Lao Introductions

Much has happened since I last wrote, most of it good!

Life with my Lao family has been great. They have been very welcoming and hospitable. I have a mother, Mai; father, Paa; grandma, Mai-Tuu; a sister- Tuktik and nephew/ brother Lay. They all speak a little English except Mai-Tuu. I have also met quite a few of the neighbors and am gradually figuring out who is related to whom. They are a pretty friendly and close community, and I have been invited to a number of house visits, graduation parties and snooker games when Ihave "free time". Many of them also enjoyed practicing their English with me.

I've also been a part of several bacis- a traditional ceremony for important life events. Two of the bacis were for me- a welcoming from MCC Laos and also my family. I also went to one for a national MCC worker whose husband had just recovered from an illness. I have found these to be quite affirming as those participating in a baci bless each other, symbolized by tying strings around each other's wrists.

I've enjoyed the food as well. Usually for breakfast I have coffee and eggs or last night's leftovers. Lunch is usually phu or something similar. Phu is a popular Southeast Asian dish and is a big bowl of noodle soup with meat, vegetables and other goodies in it. Supper includes sticky rice which you ball up and dip into various dishes ofmeat and vegetables and also into jaew, which is spicier, kind of like salsa. There is also usually some type of soup or stew. My family is quite pleased I like their food and often ask if it is saeb (delicious). I've had chances to try different foods like chicken feet and duck blood, but they aren't served on a regular basis. My host mom told me she likes dogs (we have two) too much to eat them!

During the week I've been biking to language class in the afternoon. It's been great and tiring to learn more about the Lao language and how to pronounce it. We've learned the alphabet and the numbers, and now we're working on reading and basic situations like ordering food. It's also been fun connecting with other foreigners in class. The commute is not quite as fun because it is often hot and dusty. My first bike did not hold up very well and has pedal problems. However, I am content with a new bike, and am getting used to the commute. The weather has remained hot with highs somewhere in the 90s so it's nice when the rain cools things off.

I've not done a great job of taking pictures, but hopefully I'll be able to put some up in the future.

Hope you all are enjoying work or school!

Justin

First week in Laos!

Hello,

I'm in Laos safe and sound! I've done quite a bit of traveling since
last time, but it was not too much to endure. I made all of the
connections fine, although the two hours in LA were barely enough
time. The 16 hour flight to Bangkok went by surprisingly quickly with
the wonderful Thai Airways. (I think it was a combination of the food
and very colorful interior decorating.) I had a six hour layover in
Bangkok, but I was able to pass a good portion of it talking to a
Hmong Laotian coming back from visiting relatives in France.

Arriving in Vientiane, it was nice to see all greenery! Once I got my
visa and went through customs, I was met by MCC people: Wendy- the country representative, Ariel- who works with peacebuilding and who I knew a little from school and Khamseng- another MCC worker who has helped with much of my orientation. I was initially surprised at how small Vientiane seems. When they say it has almost 700,000 people they must include a lot of the surrounding province. I think it takes about 15 minutes to get across the bulk of the city if there is not traffic.

I've had "orientation" for most of this week, which is a mixture of
learning about MCC's operations, exploring Vientiane and meeting
people. I've already seen a lot of the markets and downtown and
visited the school where I will teach (NITA), met some of my host
family, and stopped by the school where I will learn Lao for a few
weeks. I move in with my host family on Friday! This is a little
earlier than I expected but I think some of them speak a little
English. It will be good to get to know my family and learn Lao even
if it might seem a little overwhelming at first! Next week, I will
visit a few historical sites before starting language classes in the
middle of the week.

I've also been enjoying the delicious Lao food (also Vietnamese and
Thai) although last night's spicy laap and papaya salad has been a
little hard on my stomach. The weather's pretty warm (in the 90s)
with quite a bit of humidity so I am eagerly awaiting the rain. I
still haven't seen the rain since I arrived even though it is the
rainy season. As Noy, another MCC worker who's shown me around a lot said with a grin, it rained every day before I came, but now it is sunny!

Now I get to go to the market for all the little things I'll need
before moving in with my host family!

Justin

Orientation is Over!

Hello all,

I finally got around to creating a blog!

I'm currently in Akron, PA after a week of orientation, but within
minutes I will be flying out. I've been enjoying orientation
here-meeting new friends and seeing old ones- even a couple I wasn't expecting to see! I've especially enjoyed talking with the Lao IVEPers (IVEP is a similar program where young people come from other countries to live and work in the U.S. and Canada.) They have told me all about Laos and in general been very friendly. Thanks to them, I already have an authentic Laos guidebook, two arrival forms (in case I make a mistake on the first one) and kind of know how to count to three in Lao. Getting to know these IVEPers makes me excited to meet more Lao! Overall, the week has been great- with informative sessions, unique interactions and much learning all around.

Feel free to get in touch of me, too! I think I will have fairly
regular Internet access.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers during this time of transition!

Justin