As I send off the SAILers and their program leader at the San Francisco airport, I feel like a parent sending off their children to a far distance land. I cannot help but feel happy and at the same time concerned for their well being.
How strange it is that even though I have not met many of the SAILers prior to the orientation, I felt like I have known them for a very long time. They remind me so much of myself when I was younger, full of energy and curiosity, and ready to take on the world.
The students are very excited about this opportunity as I was when I went on my study abroad program in Thailand in 1994. Back then there were no study abroad program in Laos—there has not been one since then, until the start of the SAIL program this year. Thailand was the next best thing to Laos so I signed up.
The one year spent in Chiangmai, Thailand has changed who I am as a person. I know this will be a life-changing experience for the SAILers as well. They have heard numerous personal stories from their parents and grandparents. Now, they will actually experience the “mysterious” land of their forefathers first hand for the very first time. How exciting and wonderful!
Amy, the program’s only non-Lao American SAILer, is also given a rare opportunity as an anthropology student to see the dynamics among Lao American SAILers throughout their eight-week journey, and at the same time be able to create her own memories.
As I say good bye to the SAILers for the last time before they take off into the foggy San Francsico sky, I only feel content that the Center for Lao Studies is able to provide this wonderful opportunity for them. Good bye and good luck SAILers. Have a fun and safe trip back in the Motherland! –Vinya
