National Vietnamese Teacher's Day

Every country in the world should have a National Teachers Day. I only now fully appreciate how INSANELY hard teachers work each and every day and not only in the classroom. We spend a good amount of time preparing for each hour of class and we are hardly ever paid enough, but at least Vietnam shows us a little appreciation once a year! These are two beautiful bouquets I received, one from each class I was teaching last thursday. It feels wonderful to know that I’m at least a little appreciated!!! Over the few next days, I received two more bouquets, a beautiful magenta scarf, 100,000 VND and a box of Chocopies (DELICIOUS btw). =)

Note to self (Vietnamese Style)

Never:
- Buy chicken at a local street market unless I want to behead it myself
- try to drive in Hanoi unless I have a death wish
- go to the supermarket on the first day of the lunar month unless I want to be trampled by Vietnamese families of 10
- assume that “sister” or “brother” or “uncle” or “aunt” means biological relation because it rarely ever does
- work for a full straight month with only one day off unless I want to come down with the plague. THE PLAGUE!!!
- try to pass one of the INSANE men driving a moto unless I feel like resembling a squashed pomegranate

To tide you over until my next update

here are some of my kids...

 Some of my younger kids playing computer games between class periods.

 My most advanced teen class (and one of the most enjoyable) working on their Halloween decorations

Probably my favorite kids class. 8-10 year olds and really bright. They absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE word searches and that's what they're doing here =)