Rain

I shouldn't have written about the approaching rainy season yesterday as I seem to have jinxed the weather. This afternoon we heard the unfamiliar noise of rain pattering against the ground and stared in disbelief as it hurried into a heavy downpour. I complained loudly as I was just about to set off to the Anh Linh school on my bike, until I realised I had an excuse to indulge in a taxi instead. There is something nice about the rain- if you don't have to be in it, that is. Not only does it cool the air but it brings an earthy scent into the atmosphere and reminds me of home.

I was lucky that it had not begun this morning when I was out and about in town. I had an appointment to meet Dana, a friend of Jessica's who works as a director for LIN, a Vietnamese NGO that supports not-for-profit organisations in Ho Chi Minh City and matches them to corporate and individual donors. We met in a lovely gourmet supermarket and coffee shop called Annam Gourmet, where we discussed LIN's work and larger philanthropic trends in Vietnam. Conducting an interview was a new experience for me today and I felt very nervous, but I was relieved that it all passed well as Dana kindly answered my questions thoroughly and at length, putting me at ease.

After my art class I also had the chance to interview Kim Ngoc, the headteacher of the Anh Linh school, as well as two former students, with the help of a translator. This allowed me to find out a little more about the school and the impact it has on the lives of the children who study here. All the new information I have collected through interviewing today will be very useful research for my book.

I had twelve students in my class today and we made masks out of oversized paper plates. The rain outside escalated into a storm; the corridor was dark and the kids jumped when smashes of thunder beat down onto the classroom. The students made good use of the paints and glitter glues to create some flamboyant designs. One little boy who had never attended the class before made a fantastic bear mask and then, after requesting another plate, began on a tiny butterfly mask for his one year-old sister. By four o'clock they were all over-excited and began fighting on the floor in the corridor until I ordered them to go home.

Giang, (left) and Nam- both lovely, well-behaved students