far too close to two Aussies and an American who has been here three weeks and knows everything and makes sure he says it loud enough for everyone to hear – I hate those people. I go back to the hotel to shower off the massage oil and Thay says she is going to the orphanage tomorrow and would like me to come along, she says after two weeks it would be good for me to get out of the city – and she is right. I was going to do some writing but there is thunder in the distance and a few specks of rain so I rush off to Alley Booz to watch the storm come in and it does not disappoint, after four days without a decent rain I am longing for it. The look on the hotel staffs face when I refuse an umbrella is stunned disbelief and the same is true of the staff at the bar when I insist on sitting under the awning outside, it is most peculiar behaviour to them. They say it gets cold when it rains - yeah, like 25 degrees! It's bound to happen sooner or later but I can see what a hassle the rain will be when I get caught in it on the back of a bike going to work. 

It rains for about an hour and the city is refreshed and streets are washed clean.

Thank you to the friends that have emailed, I appreciate the contact and to answer a couple of questions –

HCMC – Ho Chi Minh City – formerly Saigon - the name was changed in 1976 after the American war.

Yes this is the best thing I have ever decided to do with my life.

Of course it's not as brilliant as the last two times I have been here for holidays, but no the shine has not come off it yet, I know it will eventually but after the next month of work I will travel for a month or two before really looking for work so i'm currently a pig in a puddle.