S A I L » Author: Vatsana

Last Weekend in Laos

vatsana — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:39:21 +0000

We girl SAILers just spent the best last weekend at a home-stay in the countryside while Brandin went to visit his family in Pakse. Again the small up start organization PADETC provided us the opportunity to participate in this wonderful program. We were driven out to the countryside, about 2-3 hours out of town to a small textile village. We met these amazing Lao women who worked together in the same village producing their own dyes and we were warmly greeted and had to sing a welcome song in Lao which was very cute and charming. After that, we were divided up and “adopted” by house mothers. Some of us had two to three Lao mothers. I had Mother Mai. She was very sweet, shy and soft spoken.

We were split up into groups of two because each group would make our own organic dyes. Samantha and I were to produce dye from the trunk of the Jack fruit tree. We had to chop up pieces of the tree trunk with this huge machete and put the pieces into to a large pot to boil. We didn’t know what color it would yield, but after 25 minutes, we had a golden yellow and were very excited. We learned to boil the silk, wash and rinse it before soaking it in the natural dye we had just made. We then dyed our thread of silk and let it dry while we ate. After lunch, we took our bundles of colored thread and spoon it onto a spool and placed it in to the shuttle. Then we were taught the art of the maneuvering the loom. It was so much fun and yet so hard. Some of us took to it like fish to water, others of us had some challenges, but over all, everyone truly enjoyed the experience. It was hard work and very time consuming. A long roll of fabric that they would sell to the market was roughly 35,000kip or about $4.00US. I can certainly appreciate the fabrics I had recently purchased.

Later that evening, we feasted with the Lao women and celebrated our time together. We drank a special kind of “dry” Lao wine made from rice and rice husk. We had to add water and beer to it and I have to say, it was delicious!!! We eventually retired to “our” mother’s homes to sleep so that we could wake up at 5:00AM in the morning to make the rice, feed the animals and go to the Wat to give alms to the monks. Mother Mai’s house was a small bamboo house. I climbed up three make-shift ladders leading into the house which opened to a one room house that housed 5 people. The floors were made with long bamboo and split bamboo were laid on top to cover the floor. I was quite hesitant because there were many holes in the floor and the floors rolled and moved. I thought my feet were going to go through the floor board. Off to one side, was a small kitchen where they cooked rice, the size of a closet with no windows. We were surrounded by chickens, cows, ducks and other woodsy creatures on the outside. It was a fascinating experience but I was also filled with trepidation. They rolled out a bed and found that I had two bed fellows. I was relieved when they asked me if I wanted to sleep under a mosquito net and I eagerly answered yes. I could her the frogs, crickets, chickens, cows, and ducks outside and yet I sleep well. I like the sounds of the woods and I found it very soothing. I had a difficult time with the smell. They would burn charcoal with tire rubber and it would burn my nose and throat making it very difficult for me to breath and sleep. Other than that, it was a nice stay over and I know how lucky and blessed my life has been.

The next day we went to another village about 1-2 hours away where we made Lao baskets. It was also very fun and again, so much work and so much patience were required. I think it would have been even better had we had more time and had a longer stay rather than such short visits. We made many new friends and truly enjoyed ourselves. We hope to keep in touch with our new found friends and we will sadly say farewell to our 2nd home this Friday.

Proud to be Indentified as Lao

vatsana — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:55:57 +0000

We SAILers are coming into the last stretch of our grand adventure in the beautiful country of Laos. We are all full of anticipation of our return, yet we feel a great sense of sadness in the thought of our inevitable departure back to the USA. We have all grown to love our new homeland and as for me I have come full circle, to understanding and feeling a sense of gratitude to my parents for encouraging and at times “enforcing” the Lao culture upon me when I was younger. For so long I had this other identity in the shadow that I knew existed and I was often reminded in the mirror or when a stranger would ask me, “Where are you from?” In the past, I had always felt as if I was a fraud. Although I looked Lao, (although it is now debatable since my arrival here), and I’ve had a lot of exposure to my culture and spoke Lao at home, I never really fully understood nor appreciated the little subtleties of being Lao. I have realized that it is not just what you do, or how you speak, or what you eat. It is a way of life, how one lives one life in a way that is simple, at peace and in harmony within yourself and your lot in life. With all the historical tragedy that befell Laos for centuries, there is no sense of bitterness, ego, or aggression from the Lao people. They are stoic in their hardships, gentle in their manners, generous with their possessions, enthusiatistic in their celebrations, reverand in their worship, and eager for the recognition they rightly deserve in the world. It is remarkable to see how the people of Laos go about their daily routines with easy smiles and with pride and in their children. Transactions have a personal touch with a bit of curiosity and giggles to foreigners. Vices and offenses are quickly and subtley reconcilliated and loosing face is averted, and it is rare that one holds a grudge and dwells on the offense. Of course this account is not true for every Lao person, like all people, there are differences, however, I feel confident that most Lao people are described as such people, the kind of people I am proud to be identified as. I hope to find some Lao people in the greater Los Angeles area who will remind me of my heritage and assist me in keeping up with my Lao. Incredibly I can now write in Lao. If the economy gets worse for the teachers, I can always park myself on the Santa Monica pier and sell colorful name art in Lao!!!!

