Last Thursday morning, we had gone to the morning market and I needed to get back to the Lao-American Center to meet a friend. So I hopped on the tuk-tuk, telling him to take me there. Although he originally said he knew where it was, he didn’t! We  had to stop by a few of his other tuk-tuk friends until one could point him in the right direction.

So we are driving, and he points to the side of the road, which I took as asking if it was a good drop-off point. Instead of pulling over,the driver turned the corner down a  dirt road near my guest house. Heading in the wrong direction, I began trying to stay ‘stop,’ but I couldn’t think of the word! I started making weird noises, hoping he’d understand- “jop jop jop,” “yop yop yop.” I finally said “dai leo,” something that is I think like saying “ok” when something is done. Luckily he understood, and I didn’t have too far to walk home!

Now I will forever remember the Lao word for stop, “yut.”