Hellllllo! I finally found time to read your blog & my you have been busy!

You must have leant some patience since you left with all those children around! I don't at 27! :P

all is good here, only got 12 days left at my Linden road house, nearly moved all my bits out (still gotta do the dreaded fish tank lol) gotta clean my room up weekend after next.....then it's the merrow life for me!

Am going to your parents house tonight to fix their computers (downstairs & up!) so will find out more gossip with your goings-on from Mrs M!

Later on, me & Jen are signing Vicky & Pete's new house contract as witnesses, so they'll start to get all settled too.

Should be out for Jay's stag-do tonight if I have time, he's rented out the piano bar, as he is getting MARRIED on Thursday! (yep I was as surprised as you are lol talk about short notice.)

Your downloads are going well, about the only thing left in my bedroom is my PC with utorrent on 24/7!

Henry has planned his birthday in Southampton this weekend - asked if your brother was around, but doesn't appear so, pity, but should be fun all the same!

Will try to keep up with your blog a bit more often now, impress me!

Mr T (the other1)

HI Ali

Good to get news of teaching becoming a bit easier, the writing and details are great as we can get a picture of what life is like day to day, hey you write well!! good story. Have you any teaching material at all as this would help, shall we send some, basic English teaching for primary school age might be helpful if you can translate so it is appropriate to culture and setting, I can look out for some. also we have teaching English as second lanauge unit at the UNI who can help me with this. Is there paper and pencils??

Love Julie

Hi Ali

Gavin is with Grandad in Braemar skiing (ie. Gavin is skiing not Grandad). There is super snow up north. Annie and Sarah are doing drama and dance workshops and have mini show at the end of the week. I guess working where you are makes you realise how much we have here at home! Enjoy the fun and laughs which I am sure will be plenty.

Paul

Hi Ali
Delighted you are feeling better and happier - it all sounds so amazing and will now go so quickly so enjoy!
Be happy love Jen

hi ali

great to get an update and soooo glad that things are better. it must have been a huge culture shock! dad and rob are off to paris today unfortunately i think scotalnd will be well beaten! i have a 'valentine date' with karen we are off to the cinema and then a few glasses of bubbly! weather still really frosty -4 this morning. bramble and jess are fine. alison is off to sophies 21st in nottingham,.lynsey is coming from newcastle to it so i expect it will be a good weeken for them. have a good week and post more piccies when you can

love mum xxx

Hello Ali
Still snowed in at Kemnay - having to clear the snow every morning to get the car out of the drive. Yiur Gran ihas had her activities curtailed - not getting into Aberdeen as often as she would like. Gavin is coming to stay with us, arriving saturday - we plan to go to Braemar to enjoy the sking. I might even venture onto the gerialtic slopes ! We like your photograohs but can we look forward to a blog update soon, perhaps this weekend ? Stay relaxed and plan ahead Love G & G

Ali, all I want to see is a picture of you in action, teaching !!!!! Loved reading your blog, keep it up ! Hope you are well. xx MC

Ali,

Nice Blog and sounds as if you are having a great time, the pictures of the orphanage are truly awe inspiring and it's fantastic that you are helping out there. Back at work in the Smoke is a bit tough after NZ, and the weather is freezing. However the good news is that there is piles of snow in Switzerland so we are looking forward to going out there soon. Played golf with your mum the other day as Pierre Bruget was having a golf lesson, had a good laugh even though I was awful. You will love NZ when you get there, we have a contact that you can get hold of for a potential job when you get there, he runs a winery in the South Island and is a top bloke.
Take care and keep updating on the blog

CC

Ali, I think you are so lucky to be meeting such a resilient and hardworking people as the Vietnamese. Would love to be over there and any from the gloomy financial and weather situation over here. We're off to Austria with Clan Burke this weekend where Redoaldo will be on the piste (not sure if spelt correctly). United and Ireland won this weekend so this lad's happy. Keep in touch.

Dear Alistair, fanatastic story so far, all these lovely children you have met and people. It sound like an amazing place to be and plenty to do. On the teaching you will feel better as time goes on, think about talking about things that are familiar to them and putting names to them (e.g. clothes, home, outside). Then you need some structure to each lesson you will take, probably around a theme which you can vary for the different age groups. It is all quite hard work really but you have lots to offer them. Remember they will be used to a MUCH SLOWER pace of life then we are used to so don't worry if it is slow moving through a lesson. We tend to work at a fast pace and the children will not be used to that. Well done and keep going it will all be fine. Juliexxxx

HI Alistair, we are on holiday next week and going to a dance class and drama class, we are lucky to have all these things to do. Sarah is going to London next weekend with the guides. Take care, Lots of love, Annie and Sarahxxxx

Great to hear from you at last. Sorry about all the posts re you being ill. Couldn't Dave and Lynz off your blog once they'd had a few! Keep your head up and go for it - its hard missing home I know but in the grand scale of things its not long til you're back. Had a great week with Lynz (managed an extra days stay thanks to the weather) - our first guest in the new house. Love Lynda, Dave (watching the rugby at Pat and Finlays) Finn (sledging) and Keir(could be anywhere!) xxxxx

Hi ali, frank is right we had no heating for a day. i went sailing today and my feet were like blocks of ice, painful. i put them on a radiator and didtn feel a thing for an hour!

hope you are enjoying the heat and people, teaching skills will come, just enjoy yourself!

lots of love paul & julie

Hello Ali

Wish you could miraculously email some warm weather to Scotland. Shona was sking today. Tonight she is at a lecture on avalance conditions, rescue etc. IN Aberdeenshire still lots of snowstorms making the roads hazardous for driving. Julie reports from Bridge of Allan that the central heating broke down last night so that there was no heating in the house for 24 hours. We are sure you will settle in very quickly at Tam Ky and that you will soon feel more comfortable and relaxed helping the kids as long as you plan ahead. You seem to have done very well so far - congratulations. Love from G & G