Merry Christmas!! Come on in

Posted on December 25, 2025 by connieinasia

Many of you are 12-13 hours behind me, if in the States, so I’ll wish you an early Merry Christmas from Laos!

If you’ve been keeping up on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/connie.wieck.5), you’ll notice I’ve been busy even after our term ended. Meetings still have continued onward at the Center every Monday morning as we wind things down, discuss building repair work needing to be done, complete lesson plans for the files and plan for the next term. Suher (caretaker) and Santi (office manager) left already for holidays at home. Suher for Hmong New Year (Hmong is an ethnic minority, of which Suher is one) and Santi for his hometown, a very long 18 hour journey away. Days off for the Center are officially December 25, 26 and January 1, 2. Laos, being a non-Christian country like China, only gives January 1st as a day off to governments and schools, along with cultural days of significance. For Santi and Suher, they both added extra days from their 10-day-a-year vacation time allowed to spend longer with loved ones.

Quiet at the Center

For myself and intern Shaloom, it’s been rather quiet at the Center. I’ve been turning off and on lights at the Center for security reasons at night and dashing over early morning to turn them off again. With Suher gone until today, that’s just a part of the duties a director has, yes?

Open Houses: Still continuing!

Then we have all my open houses and visits to my Christmas home.

The English Corner adults enjoyed their potluck in my home as did the Lao staff for our special Christmas gift exchange gathering.

For those not a Facebook fan, I’ll include my Christmas Day morning post here:

                    

It’s here!! Christmas Day has arrived in Laos. I’m getting ready for yet another visitor welcome, a Christmas potluck with my New Guinea neighors, a Lao family of 4 kids and a few others. A wonderful woman from the Philippines (on the access road adjacent to mine) makes special platters called Pancit Palabok. Loaded with a noodle base, shrimp, pork and hardboiled eggs, this was a huge hit at the English Corner potluck. I have no doubt it will be the same for this evening. Pictures will follow.

Winnie already knows something’s happening as I’m moving furniture around, which means I’m not watching her. She continues to steal stuffed animals from under my tree to entertain herself with. One of them didn’t fare too well, the miniature reindeer. I won’t share that picture with you. It would have to be followed with a warning before viewing. When all come down next week, tucked away into my many bins, she’ll be bored stiff. 

 

Here’s hoping your Christmas Day is one full of joy, merriment, family, friends and the spirit of God’s love sent to all. Merry Christmas!!

P.S. Hard to see as she blends in so well, but in that open-door photo above, there is Winnie in the chair around the table, awaiting guests. Come on in, folks! And be sure to pick up your Santa and reindeer head adornments as you enter, on the coffee table to the left.

               

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Our end-of-the-term celebrations: Fun, laughter and excitement

Posted on December 16, 2025 by connieinasia

If you haven’t been checking out my Facebook page (Connie Wieck), please do. There’s a lot reported. As a summary of the most recent post, let me walk you through our end-of-term performance night.

What a great ending to our term! After last week’s Christmas bingo with Jason’s visit, our students spent 2 days preparing for their performances as a closure to the last day of the term. Performances were done on stage with the following: Santi’s ABC learners did card tricks.my Level 1 gave all their classroom cheers with a finale of We Wish You a Merry Christmas with different motions; Shaloom’s Level 2 sang a song about peace and junior high did a short skit.

A special surprise entailed, for the first time, the staff doing a humorous rendition of Jingle Bells. If the students are required to perform, then it’s only fair we should, too.

       

Before leaving for the evening, we had a group picture, one quite formal . . .

and the other more expressive of our jovial mood of celebration.

We also added that if students wished, they could take home their Christmas tree ornaments from our Deck the Halls night. Some did while others decided to let theirs remain on the tree. As mentioned on my Facebook page, for a majority of the youth, this was the first time they’d ever decorated a tree, much less created on their own Christmas ornaments. With no tree at home to adorn, a few felt it more appropriate to grace our Center tree than just to take home and perhaps throw away. (I will note here that I did NOT throw away what worthy drawings were left when we took down the hall on Friday. I’ll save for next year, as examples to show new students.)

For the very last event, everyone lined up to select their end-of-term gifts: one Christmas window decal and two Christmas pencils.

