It doesn't rain but it pours

I'm now back in Yen Bai after a whirlwind two weeks in the UK. It was so lovely to see everyone again but that much harder to say goodbye (again). My apologies to those that I didn't see. I have to say that I don't know where the time went, and of course, I got the obligatory christmas flu which knocked me out for a couple of days.

I have now returned to my parrallel universe! I find it so strange that my two worlds can exist at the same time. Two weeks ago, I was eating quite a lot in restaurants, having baths, not appreciating the wonder of central heating, texting my friends and jumping in the car to go to Tesco's to stock up on casserole mixes. I am now sitting in five layers of clothing, waiting for my clothes to dry which have been outside for over a week, and getting on my bike to go to the market to buy some raw materials for dinner!

I have to say that the first few days back here, I did think, 'what am I doing?'. It has got incredibly cold since I left and it hasn't stopped raining in days. By cold, it is only about 8 degrees, but without central heating and with the humidity, the cold gets right to my bones and I wear a ridiculous amount of clothes. One student commented that she thought I'd lost weight yet I was amazed at how she thought that considering that I look like the Mitchlin man with all my layers on! The last couple of nights, I have actually been breathing out white mist - in my house!

I have also been ill with a cough. I was getting better but I think the damp caused it to deteriorate and Monday was one of those days. I hadn't slept much with my cough and then I woke up and felt sick, before finally putting my head down the toilet for quite a while. Then to top it off, my boss (one of the leery variety) turned up unannounced. During this meeting, my friend, Hoa (my life saver) came round and near tears I told her that I think I needed to see a doctor - a brave decision in Yen Bai! That afternoon we went to a private doctor, but he wouldn't even look at me. I tink he was terrified that if something happened to me he'd be in big trouble. In the end, I went to Yen Bai hospital as my friend's husband knows a doctor there. He was reluctant to look at me, but he finally agreed.

Well, Yen Bai hospital was certainly an experience! I think I was in the A&E department, yet it was just a small room, which was the doctors' office, waiting room and examination room. While having my temperature taken and having my chest listened to, a man on a wooden table was moaning and bleeding as he'd been hit my a motorcycle. Luckily it didn't take long and I was given a prescription - 6 different types of tablets! When I got home, I checked them all on the internet and most of them were useless - he'd even prescribed me some vitamins! I was given some antibiotics but the side effects were long. I decided to wait a day and see how I felt while taking a herbal cough medicine that my friend had bought for me and many swear by. The next day, I was coughing a bit less and so after all that I decided to not take any of the tablets. I am feeling much better now, and have learnt an important lesson. If I'm ever ill, get on the first train to Hanoi to the lovely clinic full of Australian doctors!