connie's space

If you’ve been keeping up with my Facebook page, you’ll know that our Pi Mai celebrations are now officially over. All the below inflatable pools and water dispensing gadgets have now disappeared from supermarkets and roadside stalls until April of 2027.

Yes, it’s back to work tomorrow for all of Laos, including schools re-opening their doors — those public, private and international. The Center, however, has a brief respite from this as registration begins for a week and our 3rd term actually starts on Monday, April 20. Shaloom, whose internship ends June 11, asked for an additional week granted to his holiday while he enjoys a last hurrah of seeing the country, enjoying its people and having a special closure to his 2-year time here.

While he’ll be gone this week with no classes yet starting, this leaves me, office manager Santi and caretaker Suher to start up our weekly Monday meeting tomorrow morning. We’ll be sharing our holiday highlights, preparing the registration room, talking of special projects and lessons I’m planning and working as always on completing the process for our language school’s business license. That has been an ongoing struggle for the past 3 months, with numerous documents needed and 25 pages of detailed forms to complete. From my end as director, this had to be done in my native language, English, and Santi’s job has been to translate. The English major in me took over when it came to outlining major goals, 3-year plans, curriculum details, lesson creation, managerial outlines along with numerous other requirements listed which needed completed. In other words, hard to be to-the-point and succinct without all those well-crafted, well-worded sentences and oh-so-specific vocabulary choices which egotistical writers such as myself thoroughly enjoy composing.

Poor Santi had his work cut out for him re-crafting my creative sentence structures into Lao . Before Pi Mai, he had 80% done. Now we just need signed documents with stamps from local officials, along with a few other items, before we can formally hand in to the District Education Bureau.

I was told if all on the checklist is sufficiently adequate, we should pass. Send lots of fervently successful wishes our way for that to take place by May 1st.

Today’s Facebook Post

If you haven’t been keeping up, the below I just posted on Facebook for my Sunday evening. I include it here for non-Facebook fans.

==================================================================================

Sunday has arrived, and with it, our Lao holidays for Pi Mai come to a complete close. The past Thursday, the last day of Pi Mai, had me driving about on my motorbike, buzzing the gut of the city through water-splashing revelers that parked in pick-up trucks along streets in front of Buddhist temples. Water hoses and squirt guns in hand, families crowded in the back of these vehicles enjoyed watering us all down as we inched by due to traffic jams.

Women in Lao skirts who sauntered in and out of temple entrances were exempt from water splashing. Yes, it seems there is a protocol to follow for those who are in religious mode to be blessed or give blessings to our monks inside.

Later in the evening, Winnie and I attended our Center duties to turn lights off and on where we enjoyed my Pi Mai celebratory preference, that of neighborhood families.

A very frightened Winnie was not up for this so she stayed behind in the Center, gate closed. I, meanwhile, took a quick walk to the main street. The family that runs one of our roadside restaurants had positioned themselves on the sidewalk, dancing away. Their water balloons bobbed about in tanks of floating flowery concoctions and they happily hosed me down with water. Such a relief in our 101 degree heat!

Why the Facial Paint?

You’ll notice their faces with white paint. People paint faces with white powder (often mixed with water) during Pi Mai (Lao New Year) to symbolize purification, protection from evil spirits, and the blessing of good luck for the new year. This tradition is part of the broader cleansing rituals, alongside splashing water, that wash away bad luck, sins, and sickness from the previous year.

Quietness Follows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday

I had hoped maybe some who didn’t want holidays to end would continue on Friday since pretty much no one would be returning to work but Friday was so very quiet. Streets quite empty with city clean-up crews still in holiday mode. Only the gas stations suddenly sprung open, filling tanks that had remained somewhat empty due to the city’s hope that people wouldn’t be driving all over, wasting precious gas due to the Iran war that is still affecting us here. No wonder numerous gas stations closed for 3 days: 1/2 gallon of gas cost me $4.30! That is double what it was 10 days ago.

My caretaker duties likewise ended this weekend with Suher’s return on Saturday, around noontime. He and his brother journeyed together from their week visit to Mom where he announced they did absolutely nothing: Just hung out, ate good food, helped Mom with small household chores and relaxed in their rural setting. Now that to me sounds like a great holiday.

I did have one worthwhile back-to-work venture and that was to buy new floor mats for the corridors and main hall. One year of use had them filthy, worn and looking pathetic. Can’t begin the new year with crappy floor mats. I informed Suher to throw the old ones away and, when he felt so inclined after cleaning, put them down to begin the new term. (Thank you, overseas monetary supporters, for those extra dollars to help us bring in the new year in style. Much appreciated!)

As a “Welcome back!”, and a thank you for the huge task at hand dealing with a 1-week pile up of leaves and dropped mangos, I left him something special in the freezer: Ice cream sundaes and 1 plain vanilla as a possible choice.

I included his brother in the sundae treat as a possible incentive for brotherly love to take over and lend a hand in the leaf-raking. As you can see below, that was going to be no simple task, especially in this heat.

Was it successful? I’ll find out on Monday at our morning meeting. Enjoy the last of the pictures for Pi Mai 2026. For us here in Laos, it’s back to work.