                      

For the decals, those were purchased with donations from you overseas supporters. As for the pencils, those are the ones many of you sent throughout the years to China for my college students. I was so relieved the moving company folk that packed up my boxes sent to Laos made sure everything was mailed, including all those hundreds of holiday pencils. They are being put to great use here, believe me!

As you can see, the students were hard pressed to choose which decal to take home with them and what Christmas pencil designs as well. There were so many to choose from.

If you’re interested in seeing the videos of our evening together, go to the Center’s Facebook page. Office manager Santi expects to have them loaded by Friday. (https://www.facebook.com/suntisouklvc)

The Next Task

Now it’s on to the next major task: Having the main hall re-roofed and all electrical work re-done to make it safe. I had the estimate done yesterday by the boss and his friend after they inspected the hall, took note of my asks and we collaborated on what needed done.

The construction crew boss said it’ll be about a 2-week project so we should have time to clean up before the new term starts on January 12. All I care about is safety. No more sparks flying from light fixtures, water gushing from ceiling panels during the rainy season and exposed wiring causing explosions. (Yes, I’ve had it all during the past year and am eager to NOT have any of that happen again.)

If we start this week or early next week, we should have time to get it taken care of in a timely manner before registration begins on January 5. Be looking for updates soon how our major task is going.

Until next report, here’s Winnie and myself saying Happy Holidays from Laos!

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Getting Ready for Christmas

Posted on December 3, 2025 by connieinasia

Since my last November update, I’ve tried to keep folks informed of my goings-on via Facebook. That is quite popular here and among many of my USA friends. I hope you are keeping up. If not, see copied below the entry I posted today, regarding the Center’s upcoming December holiday events (Facebook, Connie Wieck)

“Well, the students on Monday went ga-ga over our Center’s Christmas foundation of trees, lights and wall hangings. Today will be the power point lesson of Christmas Symbols and their meanings. Tomorrow night is Deck the Halls, which means an all-day task of preparing the different stations for our students to enjoy making decorations. On Monday, office Manager and teacher Santi made the announcement in every class about Thursday night and also posted in the group chats for parents to see. This year, I opened up for parents, siblings and even friends to come and join in the fun. When this was announced, one of my student’s (age 7) got very excited, jumped up and down and said in Lao, “I am bringing 4 classmates!” Also included in the open invitation are the adults for our free English Corner. Like I did in China for our college-wide Christmas Activity Night, we’ll be wrapping apples as gifts to give to others. Thinking on that at this moment, I realize I probably didn’t buy enough yesterday if we have more guests participating. Can’t have someone going home in disappointment of not having a carefully wrapped apple to give to a friend, teacher or relative. I was loaded down on my motorbike yesterday with 90 but I think I’ll need more. Looks like another run to the market is in order. Be watching this space for more pictures and photos of our exciting Thursday evening. All year, I’ve been looking forward to doing this again, as have our staff. Merry Christmas!”

Connie’s Christmas Home

In between all the Center’s activities has been decorating my home. I’ll be having 3 open houses coming up. I am about 70% finished but still have more to go. My Christmas tree is done, highlighting the center of my room along with all the collected stuffed animals over the years.

The pet Christmas tree is up, surrounded by mechanical, battery-operated musical toys. I always enjoy preparing this table and tree in honor of current and past pets throughout the years. That of course includes all my rescues I had in China (Over 22!).

There’s the Advent calendar, counting the days until Christmas.

And I can’t forget my Chinese “Merry Christmas” characters, squirreled away at the bottom of one of my boxes from China. They found their way back to me after 4 years of my Covid exile. Such a lovely reminder of all those years I enjoyed in that country as a teacher.

When I finally get them all up, I’ll post again, most likely on Facebook.

Have an exciting countdown to Christmas, everyone! Think of me here in Laos, getting excited about sharing holiday traditions with students and friends.

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Check out my Facebook Page!

Posted on November 12, 2025 by connieinasia

 

I’ve been feeling this space is a tad vacant since November 1, mostly as I’ve turned to Facebook to update others about events here. Facebook is quite popular in Laos and many here have a Facebook page. Rarely do I have my Laos students or friends check out the website so I’ve been posting pictures where I’ll get the most traffic.

