* Essay Writing Competition Entry *

For our exciting ‘My Summer Adventure’ competition, we asked our students to tell us about their summer in an essay. In the following 'My Summer Adventure' mini blog post series we'll share the best essays selected by our English teacher. First, read Thomas's (age 10) essay which describes his summer adventure in Vietnam together with his pictures. Well done Thomas!

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I woke up and opened the window to feel a warm Vietnamese breeze brush gently against my face. My mother and I went outside the hotel and were overwhelmed by the blasting heat. We ventured a little further into Old Hanoi. Motorbikes dashed past us in every direction, roaring as they went; crossing the road was an adventure in itself! Old ladies approached us and tried to sell colourful fans, whilst murmuring words I could not decipher.

The heat was too much for us, so we entered a dusty old shack to emerge on the other side. We stepped over a pond of delicate fish into a courtyard. Sand reflected the sun, dancing everywhere. My mother ordered a foot bath, and to our surprise she got a basin filled with ice-cubes and tea, and was told to put her feet in it. It was getting late, so we retired back to our hotel, excited about what the next day would bring.

We woke up at 11:30, very late, and had a lazy look around town. We came across the Water Puppet Theatre and booked tickets…the show started. I heard lovely music like a fish gliding through water, then a silvery puppet fish splashing towards us. Two dragon puppets rushed out of the water and spat out fire. The smell of smoke wafted through the air. At the end of the show, the people who were controlling the puppets came out. One was a giant of a man, who seemed to be a normal size only when he bowed down. Once again we returned to our hotel.

The early morning drive took until lunchtime, when we boarded a boat and headed into magical Ha Long Bay. That evening we dined like kings, and then went squid fishing in the dark waters. The next morning I got up at 5.30am and went to watch the sunrise. The mountains around the boat stared at me while I did Tai Chi.

‘Breathe in deeply”, said the Tai Chi Master, as calmly as a sloth. What a great trip!