been a while...

Hey guys,
so its been a while since my last post,l but nothing much is really happening.

A few little things have happened though, that have made me appreciate the contry i am in. For example, last sunday i was on my way home. Well i was trying to get home, but i was on the other side of Ha Noi to go to my usual bus station, so i got a xe-om driver to drive me to another one that i had heard the name of. After barganing him down - much to low i realise now - i hoped on the back and we went off through the Ha Noi peak hour traffic. After an early establishment that i couldnt speak VN and he couldnt speak Eng, we moved on in silence untill we were outside the bus station. It too about 15 minutes to get there and it was already quite late in the afternoon, so i was getting worried that i would miss my last bus into TN and i would have to stay in Ha Noi. Somehow, he asked me where i wanted to go and i replied TN, and he said "no."

Just a simple "no" and i was in a tiss. What do you mean no. "No" i dont understand. "No" Dont get off here. "No" there are no busses to TN from here. It turned out to be the latter answer. I ran through the bus shelter and after noticing that the station was vertually vacant of buses, i did panic a little. I ran back out to where i left my Xe om driver and even though he was speaking VN it was like he was saying "see, i told you. There are no buses from here to TN. You made me drive all the way out here on one of the cheapest prices ever in peak hour. Your an idiot." Eventually he also said Gia lam. Now i know Gia Lam. Its a very good reliable bus station that i use very frequently, in the beggining i just though i was closer to the other station. Turns out i wasnt...

He handed me the helmet without another word and i showed him my watch. 5:27. Lonely Planet said the last bus from TN leaves Gia Lam at 5 - but i did have previous experience with them leaving at 6. We still had time, but i knew it was vertually completely across town and then some. He understood what i ment though and with vertually no words needing to be spoken, we were screaming through traffic and traffic lights and all sorts of other traffic things, accross town in peak hour with tones of police out on the roads and on route to Gia Lam. Despite his hurry, he was a very cautious driver. He checked and double checked intersections befor he ran a red light and he slowed down when school kids where in the middle of the 3 lane road on there push bikes.

We pulled up at Gia Lam station and he even drove around to were all the long distance buses leave the station, just to check that the TN bus wasnt about to leave, then he dropped me off at the entrace of the station. I handed him some amount of money - i have no idea how much really - handed over the helmet and ran inside. Lucky for me there was a TN bus. about 10minutes later i happened to glance out the window - we were still parked in the station - and there was my xe-om driver, making sure i had gotten to my bus. I ended up hanging out of the bus window, shaking his hand and offering to buy him a dumpling from the man selling dumplings along side the bus. Once he knew i was on the bus, he seemed to be content and he happily drove away.

With the most basic translation he understood what i needed and were i needed to go and he really cared that i got there. It was really nice.

Another story, just about today really... i had the funniest class. well actually for some reason they found me Hilarious. They were in fits. I am really tired, and so i really dont understand why i was so funny, but it lifted my spirits and makesme think that not all classes are classes from hell! just wanted to share that little apiphony...

sleep out and i'll see you guys soon...
we celebrated our 3 month aniversary three days ago, so were over the hump and kinda on the home straight!