Sorry for the delay in writing, but lots has been happening! Some good, some bad but that really is the order of things over here.

So, to start with the good. New Hope is the same as ever…..the kids are great and I’m getting back into the swing of things. I did my Santa Claus bit and handed out shoes to the barefoot……photos to follow.

The water is slowly receding and things are returning to normal for us, but not necessarily for the locals. The rice is due to be harvested in November and I think most of it has now been ruined. The repercussions for everyone here are manifold. We had 2 siblings come to school last week with shaved heads and one of the volunteers was telling them how cute they looked and touching their heads. This is a big no no in Buddhist culture as the head is the holiest part of the body and the soles of the feet are considered dirty. She also did not realize that the whole family shave their heads when someone in the family has died, in this case the father. The mother appeared later in the day and showed me photos of the whole ceremony involved, from preparing the body to the cremation.

It seemed that every day last week, whether at New Hope, our guest house or in town we heard the death dirge. An awful wailing noise that is played for hours to indicate that someone has died. Rosanne also lost her grandmother back in Holland, so all in all pretty depressing stuff/

Oops……..I was supposed to be telling you the good stuff. I know it’s hard to believe but I’ve managed to get a job as a REAL teacher. It’s true. New Hope is struggling for money, what with the flooding and I decided that the only way I can stay here is to get a proper job part time and work part time at New Hope. I went for an interview at The Smartkids International School which is a 5 minute walk from the guesthouse and managed to get a part time job teaching English to kids between the ages of 2 and 10. I guess that makes me a Smart teacher!! I start on Monday 19th working afternoons and will be at New Hope in the mornings. During November I’ve agreed to do full time to help out whilst one of the teachers is on holiday. At New Hope I’ve been appointed Education Co-ordinator and am trying to streamline the running of the school. No small feat and I expect to be very busy come next week when I have to do both jobs. The contrast will be startling as I will be going from a classroom with A/c to one which leaks badly.

Wish me luck.