Its late, its been a very long day but its been a GOOD day and such a positive step in the right direction that I wanted to let you know. Thanks Char, for your words of encouragement, I got a big virtual hug from you. And thanks Kyla bug, the resident expert in all things academic who has given me HEAPS of ace suggestions for actvities the children are bound to like.

So we did stacks of stuff today. I SANG to a class of children (its lucky they dont know how its MEANT to sound!), I learnt two songs in Vietnamese with the accmpaying dance moves (I am NOT doing a repeat performance at home!) , we made jewellry out of clay, the (of course) following clay fight wasnt TOO messy, the wheels on the bus was a HIT, row row row your boat was a MISS (you win some you lose some..) and I discovered I have 3 aspiring doctors in my class (dammit if they insist on calling me teacher, Im calling it a class!) and some seriously smart cookies. They are lovely, I was so impressed by them. Although exhausted after being dragged in a million different directions, losing at scissor paper stne and having my drawings laughed at. :)

Heres my best anecdote of the day. After lunch (I ate with the children, they seemed fairly enthralled that I can already eat with chopsticks but gawfuffed a lot when tred to use chopsticks in soup (DUR - SPOON??)) I was , wait...............................................

put down for A NAP

aged 24. it was nap time. there was to be no up and awake. the children were sleeping so I was to sleep too and sleep I mustve as I woke myself (and possibly a child) up with a snorey snort (WHAT - IM TIRED!!!!?).

Anyway so I get home after I stayed an extra hour - we had a limbo tourmament and went for a beer, a much needed much deserved beer. And I got the drawing one child had done for me out to gaze at it in a loser-esque way and who knew that crayon drawings were such conversation pieces. The barstaff realised I was trying to learn a bt of the language and are helping me, the staff at a tour agent I just booked a tour one (1 day to the Mekong delta this Saturday. sunday Im working - daaaaaaaaaaarling) are helping me. Even a four year old steetkid is humouring me trying words out on him. Well I taught him how to say bicycle so it was a fair swap. I also told him how to say - thats 1 million dong to tourists after he'd acted out giving their shoulders a rub (we were in deck chairs), which maybe I shouldnt have done. But it was funny. And Im sure it will make him a buck.

So I leave you today on a happy note. Lets hope tomorrow is a good one too... (FINGERS CROSSED)