Dam Naa: Rice Planting

vatsana — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:55:03 +0000

SAILers dok kaa (pulling the rice seedlings for transplanting).

SAILers dam naa (planting rice).

Dam Naa: Rice Planting

This past Saturday, we SAILers once again had the fortunate opportunity to go out to the countryside and learn about rice cultivation and fisheries. A small independent group organized by PADETC, whose vision is to provide active learning opportunities in the areas of rice cultivation and fisheries within the city-limits of Vientiane, Laos. We climbed into a van and drove out to the country side, a 30 minute drive outside the city. Soon we came to some rice fields. In fact, when we arrived at the place, our van got stuck in the mud and everyone present had to assist in helping the driver out of the mud.

As I sat and listened to the organizers and directors of the project talk about their project and their vision of providing Lao people opportunities to farm their land, feed their families, as well as providing opportunities for future income, I was inspired by their passion and hard work. They expressed that they experience joy in being farmers in Laos, and that life as a farmer is good and easy going, “sabay.” I was happy to hear that they greatly enjoyed the quietness of the countryside and that their daily work was something they enjoyed doing and have a sense of pride in. I love that their life was simple and not complicated with the everyday demands of the city. City people come and volunteer to assist in the rice planting and harvesting, a communal activity building new friendships. Many older people come out to the countryside and take up rice planting as a hobby so that they can do something purposeful and get some exercise.

Some SAILers with their enthusiaam and energy dove right in and began planting alongside the farmers. Knee deep in brown gooey muck, we planted one small field with rice. I unfortunately did not venture into the field, but through watching those who participated, I grew a deeper understanding and appreciation of how and where rice comes from. Afterwards we went to the fishery area where we tried to net the fish. We eventually went out and checked the fish hooks in the water near the rice fields. What I loved about the Lao farming was that fish were living in the rice paddies and around the rice paddies they grew herbs, trees, vegetables. Basically, your whole meal is right outside your door. They also raised chicken and cows. So imagine, as a Lao farmer, you grow your rice and vegetables and farm raise chicken, cows, and fish. What we farmed and collected that day we ate. The women prepared a great feast of bamboo shoot soup, eggplant sauce, rice, and grilled fish. It was a great feeling to eat what you just picked right out of the garden or water and how fresh it all was, not to mention how delicious!! There is a sense of great appreciation to know that we ate what our hands, sweat and passion helped provide…nutrition for the heart, soul and of course the stomach!

Khao Pansa

vatsana — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:51:07 +0000

Making Khao Tom for the Khao Pansa (Buddhist Lent) at Achaan Viengsavanh's home.

Khao Pansa – Buddhist Lent or the Retreat of Monks to their Village Wats (Buddhist temple) during the Rainy Season for 3 Months.

On the eve of Khao Pansa or Buddhist Lent, Yaeng, Samantha and I were invited to our Professor Viengsavanh’s quaint, modest home located near the National University of Laos (Dong Dok). On the eve of Khao Pansa, many Lao women prepare khao tom, (sweet rice with coconut and bananas steamed in banana leaves) to give to the monks for merit. Achaan Viengsavanh made a huge vat of rice for us to roll up in the banana leaves. We learned to roll up the rice dessert in the banana leaves. Apparently, I need to work on making my khao tom much smaller. We also made khaonom nep, which is white with coconut in the middle and is wrapped in banana leaves too, but in a triangular fashion.

