Finally arrived at tuy hoa

First things first....i've YouTubed the fundraising presentation so follow this link....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPU_9suobKo
ok...so the bus trip was a little longer than 8 hours....9.5 including one official lunch stop and 2 'by the side of the road' toilet stops....of which i did not participate but was asked by a guy in vietnamese not to take pictures!!!!...cause i really want that look on my slideshow!!!
the bus was at least a lie down...or 95% recline which was great...the trip was scarey as hell as the roads are so narrow and each time we passed a semi trailer or other bus they came within inches of my window.....sleep was not something i could even consider as the bus driver is constantly beeping his horn, breaking a little harder than feels safe and at times even a little swerving...i thought it best to keep one eye open at least!!!....two hours into the trip i'm really needing to wee....the bus pulls over the side of the road and several people get out to releave themselves....we all decide we'll hang on.....by the time we got to our first real rest stop i was seriously in pain.....and then we reach the toilets....squat style....all i could say was 'as long as it's got a door and walls i'm happy...beats weeing beside the road next to the bus!!!!....it was well an experience....i didn't quite know whether you face the door or the back wall....i kept swapping from one angle to the other...at least i knew that side ways wasn't an option!!! all the while with my jumpsuit hanging down around my knees and my hands strategically holding the bulk of the material.....it's funny how you try and watch yourself weeing while in the squat position...not sure if it's out of curiosity (although i know where my vagina is and where i wee from!!!) or if it's just to make sure nothing landing on your clothes, hands or feet!!!....i considered taking a picture but thought it best not to have that image burnt into my mind!!!
anyway...we arrived safely and were very very happy to be greated by some lovely smiling faces....Miss Chi (the cook) and Mr Luyen (the security guard....who's quite old and frail...i hope he carries a gun or knows some kind of martial art cause i can't imagine him stopping anyone...cute as a button though!!) and Shamus who is a New Zealander (originally from the UK/Irland) and this is his 2nd time volunteering here....he has come here twice between for holidays so we are lucky to have him and his knowledge of the local area....really lovely and happy to amuse us in all our questions.....
we each choose a room and we are lucky at this point we do not have to share......the rooms are quite a good size but all three do not have windows.......they smell quite damp and we do our best to make it smell as nice as we can....Eva decides to take the top room on the 2nd floor....it has doors and windows....i've told her this morning that she will be having a slumber friend from tonight onwards.....i woke up this morning with razors in my throut and had frozen the whole night....we won't even go into the mattress situation but i've decided that i'm going out and spending some of my own money on bettering the conditions for the volunteers here,,....i'll check out new mattress or mattress toppers (if they have them)...if not i'm buying a shit load of really thick blankets so we can at least cushions ourselves against the springs and get some sleep.

We have now finished our breakfast....(white roll with a choice of butter cheese, banana, peanut butter and jam..along with vanilla yoghurt.....YEH...just the food my body can't cope with!!!).....let's just say i'm trying to figure out a way of making my own breakfast so the white bread, white rice and white noodles don't effect me too much!!!!....not sure how to ask without offending....will speak with Chan and see if she can suggest the right words to use....maybe put it in a way that i miss cooking for myself...which i actually do.....i kind of liked cooking breakfast in Thailand...you start the day the way you want.....will figure that part out and hopefully before tomorrow morning.....
we are just hanging out at the moment and waiting for our orietation to begin....then we ride to pick up Eva who went to the college with Shamus this morning as she will be teaching...we then head off to the other small schools and have a look around....
will report back when we come back for lunch because i forgot to mention that after lunch (which is served at 11.30am) we break for 2 hours as Vietnam goes down for their nap!!!....i love this place...so laid back and loving....and i have to admit i like the Vietnam people they are so friendly and lovely...and so willing to teach you their language and know yours.....i am loving this time already and i haven't even started the work side yet.....
will update during nap time....
love and light to all xxxxx