One month in Hanoi

We are more than a month in Hanoi now!!! Since three weeks in our new house. It has been going very fast, at least in my perception. In the five weeks that I was in Holland with the kids Paul found a house and when we arrived in Vietnam, our container had arrived. So actually we could have moved into the house after a week. But I needed a few more days, to prepare the house, clean everything (it is amazing how much dust we brought from Dakar including a dead mouse….). So we stayed another week in a very nice apartment complex, while the kids started their school.

Noa’s new school (United Nations International School– http://www.unishanoi.org/) is enormous with almost 800 students. She has a nice teacher called Susan Hoy. Since we have no car yet, Noa is taking the school bus which she really likes. I do not know how many busses there are, but certainly a lot more than in Dakar!!! I was impressed by the way it is organized.

Annique and Thomas are going to Rainbow school. This school is also bigger than the Rainbow school in Dakar, but still quite small (5 classes). Annique is doing great, although she still mentions her friends from Rainbow in Dakar and especially Miss Elaine. Thomas is now starting to like to go to school. He needed a bit more time.

Things we miss about Senegal :
Our friends!!!!
The swimming pool at the Club Atlantique
The delicious mangos especially during the mango season
French bread, Tiebo Dieng and Yassa Poulet
The beach
The concerts at the French Cultural Centre
Bargaining and laughing
Speaking French
Tiji (French channel for children), Noa loved to watch this

Things that we do NOT miss about Senegal:
The dust
The traffic Jam
Endless ongoing meetings who usually started much later than planned
Power cuts

Things we really like about Hanoi:
The food!
Having a bar on walking distance
Massages
That you can order your food in small shops near your house by phone and they will deliver it
The lakes and parks all around town
The possibility to move around on bicycles and to make interesting tours

Things we notice about Hanoi:
Women wear trousers (which is practical on the scooter)
Families are small, two kids is usually the maximum number
People always seem to do something or to be going somewhere
They love Karaoke and loud music
Scooters, scooters and more scooters.

We miss you all,

Take care,

Lieke, Paul, Noa, Annique and Thomas