It was a fascinating experience to see how our teacher and her family lived. They live in faculty housing, a structure that is basically a three room building with thatched walls and roofs. The kitchen was a small room where water was taken from a large jug and the stove looked like a tall thin bucket made of clay. The khao tom was steamed in a basket on top of the coal burning stove. While it steamed, our professor was kind enough to feed us dinner. She made khao soy, a dish with ground pork and rice noodles in a spicy chili sauce. It was delicious.

Khao Pansa begins early in the morning, about 6:00AM. By 5:30AM, many people have already gathered and prepared for Khao Pansa. The local wats (temples) set up chairs and on a long table they line up silver and clay alms bowls (which belong to the monks) to collect sticky rice, candy, snacks, money, flowers and candles. It was a festive experience. Many Lao people in their finest sinhs and pha biengs (shoulder slash) carry silver bowls to offer their gifts for merit. It was a spectacular sight. I didn’t know what to do, I simply got into line and followed what the local people were doing. Each bowl you come to, you must lift the offering up towards your head and then place it in the bowls. During which time, the monks chanted on a loud speaker and recited prayers. I sat under a tent to observe and take in the experience and felt very fortunate to be there with the people and that I was equally welcomed. I loved that although its a special religious event that should be taken seriously, the movement and the activities in and around the wats continued to go on, not taking away from the ceremony or being disrespectful. It was natural and informal, and the people had a high level of comfort, illustrating that the special event belongs to the people and not the other way around. The only sad part of this event is that I will not be here in three months when Buddhist Lent ends and the big celebration begins.

Taad Moun: Playing in the river

vatsana — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:57:13 +0000

Traveling along the Lao country side.

On Sunday, the CLS entourage ventured out into the woods to commune with nature, a pastime that many local Lao people find bizarre and “unnatural.” We invited many of our U-graduates and language partners to join us on our little outing to Taad Moun, a small river on the outskirts of the city limits where brave venturous souls, (unlike myself) fared the small rapid-like water falls in tubes, plastic blow up life jackets and floaties. It turned out to be a nice day, we weren’t sure if we were going to go out to the “jungle” as it had rained terribly hard the night before and was still raining when we got up in the morning. It’s amazing we got up at all as the CLS entourage began our evening the night before at a karaoke club and sang our hearts out, (badly) to the tunes of American oldies, Lao and Thai ballads. There’s nothing grander and amusing than a bunch of tone deaf American singers, although Sandra held her own. After our soiree at the Karaoke club, we dared to continue the local night life and went dancing at a very popular club called Romeo, where all the music has the same thumping beat and the bass made your inner bodies vibrate. There were many different foreigners all gathered together along with the local people and jumping, grooving, body smacking and shaking to the music. There isn’t a designated dance floor, your group just circles themselves around a counter-like table where servers dressed like hip-hop dancers kept an eye on your group and collected empty glasses. I must say we were the most colorful or should I say the most creative and expressive dancers in the place. Of course, I couldn’t last as long as the young’uns. With ear drums busted and lungs filled with second-hand smoke, I was craving the comfort of my soft, (relatively speaking) bed. Samantha and I went home while the rest of the crew continued on to get food and returned home later. More power to the young at heart!

The next day we braved the elements and climbed into the van to take us to the river. As you know, it’s the rainy season and like I had said, it was raining when we got up. We had to travel on muddy quicksand-like roads and I could just imagine us pushing this van out of the mud if we got stuck. On many occasions during our drive there, I thought the van was a goner. The van driver was a maniac diver also!! What’s the hurry bop? He was speeding and would come right up behind these poor little motor bikes, blare his horn and fly by them. If I was on one of those bikes, I’m sure I would have a heart attack. The whole drive over was like riding one of the roller coasters at Six Flags Adventure Park, WITHOUT seatbelts. When we got there, it was a VERY interesting sight. The Lao people sure know how to have fun! It seems that they have the concept of Leisure down to an art. They played in the water, sang and serenaded swimmers and passer-bys, drank, and boy, do they eat!! At picnics, the Lao people eat bamboo soup, papaya salad, green bean salad, roasted fish, fruit and rice throughout the whole day. When do they not eat and how do they keep so thin?!!? I know how I keep thin, it’s called eating and upset stomach. The most extraordinary thing about swimming in Laos is that some people swim with all their clothes on. Shoes, socks, jeans and t-shirts. They just plop themselves in the water, sometimes with a cigarette, and sit in the water as if sitting in a Jacuzzi. It’s pretty hilarious of the mix of people; young, old, men, women, peddlers, and foreigners and the myriad of clothing articles. It’s like the circus meets Sea World. I would encourage anyone to join in the festivity and I hope I would be more adventurous in our next excursions. Cheers!

