After many strongly worded e-mails we managed to convince TTV that the whole group is unhappy amd mot just being led by a few ringleaders! Their representative arrived and basically said that our company had gone back on almost everything they had agreed and a pay rise was highly possible. The new contract with the pay rise was handed over yet the terms were unclear and sounded like we would work overtime for no extra money as well as be messed around with changing schedules constantly. The terms were then rewritten again and I think we have now reached a reasonable agreement so fingers crossed.

I was taken out shopping by my TA at lunchtime on Thursday but everything here is tiny! She drove me around on her scooter which I actually felt fine on. She was like my personal shopper,picking out clothes and helping me try them on. However, when it gets to the point when 2 small women are trying to zip you into a dress it's time to give up. Can't say it did great things for my self-esteem either!

Was feeling fairly down on Friday night and not really in the mood to go out had just had a long shower and settled down when my housemate came to check on me. I tried to let her in only to find that the door was jammed! I spent the next hour and a half watching the security guard climb in and out of my tiny corridor window with various tools to try and open the door, including a knife and a sledgehammer - slightly scary!

Nothing like a bit of drama to lift the spirits though and shortly after being released the girls said they were going in to the Old Quarter - so much for a quiet night! FOMO had definitely kicked in and after grabbing a banh mi and some vodka we piled 10 of us into a taxi. We went straight to bubble bar to try and catch happy hour before finding out it actually finished at 9 and not 10 but after finding Du he spoke to the boss and gave us 2-4-1 anyway - just goes to show it pays to learn people's names.

We were kicked out at 12 a lot worse for wear and decided to go on to Phuc Tanh (I'll let you figure out how it's pronounced) which turned out to be a warehouse in the middle of nowhere full of westerners. Unfortunately on the way home one of the boys crashed his motorbike with one of the girls on the back and they ended up in the hospital. Thankfully it was mainly just cuts and grazes and a chipped tooth but it could have been a lot worse. They think they just hit a bump in the road and lost control but it just shows how bad some of the roads are even with very little traffic on them.

Saturday we decided it was time to deal with the shopping withdrawal symptoms and hit one of the busy streets that we thought would be good for clothes shops. Unfortunately it wasn't great with not much choice and the things we did like didnt fit as they only had small sizes. I bought a few essentials and a leopard print cardi (to remind me of home) and it was a nice to get out rather than waste the day feeling sorry for ourselves because of self-inflicted hangovers.

It turns out Vietnamese taxi drivers are much more tolerant of people being sick out of their cabs as he got out to pat one of the girls on the back and offer her a wet wipe (which she then showed everyone like a trophy lol).

After burger and 6 chips (yes just 6) for dinner we went back to bubble bar blagging 2-4-1 cocktails again although most of us didn't feel like drinking very much. After good company and conversation we ended up in a bia hoi place near our building for a lock-in (ish) with some Vietnamese guys who offered us free taxis around Hanoi for some unknown reason. A plate of locusts got passed around as snacks - completely forgot I had actually eaten one until one of the boys posted a photo of them on FB the next day. They weren't actually that bad - crunchy but a bit meaty tasting and not offensive but I doubt I'll be eating them again. Hey when in Nam ...

Up early again Sunday and the 2 day hangover kicked in, I couldn't stand the sight of any mess! My OCD took over and i had the overwhelming need to mop the floors, clean the bathroom and the kitchen (again), do all of my washing and tidy my room all before 11am. Balanced that out with a chilled day by a lake watching some weird zombie walk exercise going on and being stared out by everyone who went past us. We found a few nice shops and a small clothes market where I tried on a nice dress which no surprise was too tight around the backside. I went to try on a nice skirt in medium as well until the shop assistant said I think you should try this - holding out a large - talk about a kick in the face! Even bigger kick was that even the large didnt fit. Went to the pool bar in the evening and got very dirty looks from one of the waitresses there, don't think she likes it when we turn up with the boys.

Monday morning came way too soon but was told my TA had left and I actually enjoyed teaching on a Monday with the 2 new TAs. Although I had one of them again Tuesday and she took over speaking all in Vietnamese to the class so I had no idea what was going on at times!

Thankfully we think the issues with our contract are now sorted and the weather has been pretty good so the bad mood at the end of last week has lifted. I am now also the owner of 2 beautiful ao dai's (traditional dress) after thinking I wouldnt find anything and then not being able to choose between 2. They were around £25 for both which considering I will be wearing one to a wedding is nothing compared to what I would have spent at home. Plus they were altered so that they are tailored to fit me included in the cost and the women were so helpful. Guess this means I need to go and buy some new shoes ....