Day 6 - Baa baa black sheep

Teaching is over for the day and as I write this all is quiet in House #1, at 1.10pm. I've just had a peaceful lunch of watermelon (supplied) and cheese (mine)  - never underestimate this combo in a hot country! I'm wearing my Vietnamese trousers James brought back with him last time a McoC was in Vietnam. Awaiting the others reactions but they are extremely comfortable, I can tell you!  I've also got my laundry on and must go check on that shortly - up on the roof terrace, next to the Buddhist shrine and the remains of a weight machine!

On the roof you can hear the birds. Vietnamese love the sound of birdsong and while they have taped song that chirps away in trees covered in lights, they also catch and cage wild birds in small, classic wooden birdcages, and also train some to sing.  They hang these cages everywhere. Around here they seem to be black, white and beige coloured with a black crest. About the size or slightly larger than a great tit.  

I also saw a cabbage white butterfly and a very large black and white butterfly today in the diplomatic compound ( where the office is). Only caught a glimpse though. In the compound there is a heaven-scented tree, which may be a flowering figs, or may not. It has deep fig type (not shape) green leathery leaves, however it has bunches of a creamy white/yellow flower about 6cm across, small trumpet shaped. Very beautiful, even when it falls to the ground. I'm sure it reminds me of something I've seen in Tenerife, maybe it will come to me.

I was at the office today picking up yet more resources for the lessons. I'm planning on doing fruit next, having broached colours, animals, London and anatomy ("heads, shoulders, knees and toes").  Today was better in that someone finally turned the air con on ( who'd have thought a state run school inVietnam would have air con) but what a difference it made to concentration all round!  I had a doubled up class today as another 'teacher' ( I think it was Arthur) was off sick. And they were the youngsters too. So we drew and coloured in parts of body and sang about it. Also played 'slap the board' again. Baa baa black sheep was a success at the end.  I had the rowdiest class so far with the least effective assistant - Hien ( one of two) , with glasses, who is nice but relatively quiet and she could not make herself heard over the racket.  I had to yell 'quiet' in English once or twice, which seemed to work.  With few resources to draw on (can't cut or glue or use coloured paper) and tied to this classroom with desks, it is going to be difficult to keep their attention. For the younger ones, the paper is essential.

The older kids in the second class were better and I was more pleased with myself as I was able to invent a way to get them into groups ( via the coloured backgrounds on my London snap cards) and then set up a mini introduction conversation between groups. I hope I can capitalise on this further. We then had hangman, which actually went pretty well, with some complete sentences being made.  Songs are good but they have to be written on the board first so the shorter the better.  Several of the kids are amazingly sweet or very clever and I'm starting to recognise them. There are also a couple of boys with excellent sense of humour and one boy who smiles all the time but otherwise looks quite goofy! I actually think he is currently my favourite!