My Journal for the week

vatsana — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:46:17 +0000

Day 2: June 17, 2009-06-19

Apparently, to my surprise and astonishment, I do not look one bit Lao!!! I have been approached by numerous people, questioning my origin. If it was not for my name, it seems that the general consensus of the Lao people here is that I look Japanese. ??? I’m flummoxed!!! It is hilarious.

The cool thing about Laos is that when you go shopping, you need to bargain and barter your way to get things. I always call Yaeng to help me because she looks Lao and she’s a great broker. Unfortunately, because I look like a foreigner, (Japanese), they double and even triple the price on me. It’s hilarious!!!

I so much enjoy the older Lao people. I’ve picked up a few Mama Sans. I met one at the school supply store. (Of course, she also told me I look Japanese) and she’s very funny. They love to talk and chat…and make fun of my Lao.

We are invited to go to a baci this Saturday for one of the overseas graduates. It’s very exciting. I hope to buy a sinh (traditional lao skirt).

Day 4: June 17, 2009

We went to the NGO Basic Needs, an organization working with people with “mental health.” They would like for us to do more administrative work which I’m not really interested in. The cool part of the day is that we found a quaint little street shop that sold fruit. Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen so many exotic fruits and they are all so delicious, although I’m not too crazy about the Durian. I’ve tried the fruit that is red and looks like they have hairy tentacles, the hard brown mangosteens, lycees, (have eaten these before, but fresh, YUM), dragon fruit, weird mushy green fruit, and green papaya. I love the fruits and vegetables. I’m not too crazy about the meat because they don’t have refrigeration and they use all parts of the animals.

Speaking of animals, I’ve had a couple of night visitors already. My Goodness, do you know how big cockroaches are here??? And how fast???? I’ve sprayed everything in sight. The mosquitoes aren’t too bad, yet. However, I am the walking example of how to keep protected from mosquitoes. I take my daily vitamin Bs, bug spray from head to toe, and walk around with bounce fabric softeners sticking out of my pockets, shoes, shirt and pants. It’s a sight I tell you!

Day 5: June 18, 2009

We went to Talat Sao (morning market). It’s a hustle and bustle market ranging from mall like merchandise to wares from street peddlers. We ate in the food court area and I tried Khao Pun, a traditional noodle dish from Luang Prabang. It was spicy!!!! I hope I will get used to the spices here. Yaeng and Brandin are so daring, but my stomach is just not cut out for that. I bought my first sinh. It’s blue and has a lovely pattern. I have to get it made and am looking for a seamstress. I also bought a tie and school logo patch. I look like a school girl at the Lao-American College. As soon as I get my sinh made, I will get a picture of myself as a typical Lao College Student. I think that would be fun.

Day 6: June 19, 2009

The Lao language is so difficult. It’s a tonal language and we have just learned the consonants all 27, plus 28 vowels. It is beautiful because it sounds as if we’re singing, but golly!!! It’s very difficult. It’s amazing that I have learned the Lao alphabet and am learning to write in Lao. It’s very beautiful and therapeutic. Class is such a chore, but enjoyable. Our teacher (achaan is what we call her — it means teacher and it’s a great sign of respect) is amazing, only problem is that she speaks in this soft melodic way that puts me to sleep. So, of course, there I am trying to get her off topic and talk about other things. We got her to discuss with us the horoscopes and to read our palms. It was great fun.The teachers here are so revered and rightly so. The students are so shy, yet eager and I so enjoy their exuberant personalities when given the opportunity to speak English.

Today, Yaeng, Samantha and I went to the Ministry of Science and Health where we met the Vice President of the Ministry of Science and Health. It was a great honor to meet him as I know that it is very uncommon to have received such an opportunity as a foreigner. He was a soft spoken gentle man who was very official yet has quick and humorous sense of humor. It would be interesting to work at the Ministry of Science and Health and it seems as though they would like me to work in the department of children with disabilities in the hospital wing. However, it would be more of an observational, learning position. We’ll see what will become of that.