Take a look at the below visuals. For full stories, go to: https://www.facebook.com/connie.wieck.5

Note: My most recent purchases for the Center: Stick leaf rakes for the courtyard. Taking over Suher’s caretaker duties last week, while he was at home helping with the harvest, gave me a new respect and admiration for his work. He needed new rakes!

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I’m Halloweened out! Well, at least until next year.

Posted on November 1, 2025 by connieinasia

Yes, it’s been 2 months since highlights in this space of all that I came back to as director of the Suntisouk Language and Vocational Center. Needless to say, just a lot going on upon my return.

I absolutely invite you to go to my Facebook page for more stories and pictures of my return. The most recent concerns my Halloween unit. https://www.facebook.com/connie.wieck.5

Here’s the story on why this particular tradition took up an entire 3 weeks of my classroom time.

Why the Big Halloween Unit?

I had much to dive into upon my return to Laos on September 21, including getting over a week of jetlag. All nighters with a final drift off at 5 a.m., then Winnie’s 6 a.m. “Time to go out!” perch on top of me, didn’t help much. I was tired but grateful to be back in my Southeast Asia home once again.

My biggest concern had been Shaloom, an intern with the Global Mission Fellow (GMF) program. His 2-week conference in Tanzania had me and Santi teaching all classes and the adult English Corner for me as well. A combination of classes was required since some levels meet together at the same time. Santi continued with his ABC learners and I combined lower and higher elementary to create a 3-week Halloween unit. Junior High’s Halloween lessons, those students being a tad higher level with teenager attitudes, were tweaked to meet their “We are not children. We are adults” mindset.

Both juvenile and more advanced dialogues were created to give them understanding of the day as well as ability to talk through it with others. Even my free adult class, Wednesday’s English Corner Night, enjoyed a bit of history concerning the day with a Q & A afterwards.

This is my first time to create an entire 3-week unit. Thank goodness I had a Laos teaching assistant, whose English name is Esther, helping me out for 3 weeks.

She was with me in the classroom to translate and help control my larger class of 16. With different level learners, it is always a challenge to make sure everyone understands instructions. Esther’s translations and moving them along with difficult instructions kept the lessons on track without any confusion. It was also nice to see the older help the younger ones. Since they were in teams, the bond was quite strong among members. It was rewarding for me as a teacher to see them hep each other.

I’m definitely keeping that idea for any other events where I am combining classes together.

Last year was just a brief introduction in 2 days, some vocabulary and then a large Halloween Party for the students, their parents, and even friends. The staff and I spent and entire day to prep the hall, doing all the decorating ourselves. I will say, looking at the pictures from last year, I did have a tiny bit of regret not to have gone all-out this year but, to be honest, this year’s lessons gave a firmer grounding and understanding not only of the day but the customs and traditions that come with it. They likewise managed a better grasp of focused vocabulary not found in our regular class textbooks. The Let’s Go series I use is a foundation of daily English, not something that specializing in specific holidays or events that some in the world might celebrate.

Our bingo game had students making their own bingo cards of 16 vocabulary drawings on Wednesday and then Thursday had us playing the game itself. It demanded a shout and stand-up of “Happy Halloween!” if 4 Halloween visuals, which students drew themselves, were in a row. We teachers likewise made our own cards so we could join in the classroom community as just one of the kids. Students took turns being the one to call out the vocabulary according to the cards. Prizes were stickers or candy, your choice.

Here are some visuals of our classroom time together.

Now it’s back to the usual classroom routine and book on Monday. Hope you had as much fun as we did here in Laos. Can I outdo myself next year? I can certainly try.

Until next post, here’s me and Winnie saying thanks for joining us.

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Tuesday’s the Day! Back to Laos

Posted on September 23, 2025 by connieinasia

This sudden extended stay from my 4-week summer vacation, while worrying and anxious for me, is now a huge sigh of relief.

