Beginning of October

I suppose I really don't have much to say. It's not like anything spectacular has happened lately.
One item of note is Typhoon Xangsane, which ripped into central Vietnam on sunday. The past week has been wrought with rain and cloud because of that system. Monday morning gave rise to a really intense storm. Heavy gusts of wind (I'd estimate 80km or higher) and thus the rain was going sideways. Today was the rainiest day yet. It is still raining, and it started at noon. Two hours of that were torrential. We noticed a few leaks in the house. One little one in my study room, and one in Adam's room from the fan which leads to outside. It looked like a small stream, but the lake under his bed said that it was a decent drip.
There have been two birthday parties in the past three days. Last night was Stuarts 42nd. And sunday night was John's 30th party, his birthday was friday. They were both excellent gatherings. Parties here tend not to be too big. Usually a small group of people with lots of chatting and randomness. The characters in all of us seem to make these small parties just as interesting as any big mayhem I'm used to.
The house still seems to be lacking something. It is not quite a home. There are lots of things to do to make it feel like home. Unfortunately pay day is still a few days off. Hopefully things will iron out soon enough. The view is still impeccable though. I don't think that will ever wear off. At least I hope it doesn't. And watching these storms crawl towards me over the water is awesome. White walls of water moving at 10 km an hour. One minute you can see a boat, the next it is vaguely visible as it gets pummelled with rain.
I can't believe how fast time has gone. It's already October. I keep thinking back to all the rest of my years and how this was usually when I would be settling into my school routine and pumping out assignments. Not anymore. Now I'm trying to teach young Vietnamese children how to pronounce Ball, or Pencil. My assignment is coming up with ways to make learning fun, and to be an entertainer to children that have been in school since 7 am. Hopefully I'm doing it well. The kids haven't complained yet.
Off to class. Hopefully this rain stops.
Brandon.