Halftime :)

A lot of happened in the last two week.... it felt like being on a roller-coaster ride! Everything started on the Sunday afternoon 2 weeks ago after somebody decided to steel my notebook from my backpack when I got on the bus - took 5sec and it was gone.......anyway I am over this now. Decided to buy a new MacBook again and not taking it anywhere anymore except leaving it in my hotel room. But back to the start of the CELTA course. We are 12 people from completely mixed backgrounds, age differs from 21 to 68 and we're from Australia, US, Jordan, France, UK, Germany, Sweden. The school and CELTA program is very good. Our 2 trainers are very experienced and we all can learn a lot from them. And we already had to teach on our 2nd day! So far I have taught 5 times, lessons of 40min. There is a lot to prepare beforehand and we also have assignments to submit for specific deadlines. However the students are so motivated and cute. It is really rewarding to teach them. You really have a feeling that they got something out of it after your lesson :) After one week living further outside from the city centre I decided to move into a hotel close by the school. So happy that I did that, as I save a lot of time now which I did spend on traveling on 'xeom's' (motorbike taxis), sometimes in the lashing rain in the morning :) We have around 38 degrees and it is unbelievable humid. I am so glad that it at least rains every 2nd or 3rd day for 30min or so. Then at least it cools down a few degrees.

The time here is flying as the course is so busy. I am working every evening and also at the weekend, but only 2 more weeks to go and then I hopefully can get my certification and look for a teaching job.

Hanoi is very busy. There are around 5-6Mio inhabitants and it feels like the city never stops before 11pm and starts already at 6am :) So my plan is to go somewhere to the Middle of Vietnam after the course to teach down there where it is a bit more quiet and closer to the sea :) Very adventurous times ahead.....fingers crossed everything works out.

My 5th day in Hanoi

I almost can't believe it myself but I am back in Vietnam. In-between motorbikes, taxis, bicycles...noise everywhere and it is hot! Humidity is as high as in September last year and it is only May ;)

I am staying with a friend a little bit further outside at the Westlake. My translator Lan helped me to organize a bus ticket for the full month of May - the application form was of course in Vietnamese and I couldn't understand a word ;)

So nice to have somebody local here which I can meet on a regular base. I already got a homemade vietnamese meal and ate a few baguettes and a lot of pineapples :)

Will meet all the other teachers tonight for dinner for the first time and tomorrow my course is starting for 4 weeks. I am excited, nervous and really looking forward to it!

Christine ( where I am staying right now) brought me out on Friday and yesterday to meet some other friends of hers. Very good to get to know people: Japanese, British, Australian, American's, Indians etc. - feels a little bit like in Dublin at the beginning.

Even met a teacher who was teaching for the Apollo Institute previously and where I will start tomorrow. He said there are a lot of teaching opportunities here and I should also look at his company he is working with now. So fingers crossed everything goes well, I hopefully can start to teach soon :)

Talk soon.

Kerstin