Visits to my mom’s doctor’s appointments have resulted in a back-to-normal lifestyle. She’s feeling great, with me feeling great that she’s feeling great. Mom Priscilla is busy engaging in her regular routines of gardening, town walks, church activities and visiting friends. In fact, she and the Golden Girls (her companions’ group) recently enjoyed their monthly gathering at a local bakery. Here they are below. (My mom is behind the woman in bright yellow.)

Marshall’s Fall Festival 

Yet another fun weekend event we both attended this past Saturday was the Fall Festival in my small town.  We participated in the parade, passing out flags and candy along with our political party members.

 My mom would have walked but the warm weather proved it was better for her to ride.   At 92,  she might not have been one of the most senior in the parade (we did have a few WW 2 vets on the American Legion float), but she definitely proved the most agile and “with it,” in my opinion. 

“We’re 60!”

For me personally, another entertaining happening had several of my high school classmates  dining out to celebrate turning 60 this year.  Organizer Pam, who lives not too far from my mom’s house, was our arranger.  Food was excellent along with story-sharing plus catching up on each other’s lives.

When it came to story-sharing, my classmate Scott Sutton had a surprising tale for me.  It seems I  had scarred him for life, not mentally by physically!   He was wearing shorts and pointed to above his knee, where he revealed a pin-prick of a scar.  

 “You threw a pencil at me!” he announced with indignation.  “You always kept your pencils really sharp.  Stuck me right here and I pulled it out. I’ll have this forever.   It’s a wonder I didn’t get led poisoning.”

Did I do that?!   Shame on me.

One of our best fits of laughter was at the expense of Herman Grindle who, sadly, is no longer with us.

Pam barrelled into the following narrative about our beloved classmate concerning Valentine’s Day. 

“Well, I remember in class giving out Valentines in grade school, ” Pam recalled.  “I got Herman’s, whose spelling we all know wasn’t the best.   Instead of ‘I like you,’ he wrote, ‘I lick you’. “

As we continued to chuckle at the thought of Herman “licking” his Valentine recipients, Pam went onward with this last bit.

“But that’s not the only thing,” she continued.  “You know what?  I kept it!!  It’s in a drawer somewhere with my elementary school things.” 

Pam’s anecdote, told with humor and heartfelt fondness, gave us all a lighthearted reflective moment of knowing a really great guy. 

Here’s wishing all in our 1983 high school class a happy 60th.

  

Departure Gifts:  My Pool Pals

This past week, I’ve been preparing departure gifts for those who have shown me great kindness and made my stay in the States special.  Aside from thank-you cards have been a few more meaningfully prepared bags for drop-off.  

As many know, I am never without my daily pool time so after our Marshall pool closed for the summer, I headed over to Terre Haute, Indiana (20 minutes drive)  to the Terre Haute Aquatics Center.  These folks know me from our Covid years as that was my de-stressing haven.  I went 4 times a week, which also saw me doing the same these past 2 weeks.

I admire the staff, who teach swimming lessons on a daily basis during school hours to all the Terre Haute school children. Every grade level comes to the pool on a rotation basis to have swimming lessons for 2 weeks.  Indiana deems it vital for all children to know how to swim, thus professional swimming instructors are present in offices at the  Center itself.  I am very impressed by their dedication and patience, especially while standing still in competitive-temperature water (it is cold!!) with little kids most likely shivering away along with their teachers.  

We’ve gotten to know one another quite well from 2020 to 2023 so returning to see them once again,  after my 1 1/2 year absence, has been a great treat.

Yet another welcoming sight for me was seeing once again Coach Teresa with  the Indiana State University diving team ladies.  This time around, I met a new team of diving divas, with only 1 I had known from before.  

As always, I am enamored by the  graceful skill and athleticism of these young women athletes.  I can swing my arms about quite adequately for my freestyle distance lap swims but when it comes to springboard diving, the best I’ve ever been able to do is a cannon ball.  

Because my last pool visit came on a Sunday, without staff or divers present, I was only able to leave their gifts hanging on the pool staff’s office door. Sorry to say, no pictures of us together will follow here.

Curious of what was given?  For the divers, I included chocolates and colorful choices of  beaded anklets/bracelets.  I took one of the gold ones to wear while in Laos,  in solidarity.

