We've only gone and signed Michael bloody Owen

It's true...we have. Details here.

Yessssssss.

Apologies for the above post. All that humanitarian, touchy feely stuff will be right back after this short post.

Oh and the event below went just fine. See here for pics.

Last Minute Nerves

The Print Shop

It's a little under four hours till the Big Sunday Sunset Send Off takes place.

It's the calm before the storm. Hopefully not literally.

It's the incalcuables that I hate about my job. If you're a teacher you teach, if you're a chef you cook. But, as hard as I try, I can't make people come to events or give money or whatever.

The venue, the Barracuda Bar, has a beautiful setting on the Red River. But the River floods from time to time and it's the rainy season. It was blue skies when I was up early for a breakfast meeting. It's raining now - it would do, it's that time of year, but hopefully the wet weather won't be prolonged and will just freshen things up for later. Hopefully.

Do I know how many people are coming? Not a clue. But we have to cater for them. We can only guess. I've said I will be happy with a conservative 100 turning up. Other estimates have gone right up to 500. But I can't control it. Will we have enough food? Will people have a good time? What if they all turn up late? It's like the stress of having a house party multiplied by several thousand.

The omens are good. I have been emailing and flyering. I have spent half my week at the print shop, getting more and more posters and flyers printed. When I have been giving them out around the bars and tourists areas so many people already knew about it. So many people said they were coming. So many people said there were bringing all their friends. But they would say that, wouldn't they?

Like all events the first two or three hours will be hellish. I will be a bag of nerves. Something will go wrong and I will feel responsible. At the last minute we won't have a vital piece of kit. Someone will turn up late or have to be found.

But I'm looking forward to after that. After I have made my speech. After (hopefully) everyone has arrived and looks like they are having a great time. I can have a quiet beer and look out over an (again hopefully) happy throng and feel content.

I want to do that slight nod of the head, the merest hint of a smile and have that: "we did it" glow. Then I want someone to buy me another pint.

This will last, of course, until the Newcastle v Manchester United game comes on the TV and I see we're several goals down.

In the strictest sense this is a fundraiser. But in all honesty my main priority is to give a good send off to Adam and Marty. They deserve it.

If you want to see pictures and reports from the party then I'll post them up here sometime soon- in the meantime check out www.extremecharity.info. They set off on Thursday and from then on in there will be daily reports from the road.

It's about to get very interesting.

But you know what? Despite losing my temper several times this week due to stress (people in Vietnam don't have tempers - not cool). And despite the pressure and the hassle and the whatever else. It is fun. I'm feeling nervous but good. And I still, very very much, love Vietnam.

PS We're in the middle of redesigning all the KOTO brochures and leaflets. I was a bit chuffed and not a little smug that my pic is going to be on the front cover. Pic is below.

You should know that they didn't have any other suitable pics so my photo HAD to be good enough. But I'm still ridiculously proud. Strange - I came here as a fundraiser - I'm now photographer, designer and promoter. I was supposed to pass on skills and it's me that's doing all the learning.


All smiles

Something not to miss

It seems odd to describe these two as amazing guys. Because in fact, in the nicest possible way, they're not. They're your average blokes-down-the-pub. Which makes what they are doing all the amazing.

They are travelling from Hanoi to Saigon by cyclo. And they're doing it for KOTO.

We're having a huge send off for them at Barracuda Bar this Sunday (August 28th). Of everything I have organised so far I want this to be the biggest.

For what these guys are trying to achieve I want everyone to turn out. Please - it's a great deal 50,000 VND which gets you your first beer, KOTO finger food and a whole afternoon of live music. It's a sunset event. Get there from 4pm (no food after 8). Bring everyone you know.

Please, if you're in Hanoi then download the poster and forward it. Or stick it on your staff notice board. If you're a local blogger then nick the poster and post it yourself.

The guys set off on Thursday. Go to www.extremecharity.info to get more information and to follow their trip - with daily updates.

So..see you Sunday then.

Settling back in

Big Smiles at Hue

It seems a long time since the field trip now. I won't even start to write about it. Except to say that it was an amazing, exhausting experience. Arranging and carrying out a trip for 74 people is not easy. But somehow the KOTO team managed it. The boss called it "our best trip ever" so we must be doing something right.

If you want to know more then the pictures say it all.

