3 months in

Afternoon,

Monday started casually. In the afternoon I walked into my favourite class and to my surprise, they had got me some teachers’ day flowers! Such sweethearts. I received some more flowers during the week, teachers’ day was celebrated on Friday as a national holiday.

On Wednesday we had a teachers’ training and the final decision that I will be staying in Hai Phong was made. I am happy about this decision and the certainty is very comforting. Now I am busy with house hunting. We had a training for the upcoming speaking test, and then we moved to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. We actually ended up sitting outside discussing politics till about 3 am. I always find it very interesting to converse with people from different countries, and ages.

On Friday morning I made breakfast for the colleagues in the celebration of teachers’ day. We had some fresh coffee, omelettes, fruits, juice and baguette. It went well, and after I headed to the bus stop to catch a bus to Ha Long. This time the bus journey went smoothly, and I arrived in Ha Long without any headaches. Finally got to see my favourite flatmate, eat some lunch and chill. Then we headed towards Tuan Chau for a teachers’ day BBQ. We had the meal by the beach at Paradise Suites Hotel. It all worked out very well, and it was just lovely to see my friends again! We moved to the local nightclub to listen to a live Philippine band and dance. Nights like these will definitely be the part I will miss the most in Ha Long; amazing people and crazy dancing.

On Saturday morning I was hanging around with my flatmate trying to decide what we should do for the day. She told me that she would finally teach me how to ride a motorbike so of course, I was all up for that! We went to an open area behind our apartment and I had my first go on the bike. It all went actually rather well, it does take some getting used to how heavy the bike actually is and when to change the gear but I drove us for a lunch after and no one got hurt so all was well.

During lunch we actually decided that I should really buy a bike but getting it to Hai Phong might be a problem, I was nowhere near confident enough to drive it on the highway. Then it hit us – I should spend my two days off at the famous Cat Ba island and take the bike to Hai Phong that way. Once the idea was out the plan was formed. I packed and left for the harbour. There is a ferry to Cat Ba from Tuan Chau for 90 000 dongs (3,5 dollars) with a motorbike, The ride takes just over an hour and is, as usual, such a beautiful route.

I met some English guys on the ferry so we decided to find Cat Ba town together. The ride to the city from the ferry takes about 30 minutes, and the views are breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately, I was quite busy focusing on the driving so I didn’t get a chance to admire the views as much as I would have loved to. I was happily surprised how well the driving went! We arrived at Cat Ba town and went for some dinner. In the evening a group of us went to a local club to have some drinks and play card games and pool. It was a very relaxed, fun evening! The beds in our hostel were super comfortable and I got some well earned good sleep.

In the morning, I headed out to explore Cat Ba before taking the ferry to Hai Phong. I found a few secret beaches and nice cafes. I went back to the mountains to capture some pictures of the scenery and the wildlife. Along the roads cows and goats are roaming around, not caring about any traffic. I took a speedboat to Hai Phong, the trip takes 45 minutes and cost me 130 000 dongs.

This week –

Due to having an upcoming speaking test, all my classes were focused on the preparation for the test. Nothing special really happened during the week because of this. I started my apartment hunt, the hotel life is really not for me. On Monday a friend of mine was trying to teach me how to play poker. I think I did quite well actually! I spent Tuesday night having some red wine on the rooftop as usual. We were supposed to have a Thanksgiving meal together on Thursday but unfortunately, the power was out most of the day so we just ended up ordering in and playing all sorts of games. I was invited for a lunch at my teaching assistant’s house on Friday; the lunch was super lovely, very good comfort food (though once again, I failed to be a vegetarian) and a pleasant time. My TA is amazing, she is very good at her job and she usually gives me good insights into the Vietnamese lifestyle and language. Friday night was movie night, I believe everyone was quite exhausted from the week, classes tend to be quite exhausting when you are not doing much and keep on repeating yourself.

Saturday morning I and a friend of mine headed for a secret waterfall. The waterfall is located between Hai Phong and Ha Long, hidden in the mountains. The ride there took about an hour and then we had to hike upstream for 30 minutes. The place was extremely beautiful, peaceful and green. There was no one around. The water was quite chilly, but we still ended up going for a quick swim before hiking back! It was super refreshing. The rest of the Saturday was spent chilling, in the evening we headed central to listen to some live music. The day was really nice, I was just very exhausted from the week so I had an early night.

This morning was spent driving around Hai Phong hunting different cute, hidden cafes. We had breakfast on top of the city in a cafe that rotates around. I am just about to head out to find some tofu for dinner and then I am going to the Maritime University to watch a football game. We visited the University earlier and I met the men who usually play against my colleagues every Sunday. Should be fun!

The weather is definitely getting colder and gloomier. It has rained a few times and I definitely need a thick jacket when on a motorbike.

I hope you all had a fun week and enjoy the next one!

Best wishes,

Mira

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