           

 

For the staff, more chocolates along with refrigerator magnet choices of encouraging words. I made sure to include enough for lifeguards and our police force security guards, Mark and Jessie, who are continuously present Monday to Friday to keep all protected.

A Totally Surprising Celebrity Gift Item

One of the best deliveries I carried out was to PJ Crowell, who adopted my rescue dogs, campus stray Lucy and Beanie the terrier, both from China. (If you don’t know that touching story, go to my previous posts, May 7, 2023 and October 15, 2023.)

In 2023, while searching for an adoptee before leaving for Laos, I entered terrier Little Bean (Xiao Dou-dou) in the Page-a-Day dog calendar contest. For those not familiar with this calendar, ordinary people send in pictures of their dogs along with a short write-up. If selected, the dog is featured on a specific day of the year. Entries are requested 2 years in advance so one never knows if his/her canine will be selected until 6 months before the calendar is released.

Well, guess what?! I recently received notice via email that Little Bean won the honor of having her picture in the 2026 calendar. February 24th is her day. Here she is below, at the Clark County fairgrounds where she used to chase groundhogs along with Lucy.

             

Those whom I graced with a Beanie celebrity-status purchase were: my vet, Dr. Yeley, who gave Little Bean her first USA medical check-up when she arrived, my mom, myself and (of course) PJ and Beanie. Here they are below, with Lucy included.

     

The Final Farewell

Can you make a guess as to the final goodbye individual?
Yes, none other than my mom, whose bag of small surprises I tucked into her bed where she’ll be finding it later tonight. (Just in case my mom is reading this now, if you want to know what’s in there, send me a note and I’ll reveal all the contents.)

Bye-bye, USA; Hello, Laos

My mom’s healthy self returned, I take my leave of the US knowing all is well. I’m now concentrating on the upcoming task at hand: arriving at the Suntisouk Language and Vocational Center where my directorship and teaching duties await. . . . . .

along with Winnie. . . .

and hopefully, no apartment rat invasion. (I got rid of them once. I pray I never, ever have to do that again. Ick!)

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Farewell preps back to Laos until . . . the 911 call

Posted on September 8, 2025 by connieinasia

My incredible 1-month Stateside vacation with my 91-year-old mom was coming to a close. What an energizing visit I’d had back in my hometown, Marshall, Illinois, after 1 ½ years settling into my new position as Director of the Suntisouk Language and Vocational Center (SLVC) in Laos.  I felt rejuvenated and refreshed, ready to tackle the new school year. By my side at the Center were office manager and teacher Santi (Laos), intern Shaloom (Pakistan) and full-time, live-in caretaker Suher (Laos), all with whom I’d been in constant communication during my time away.

Eagerness in returning to my teaching and administrative position was evident, not only for myself but the Center’s students.

Our 3-month term was to begin September 7, with  4 different levels of language learners taking classes from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. These four levels were:  ABC learners, Level 1 primary school, combined junior high/high school and finally, adults.  Registration was about to begin upon my landing. I was convinced we 3 teachers would have at least 40 (our highest number yet) due to the WhatsApp messages I’d been getting from parents and students alike.

“Teacher Connie, when does the new term begin? My son wants to join again and bring his cousin.”

“Teacher Connie, this is Nok.  Will adults meet for free English talk again on Wednesday night?”

“Teacher Connie,  I miss you!  Can we learn more songs this term?”

To all of the above, my overly zealous, geared up self raced, “You bet! Let’s go for it!”

Preparing for my August 28 Flight

With 30 years of experience in overseas departures behind me, by the 26th, I started early in my packing. All those Amazon orders of gifts, educational supplies and whatever else I felt I could stuff into 2 suitcases were finding their way into my suitcase. Bridget (my rescue dog from China, living with my mom) guarded my treasures from atop my pull-out bed.

  

I next made sure all my farewell pictures with friends and family were recorded. This included my mom, my brother in his downtown office (lawyer Paul and his law partner, Joe), a visit to my 2 China rescue dogs, brought to the US after Covid and adopted by PJ, my aunt and uncle (my dad’s younger brother and his wife), my niece visiting from Hollywood and numerous other friends.

           a          

So many great memories, plus excellent photos to put together for a visual power point journey to share with my students back in Laos.

Yes, I was hyped.