A quick reminder. So far we have 47 trainees. This number will go up to 70 in autumn when, for the first time, we will have three classes running concurrently. Imagine it, 70 kids no longer having to live and work on the streets. Put it another way - 70 kids with the skills to provide their own living in a safe environment where they can build a fulfilling career. But we need your support. Anyone want to become a sponsor?

In the meantime I've been settling into my new pad in Quang Trung. By ex-pat standards it is pretty basic. By volunteer standards it's pretty plush. I love it so much. I feel very lucky to have it and it makes you realise how, in certain environments, little things can come to mean so much.

Alongside my new bike, it has given me a fresh lease of life. I love my place. It's just beautiful and its nice to be living on my own again. I feel very settled in Hanoi and while the pressure for more funds is ever-present I feel a little more relaxed about how I fit into KOTO and, I guess, Hanoi and Vietnam.

One more thing to mention, recently I've had a string of "Are you Our Man in Hano?" type conversations. It's rather bizarre. One guy visiting Le Pub recently appeared quite overwhelmed to meet me. I was a few Tigers down and enjoyed talking to him but it was a little strange. Not sure the limelight is really me. But it appears that this website is far more widely read than I imagined.

I started it simply because I love to write and I wanted to share my experiences with friends and family back home. Since then it has become a valuable fundraising tool. It is also now being used, alongside other blogs, for prospective VSOers to read to find out more about the whole volunteering overseas experience.

It's worth reporting then that only this morning I had an offer from a very kind gentleman to sponsor three kids having read this blog. That makes the occasional interruption from my Tiger Beer at Le Pub worthwhile.

By the way if you are ever in Hanoi, make sure you visit Le Pub (25 Hang Be Street). It's home to a handful of KOTO graduates and you are assured of the smiliest, friendliest welcome around.

Below are a couple more pics. One of which I thoroughly ruin. I actually look like I am about to eat the kids, but pics of me are rare so I included it anyway.

A postcard from the KOTO field trip

Schools out....

I am just buzzing right now.

KOTO is closing for its summer break and we're all off on our annual field trip.

The picture you see above is of a bunch of excited kids, doing their cleaning duties, before we depart.

As ever with KOTO it's an incredible concept. A bunch of kids whose only travel experience is leaving their countryside homes to find work in the city, are now going on holiday.

Holiday to the fine spots of Hue and Hoi An no less. The only person more excited than them is me. I'm cha cha chaing around the corridors and we're-all-going-on-a-summer-holiday-ing around my office as I put together supplies of sick bags, beach toys and bottles of water.

The buses have been donated by the good people of Diethelm Travel. The hotels are sponsored too. We have a cooking demonstration at a third of the normal price and the rest of our expenses have been covered by the generous donations of our friends and supporters.

As ever their generosity humbles me and I know they do it because they believe in KOTO. They understand what we are doing and they want to help. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.

Of course, it would have been tempting to use the cash for the fixtures and fittings, bricks and mortar of the new KOTO, but this is as important. The phrase "trip of a lifetime" is over used in the west. But that is exactly what this us. They will never forget this.

Imagine it - scruffy shoeshiners and grungy postcard sellers getting the chance to enjoy what so many of us take for granted.

It's only a holiday. A short one at that. But it will mean everything to these kids.

The pic below is the kids getting their travel bags. You know what is amazing? We asked how many of them needed bags. They all could have put their hands up and got lovely new packs. But they didn't, only half did. They don't ask for anything they don't need and despite having so little all their lives - they don't want KOTO to spend money on anything they don't need.

Man I love this country. I love these people.

Okay - I haven't done this for a while. All of you out there stand up - step away from your chair (form a conga if there is anyone with you) right...now join me in a cha cha cha...

We're going on hol-iday! Going to the be-e-ach! With all the ki-i-ds. La la la LA!

Another lump in my throat.

It's not the first time it has happened and I am sure it won't be the last.

Last night we had a big function on at KOTO. While our guests had moved upstairs to start their meals I was left downstairs at the bar. One of newest, youngest trainees was with me.

I could see he was trying to formulate something in English to say for me. He caught my attention and he said:

"KOTO is very nice."

And then he smiled an embarassed smile and added:

"I am very happy."

And that was all it took. I was in pieces.

Maybe they have a sweepstake on who can make the big tay cry. I reckon it's easy money.