Dear Friends – I arrived safely as scheduled in the evening of 29 July.  Passport control was interminable, but I breezed through customs with no questions.   I was met by Sam Vu, son of my sponser (who was out of town conducting a funeral) and was taken to my hotel.  I am on the 6th floor overlooking a busy little park/playground abutting a large pond.  On Monday my host picked me up on his motorcycle such as hundreds here ride and we went off to the school.  The first week was getting me settled, learning the ropes and becoming familiar with the setup.

I came prepared with my own set of teaching materials which will not be of much use.  The curriculum here is vastly different than the one I was prepared to use, but I am making progress in learning the new one.  It takes about ten minutes to walk from the hotel to the school and for thr most part when needed  my little collapsible umbrella has been sufficient  to stave off the almost daily rain.

We had a staff retreat last Wednesday which was really just an outdoor excursion and excuse for fellowship and getting to know one another.  I am acclimating to the food, not hard to do, and the hotel generously provides all the bottled water I can use.  My room is quite comfortable, if basic, with a queen bed, big bathroom and a nice shower the water of which nearly scalded me the first time I turned it on. The hotel provides a decent breakfast buffet and the school provides lunch.

We will have just under fifty students and nine teachers.  Last night was a parent orientation and Monday is the opening session for students.  I am prepped and ready get started.

At home I usually jog a couple of miles in the early morning, and I brought my shorts and running shoes, but have only used the shoes for the trek to the school.  Things get started early and, unlike cooler mornings at home, the humidity and heat are already oppressive by 7:00a.m.

Stay tuned for updates