The 911 call:  Yikes!!

But what I wasn’t ready for was my mom’s Monday night, 2 a.m. call for help.

My mom, Priscilla, always in excellent health, (a daily walker, active gardener, independent house-owner,  avid reader, sharper-mind-than-myself woman) woke me up with, “Connie, I think I need to go to the emergency room.  My heart is racing, it won’t stop, and I have traveling muscle aches. Am I having a stroke?!  I feel very strange.  Call 911.”

Thus I was plunged into wake-up call mode, in more ways than one.

My Mom’s First Hospital Experience Commences

 

Scrambling to pack an overnight suitcase of some sort, I managed to do so while waiting for our local 911 paramedic team to arrive.  Off my mom went with me following behind in the car to Terre Haute’s Union Hospital, 20 minutes away.  Once there, we waited 15 hours for a bed to open up.  My brother arrived to the emergency room after finishing his scheduled court cases around 2 p.m.  

Thank goodness I was still home!

 That initial hospital stint, I was able  to assist, support and deal with medical staff (excellent, by the way) who performed numerous tests and exams.  By that time, her heart had stopped racing but she was feeling tired, achy and foggy.  She was admitted later in the day into a hospital bed where she spent the night until a doctor could finally see her.

While waiting, my mom took this photo of her adult children, my brother and myself, focused on the tasks at hand:  My brother was checking on clients; I was trying to figure out changing my air tickets while alerting my higher-ups of a possible compassionate leave request.  (This was granted, by the way, which I am so very, very grateful to have had approved.)  

After being sent home with little more than an “All your test results appeared great” and “Take an aspirin if needed,”  she had another emergency hospital run the next day with the exact same symptoms.  The difference was this time around, those topsy-turvy heart palpitations insisted on  stretching themselves out numerous hours, with no signs of slowing or calming down.  

That made a believer out of her assigned doctor.  He prescribed medication, with a follow-up office visit in 2 weeks, so I’m waiting around to make sure the treatment holds fast.  So far, so good.

Directing from afar until  September 21

At present, aside from helping my mom, I’m doing my director duties from afar via WhatsApp:  Re-organizing teaching assignments so we can start on time, writing agendas for our meetings, checking daily with my Center staff, making sure enough reimbursement and money advance forms are signed by me (over 30 are still left), approving of immediate language center needs (electrical outlet repairs, roof leaks, book copying for our new students, tree trimming, safety checks), reworking my classroom power points and lessons, not to mention thanking everyone continuously for their cooperation,  understanding and “stepping-up” willingness.  

As I type this, they are at our weekly Monday meeting, which I am not able to attend.  Shaloom has been assigned to carry out my written agenda, along with writing the minutes, until I return. (See what’s on my agenda list for September 7, below)

So what about Winnie?

             

Also included on my re-arrangement list has been Winnie’s extended kennel stay.  I was fortunate that there was room for her.  In fact, she’s gained an added skill due to my extended stay:  She can swim!  Roasting temperatures have pushed her into the large doggie pool and smaller tub provided by the kennel staff.

As you can see, she’s having the time of her life.  

 

Stay tuned for more reports

As I close this off on a Sunday evening in America, modern technology keeps me in touch on a 24/7 basis with everyone in my Southeast Asia home. I have numerous Laos stories to share which took place this past week.    Some heartbreaking, some surprising, some rather dangerous and others just plain hilarious.

I’ll be reporting on those next, along with pictures, so check this space again soon.

Connie in Marshall, Illinois

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It’s Winnie Time!

Posted on August 24, 2025 by connieinasia

It’s 3 a.m. and my cell phone is exploding with what seems like a million dings.

Who in the world would be sending me messages of such quantity at 3 in the morning while I’m trying to enjoy my USA vacation time?

Blame Winnie, my adopted dog in Laos. Or rather, blame her current caretakers.

Dog Kenneling in Vientiane

Yes, these daily wee-hours-in-the-morning announcements are all due to Winnie being kenneled in a facility on the outskirts of Vientiane, Laos’ capital city where I reside.

Some might be wondering what I did with Winnie, my adopted dog, while I’m away on my USA vacation. Well, Winnie is spending her time at Vientiane Dog Paradise, a kenneling service which was recommended to me last year by some foreigners with pets.

