Tonight we have a Projects Abroard social occasion organised by Duong with a trip to a specialty fish pie restaurant, where we will meet some new starters. By the end of June, the Houses here are expected to be full.
Some of the volunteers are unusual characters - I met Francoise today, a lady in her 60s who speaks to you unhesitatingly in French. I introduced myself well but then resorted to English ( sorry Corinne!) as she was in a hurry. There is also Jack, who is 28, knows everybody, smokes, has a kidney stone and has negotiated funds for new work at the orphanage. He is exhausting and reminds me a bit of Keith. He tells you I great detail about his painful stone at the drop of a hat, in an earnest Mancunian accent.
Arthur is French, curly haired, supposedly teaches swimming and wants to sleep with people. August, from Norway, has a guitar and rides a bike. He seems to teach at the school with only his guitar to aid him. I have not spoken to him yet ( he called Hi to me yesterday). Julie, Pernille and Nina are my primary contacts in House #1. Julie is from Edinburgh and taught at Thang Cong before demanding to change to Bo De ( the orphanage) , Pernille is from Denmark and very blond. She came with a group of three others, Astrid, Camilla and Lukke, who are physiotherpists and fairly uncommunicative, though Lukke is nice when she is not ill! Nina is an intern (like Huung) and goes over to the university everyday on a moto. I've not worked out exactly what she is doing with PA (Projects Abroad) yet.
I'm going out for ice cream at Fanny's on Friday night with the group and then Julie, Pernille and I are going to Namh Binh for the weekend with Rana ( from Hawaii, who I did my induction with, who is a psychology student and who has never travelled before) and her new roommate, who I hope to meet this eve. We are leaving for Ninh Binh by train at 5.30am on Sat. I will be taking my iPad. I'd better go pack a bit after Tuyet has finished clearing my room of Hilde's stuff. Tuyet is very nice, speaks great English and tells me she appreciates her independence as an unmarried woman much more since she came to work for PA! (there was me with my ready line about not having 'found the right person' - we are repeatedly warned we will be asked whether we are married).
The sunglasses situation got a little out of control yesterday - meaning the Other ones I brought with me broke) so, thoroughly bored of the subject, I have bought a flash pair of Givenchy ones from a posh shop on Giang Vo. Quite pleased with them actually. And that shop is a good omen for me - they helped me get home the first day.
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