SAILers singing on the bus on their way to Khon Kaen.
Tuesday July 13th. All the SAILers, plus 11 professors from the National University of Laos and a few friends rented a bus to go to the Third International Conference on Lao Studies in Khon Kaen, Thailand. It was the first time for many of our SAILers to attend a Lao Studies conference. I could tell that they were looking forward to meeting many of the Lao Studies scholars and to learning something new from the 140+ presenters. On the bus the SAILers were rehearsing two songs in front of a bus packed with eager listeners—Champa Muang Lao and Yen Sabay Xao Naa. They later sang the two songs at the CLS reception at the conference.
The next three days of the Lao Studies conference were full of speeches, presentations, film festival, receptions, and numerous activities. I am proud of all of our SAILers—Phouthasack, Toby, Akarath, and Ryan. They have done a wonderful job representing themselves, their community, and the SAIL program.
My trip back to Laos, even though shorter than usual, has been very meaningful and fulfilling. I cannot wait to come back home again when I visit the 2011 SAILers next year.