Leena (a Laos native) is the woman in charge of this amazing business. Her kennel and dog training center is located outside of the city, down a road in a vast farmland area.

Her services not only include kenneling pooches but also sending them overseas. For clients willing to pay for her expertise, she’ll do all the necessary travel documents and complete all overseas’ requirements for your special little or big pup to make it safely and soundly to your home country.

Before I left, Leena told me she’s been working on sending a 1-year stray to someone in Germany. The story of her longer-term residential dog is as follows: Last year, while on a 2-week business trip, a foreign gentleman saw a starving stray hanging around his hotel. He began to feed him every day, looking forward to seeing his little companion leap with joy and happiness upon seeing someone who finally cared.

Our streets in the city, in fact all over Laos, are filled with strays or even homed animals that are just let loose to wander on their own. Few are vaccinated or have what we would consider decent care. Most are full of fleas, ticks and have numerous skin and health issues. It’s very difficult to pass them by, especially when watching them scrounge desperately for food. Thus this kind man, whose attachment to the mutt had become quite strong, searched to find a place for his rescue to stay. He found Vientiane Dog Paradise, contacted Leena and placed the canine there until he could get the dog to his home country. Leena arranged all vaccinations and health check-ups during his stay. Now he’s about ready to depart.

As for Winnie . . . .

Before leaving, I prepared all of Winnie’s supplies to be used while I’d be gone. Or rather, I over-prepared.

I left far more food than was needed for her stay but better too much than not enough, although Leena assured me they wouldn’t let her starve to death if they ran out. (Better not!) They’d buy the same product I had given to make sure there was no strange deviation from her usual dogfood.

The day I departed for the States, I delivered Winnie via my midnight blue Honda Scoopy motorbike, or scooter.  I will say I was holding my breath the entire way on that dirt road, now very treacherous due to our daily rains, but we made it.  (Whew!)

So what’s this explosion of Winnie time?

The staff have gone bananas sending pictures to me via WhatsApp of my dog’s daily outings along with her other kenneled buddies.  I’m getting 30 to 45 per day, including videos.  Gracious!  Good to know she’s safe and enjoying socialization time with others but that’s a lot of continuous dings on my phone, folks.  Thank goodness for the silent mode.

Now that is one lucky Laos dog.  Sure beats sitting in my office, waiting anxiously to go home on my motorbike, as seen below.  

                     

Hard to believe our back-to-normal routine will be taking place soon.  Yes, it’s just a a few more days until my return to Laos.  At present, I’m finishing up the last of my shopping ventures, including filling suitcases full of gifts along with much-needed items I can’t find in the city I live in.  

In the meantime, I continue to get Winnie updates during those midnight hours. She has so many friends now,  one wonders if she’ll want to rejoin me.  Not sure I would.

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A Trip Down Memory Lane: A Hometown DQ Visit

Posted on August 22, 2025 by connieinasia

Note: I posted this on Facebook a few weeks ago. I’ll add it here for those who are not big Facebook fans.

For those who know me, I am an avid swimmer. I started at 3 years old and never stopped: summer swimming team, teaching private lessons and lifeguarding during my high school years, college competitive swimming and onward thereafter. In Laos, for my first day of classes, I introduce myself via a power point presentation. While I cater to each level, this slide is the one that remains a constant. The look on their faces, seeing a young Teacher Connie, is priceless.

Even at 60, I still get in my daily 2-hour workouts, no matter where I am in the world. Here in my hometown, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the adult 2-hour lap time early mornings, 6 – 8 a.m.

In fact, I started to gain a fan following. Before school started last week, public swimming lessons began at 8:30, usually while I was just finishing up my warm-down.

One of the grandparents, Chris Jones, brought her grand-daughters every morning for lessons and they’d watch me as I completed my work-outs. When it came to the last morning for public lessons, I received a surprise treat from the family. I was presented with a DQ (Dairy Queen) gift certificate for a small ice cream sundae!

Here are the visuals below. Chris kindly paused for a selfie with me, then I grabbed the grand-daughters for yet another photo. Harper, with dark hair, is on the left and Evelyn on the right. (I’m holding the certificate.)

