Not the answer to everything - we all know that's 42 - just some answers to questions and comments I've received.IsolationNo there aren't any other Aussie women here that I know of. We've met a Canadian and a Pilipino who work at an English school in town (spoken to them twice) and I believe there are a couple more working in the same school. There are one or two other Westerners we've glimpsed in the supermarket and we got into conversations ...

The day begins pretty early in our little Lane - up well before dawn, sweeping, washing and cooking. I'm afraid I'm torn between either enjoying a quiet cup of tea and read of the news, or getting the housework out of the way, before it gets hot. The tea wins most days and I just sweat it out doing the housework later. We now go walking three mornings a week with our next door neighbour - leave at 5.30, walk to the square, five laps round, then home again...

The Tet holiday has come and gone. Weeks of build up, three days of public holiday with longer breaks for many then gradually returning to work. Pre Tet saw shopping, cleaning and partying. Post Tet saw visiting and more partying. During the three days people visited ancestors' graves, home villages and family - then teachers, friends, neighbors, colleagues. We had a string of visits from neighbors, colleagues and a class of students - and were taken on many ...

Popping the bubbles in bubble wrap is a universal temptation it seems. On the platform, waiting for the train to pull in, the rail staff are tearing strips from the dozens of motorbikes lined up with handlebars taped with bubble wrap and cardboard (not sure whether they're coming or going but they soon won't have much padding left) and sit idly popping away. The sound of the popping is too much for the waiting passengers and they start to join in. We'...

I felt like I'd made it when I was left unsupervised to fry the spring rolls. I was in the farmhouse kitchen at the home of one of the young teachers, helping prepare food with his mother, girlfriend, his friend's wife and a colleague. We'd been invited to visit the house in a rural area about half an hour's drive from the city centre to see the family farm and have a meal together. On the previous occasions we'd visited homes we'd both be...