I'm not a big fan of roller coasters

The real ones or the one that life takes so often. We're on coast right now, trying to make this work.

It looks like the kids and I will be heading southeast of Ha Noi to Thanh Hoa on Sunday. I'll start teaching on Monday. It's a university job, so I'm jumping through all sorts of hoops (like finding a way to fax internationally) trying to prove that I am qualified, academically, to teach there. Finally my university is working with me to get this proof to my employer, rather than working against me. I love PSU, but there are some serious flubs in their 'advising' and it's caused some real problems for me.

The biggest problem was that I was never told I had to apply to graduate 6 months before I actually wanted to graduate. A small factor when you're leaving the country only 1 month after applying.

And my TEFL certificate has yet to show up. It's been sent twice and still no sign of it.

But I think things are starting to come together. The kids are excited to have a place of our own, even if it is a studio apartment on the university campus. It's ours. We can look for something bigger, off-campus, if we decide to stay. But we'll be together more, no more taxi rides across town. I'll be able to cook again. We can get serious about home school, finally. I'll be teaching the same people every day and the syllabus is set, so I just have to jump in and go.

Of course, it's a bit like jumping in at the deep end and hoping I can doggie-paddle, but so far we've managed in the not-so-deep end.

The kids are great sports about it and inclined to try anything. They amaze me with their willingness to just do it and see what happens. They had a great deal of input in this decision, because--really--we could stay in Ha Noi. I've almost got enough hours to afford it and we've seen some great houses. But they both prefer a smaller city, less tourists, less Western influence and calmer traffic. So, we'll give it our best and see what happens.

It pays well and with no housing costs it means I can actually save some money and get to see Tommy in China, after all. So keep your fingers crossed for me (but I guess not if you're in-country because that's a bad sign I was told). We'll do our best.

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Today we're off to the Museum of Ethnology, then (hopefully) meeting up with another single woman (looking to become a single parent via adoption) for lunch, then with a fellow who might take over my tutoring jobs, then my tutoring job. Tomorrow and Saturday, we are finally going to be tourists and visit Ha Long Bay with our fellow hotel dweller. It'll be a busy few days, but soon we'll be settled.

Or that's the plan, at least.