A Similar Gift to My Laos Students

My Laos staff and students all know my favorite dessert in the entire world is ice cream. If you follow my stories, I did a full 2-week English lesson with my elementary ed students on visiting our nearby ice cream chain store, MiXue. The finale of that lesson was going to Mixue to order ice cream cones in English, which the Laos staff all spoke due to the foreigner-based clientele we have in my language center’s area of the city. (3 embassies are within walking distance).

And would you believe in Laos, we have Dairy Queen? It’s quite popular in the capital city I live in, Vientiane, but extremely pricey compared to other ice cream shops that are more local.

Dare I trust my USA Dairy Queen gift certificate would be usable in Laos? I wasn’t finding out.

I quickly headed off to my hometown’s DQ and put my gift to good use right away, as you can see below.

Comparison Prices to Laos

It had been many years since I had a DQ treat, and while I certainly enjoyed that trip down memory lane, I was a tad taken back by my goodie’s cost now-a-days: $3.59. Yikes! That certainly wasn’t what I paid growing up.

And just for fun, I looked up the current DQ prices for a small ice cream sundae in Laos: Only 15,000 Kip, which would be about 71 cents.

I guess when it comes to a trip down memory lane, looks like I’ll be tripping a lot more in Laos than in America.

In Closing

I have just one more week to go, then it’s back-to-school for me in Laos, my Southeast Asian home. Keep checking this space for more updates. There will be many to come, that’s for sure.

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An Overwhelming “Welcome back!” from My Small Town

Posted on August 10, 2025 by connieinasia

My arrival to my USA home was full of glee, from my mom and older brother to even my mom’s dog, Bridget, one of my street rescues from China.

But the greatest welcome came from my small town.

A Special Friday Night Evening

“Connie, you’re back!”

At almost every turn, as I walked the town square a week ago Friday night, numerous people greeted me with smiles, surprised expressions, hugs and sit-downs for chatting.

Why so many out and about in downtown Marshall, my hometown for 4,000 people?

It was my town’s National Road Night.

The National Road was the United States’ first highway in my country to be built by the US government. This road was built from 1833 – 1856, from the east coast of America to my hometown area, over 591 miles (951 km). It went straight through my hometown and is still used today in America. Over a week ago, my town celebrated this highway. We had the National Road Day celebrations which are held every year.

There were numerous activities all around the courthouse.

The Marshall high school cheerleading squad painted faces and handed out twisty balloons of various favorite animals and shapes to all the kids.

Bouncy houses and slides dotted the courthouse grass lawn.

Our police and emergency rescue vehicles were present for “Touch-a-Truck”. (For my Laos readers, Touch-a-Truck events are defined as community gatherings where children and adults can explore and interact with various types of vehicles, including construction equipment, emergency vehicles and more. The events offer a hands-on experience, allowing attendees to climb inside, touch, and learn about different trucks and the people who operate them.)

You’ll notice a helicopter included below. No touching the county’s emergency helicopter but it did take-offs and landings after flitting about the town as a means of showing what it had to offer our community for policing the town.

The Lion’s Club popcorn wagon was busy handing out free popcorn to all who wanted it.

An ice cream social by the Marshall Optimist Club had their yearly fundraiser, selling pieces of pie, cake and ice cream to those wishing a great dessert at a very reasonable price.

     

The Biggest Draw for National Road Night

The highlight of the evening’s entertainment, our summer weekly city band concert. The Marshall City Band is celebrating its 150th year. The Marshall city band began in 1875 and was originally formed by men who had musical talent and a wish to start a band. What was just a few men 150 years ago has over the years blossomed into numerous community residents and alums of our Marshall high school band, people of all ages, who enjoy playing all summer and for special events. For 150 years, the Marshall City Band has been going strong. It’s currently under the direction of Heather Setzer, our Marshall High School band teacher. So many came out that night for a great showing of our local talents to enjoy good music, good company and an all-round good community vibe. As you can see below, this was a spectacular event and welcome back for me, having just landed from Laos.

While the in-person was so much better, here’s the best I can do to share with you via pictures. Enjoy! You know I did.

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