Things not to do when you get up at 7AM and go walking into town by way of the Wat: Do not take the back entrance and trespass so that you’re walking by their bedrooms and bathing place!!!

My Journal for the Week: Part II

vatsana — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:41:29 +0000

A continuation of my journal — week 2!

Day 7: June 20, 2009

We went to Khoun’s baci, (a traditional Lao ceremony, usually performed for births, marriages, travels, special events) for his going away ceremony. The baci was conducted, or blessed, by 9 monks, a very honored ceremony with that many monks and then the elders also blessed the strings to wish luck. I gave my blessings to Khoun and I also received blessings from the older people and from friends. It’s such a joyous time, full of happiness and exciting anticipations. Khoun’s house was set up to host hundreds of guest throughout the day. We ate many variety of foods, fruits and we saw a roasting veal turning on a spit. It was pretty amazing. There was a band and we SAILers busted out the moves and learned to dance the traditional Lao Lamvong. I was told that I looked like a fish trying to swim out of water. I suppose I will need to brush up on my dancing.

We went to an amazing dinner, hosted by an ex-pat couple who have found their way back from America and have been successful at relocating in Laos. They built their new home on land that once belonged to their family member. At the dinner party, we met guests who work for the UN, Unicef, Mohosot hospital (general doctor), a noble peace prize winner, activist,…all very impressive and a knowledgeable group of guests who have been working tirelessly and persistently these past 30-40 years!!

Later that night, the SAILer group met up with some of the Lao-American students at the Music Festival hosted by the French Counsel. There we listened to heavy metal, reggae, hip-hop, country and folk songs. It was a great sight to see an eclectic group of musicians and the Lao youth welcoming and enjoying the music.

It’s again late and it’s time to go to bed as my eye lids droop and I struggle to keep them open.

Day 8: June 21, 2009

We went to a Children’s Center that was founded by Nang Noy Sengsourigna. She is currently in the States promoting Lao culture and arts. We were warmly welcomed and the children presented us with a variety of performances. They played traditional Lao instruments that looked like a xylophone and they sang and danced. They incorporated many more modern movements and music, making the Lao dancing fun and enjoyable. They are all learning English and were very excited to meet us.

We SAILers went on a picnic at one of the Lao-American faculty’s home. It was quite far and we enjoyed ourselves and made ourselves useful, cooking and BBQing. There we met more Lao-American students. It was nice to see the students outside of class.

Day 9: June 22, 2009

We went to Talat Sao and I bought 4 sinhs. Two blue ones and two red ones. They are so beautiful. The textile patterns on the bottom are so intricate and delicate looking. It’s funny, every sinh I chose the sales lady and our Lao-American friends would tease me and tell me I’m picking sinhs that are old lady styles, that they’re too plain and dull looking. They wanted me to get bright pink and purple — almost glowing colors. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to stand out that much. Now I need to get it tailored so that I can wear it.

I’m getting a kick out of dressing like the locals, especially like a Lao-American student. We have to wear a kind of uniform and we all look like school kids. I have the LAC ties, black shirt, short sleeve purple button-down shirt and flip-flops. I’ll attach a picture soon.

Day 10: June 23, 2009

I met my aunt on my father’s side and my great aunt who is 98 years old!!! She is soooo cute and so quick-witted with the memory of an elephant. I also learned that I have a cousin my age who shares similar interests and is currently living in the States — North Carolina. My family will be taking me to my father’s house and land in Vientiane. I can’t wait to see what it looks like. Ironically, I was born in Phone Keng, the place where we are currently staying. Apparently, my father had just bought the land and was building our house when we had to escape to the United States.

Learning Lao is gradually getting better. My writing is improved and I received a compliment from my teacher, saying I have nice handwriting. It’s simply because I find the Lao writing very soothing and I enjoy it. I feel like I’m doing art work.

Also, I just discovered that I will be working/volunteering at the Settathirath Hospital. I will be observing in the children’s wing. It’s a great opportunity to work for the government and the Ministry of Health and Science, but it also makes me nervous. I hope I will do a good job.

The SAILers went to a Korean restaurant, similar to our Shabu Shabu, or Suki Yaki. It was very interesting, although I was wary of the sliced meat (hmm, how long was it out in this heat?). I ate mostly the vegetables. But it was really cool, that we cooked at the table…but get this, they don’t have a hot pot that they plug in!! Oh no, they have this clay oven like bowl which they fill with hot red coals! It was pretty amazing cooking over hot coals, which many of the street vendors do. Many Lao people still use coal to cook and heat their homes.

