Here Comes the Sun

The sun is finally shining in Sapa and the strange cold has dispersed+, for now. It's too hot for my morning jogs around the lake and I now feel very lethargic, and more lazy because of the heat. This is heightened by the fact I no longer have a phone for an alarm, so rely my circadian rhythm to wake me - which is sometimes just 20 minutes before school! Run Run The teacher's late!!

I am teaching the class Here Comes the Sun , as they seem to love Beatles songs and it's also appropriate given the pleasant change in weather. Folk songs are a huge part of the Hmong traditions, so every student is engaged and really enjoys learning new songs and tunes. Will this method work when I am teaching back home in Seondary Schools? I'm not sure somehow...

On Monday I  spent the night in Topas Eco Lodge, possibly one of the most spectacular place I've ever been to (LandMark Trust in Hereford was pretty good too, mind you). Check it out: http://www.topasecolodge.com/

At 6pm on Monday night Peter said, "Jess! Jess! I want you to come to Topas, my friend is having a party". I had 3 minutes to pack my things and get on the back of a scooter to drive the 18km there, along bumpy roads with the warm evening sun setting behind the glorious mountains. "this is the life" I thought.  A day here is never the same and life here is really teaching me to try new things and make the most out of new opportunities. I won't be eating the bugs, however freshly they are caught I'm afraid.

The evening felt very decadent, drinking gin and tonics and eating ice-cream before  the BBQ main course. I saw a bird moth bigger than my hand, ate some delicious chicken (oops), chatted in my pigeon Vietnamese and lost to Vietnamese cards.