Still very hot…. Mosquitoes still winning…12 to 0.

Arriving in Vientiane-Coming Home

vatsana — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:26:54 +0000

June 15, 2009

We arrived in Vientiane, Laos Sunday morning and we were met by Athith at the airport. Athith is a student at the Lao-American College. Words cannot begin to express the feelings I had when I arrived in Vientiane. Throughout the whole travel, which took over 20 hours, my excitement grew and I felt giddy, like a child anxiously waiting to open the biggest most lavishly wrapped gift. Flying into Laos, the expansive country side was full of neatly groomed rice paddies with families wading and working in the paddies. It was a beautiful scene that one can only find in the illustrations of National Geographic. I walked out the airplane door and was greeted by the warm heat, it felt like a warm blanket that was gently wrapped around my shoulders, and I felt comforted. I looked out and saw the country side and a feeling of such calm and peace washed over me as if I had been holding breath for the longest time and was exhaling, I was home.

We are staying at the Somnuek Guest House, a small quaint place close to an open market and a wat (Buddhist temple). We are on the third floor, the view from my balcony makes the uneven long flights of stairs worthwhile. I have a fairly big room and the furnishing is adequate. I welcome anyone who wishes to come and visit to stay with me!!!

We have a great group. We are the first SAILers in the Center for Lao Studies’ Summer Study Abroad in Laos (SAIL) program, and I must say we are a pretty amazing group. There are 6 of us in the group; me (Vatsana), Sandra, Amy, Eileen, Brandin, and Yaeng. We went and explored Ban Phonkeng the minute we dropped our bags in our room. We had our first Lao meal, o lam (beef stew), khoua phet (spicy stir-fry), khoua khao (fried rice), and tam mak hung (green papaya salad) and Fanta (orange soda). It tasted good, but I must admit, I was scared and a little weary about eating at the open café. Their idea of not spicy is far different from ours. Their not spicy is equivalent to our spicy hot, (fire engine spicy). I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out of my head and I like spicy food!!

Today we went to the Lao-American College and met Ginny the founder and director of the college. Her story is an amazing story. She is the only American who has recently been granted a Lao citizenship because of all her work and commitment in building schools, (elementary to college) that are open to all students regardless of nationality, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities. I was very impressed and touched by the schools philosophy that closely follows what CHIME, (my home school) is all about. The Lao-American College has over a thousand students and the majority of their students are from a lower socio-economics and have earned scholarships to attend. They are a private college funded by the generosity of sponsors, so if anyone is interested in supporting an AMAZING program, let me know and I will get you information.

We met our Lao language partners (students from at the LAC) and I must say, I was impressed and felt a great sense of pride in meeting these bright, eager yet modest young adults who have earned the recognition of being the top of their class, earning scholarships to study abroad in the United States. They are the best of the best and they are ideal representatives of Lao ambassadors to America. They will be leaving in July and they will be dispersed across America. I believe there is a group of about 10 students. They will be in Wyoming, Montana, California, New York, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Mississippi. I know that a few of them will come and stay with me during their holiday breaks and a couple will be in California!!!

Okay, it’s 3:00AM, so I better get to bed. I’m still adjusting to the time change here and its been difficult. Good night and I will write again soon. Love you all!

Final thoughts before leaving Los Angeles

vatsana — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:52:54 +0000

Hi Friends and Families,

I must admit that I have not had a chance to think about my trip to Laos until this very minute!!! Yikes!! It’s been a whirl-wind and a blur for me as I tried to finish the school year for my students at CHIME Elementary School and having to leave a week and a half before the school ends was a bit stressful. I will finish packing tonight and I am hoping I have not forgotten anything.

As I sit here and the realization that by tomorrow, I will be on my way to a homeland that I have never known seems so surreal. I am excited about this new adventure in my life and I am a bit apprehensive. I can’t believe I am given this opportunity, it been a long awaited dream for me to go to my birth place and see what good I can offer and what life changing experience I will take back with me. I am hoping that I will be given the opportunitity to learn about the folk culture and the arts so that I may share that part of the Lao culture and heritage in the states. On another note, I hope the mosquito problem isn’t as bad as I’ve been lead to believe. They think I’m a tasty morsel. Cheers! -Vas