Here’s reminding all of my Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/connie.wieck.5, for my current USA visits.
In the meantime, I’ll give you the news from Laos with 3 weeks to go before my return.
Paying Bills from Afar
I always wondered what my apartment’s monthly electricity bill would be if I weren’t present.
In Laos, I run my air-conditioner only at night while in my overseas’ home, mostly as I’m not there during the daytime. I’m instead at the language center, with dog Winnie, while I work on lesson plans and hang out to teach my late afternoon and evening classes. Also in my apartment, lights go on and off as needed with my WiFi running 24/7 along with the fridge. Of course, the microwave and small hotplate I use for cooking are a sporadic venture.
Electricity bills are to be paid monthly although we do get a 2-month grace period. After that, off it goes until payment is received. For my first apartment rental, I was given a printed bill by housekeeping and paid the owner via my phone, connected to my bank account.
My second rental, the owner requested either a set amount every month added to the rent (no reimbursements if it was less) or I could take care of it myself. Most foreigners, he said, didn’t want to bother so they just paid the set amount he asked for ($100 a month or $1,200 a year.) I, however, was not too keen on that so I signed up for notifications and ability to pay directly to the electricity company by myself.
I did have some somewhat hefty electricity bills before I left due to elongated in-my-home stays and horrendously high temps outside but it certainly came nowhere near $100. (I am fortunate only to pay for electricity, not for water.). For my 2-bedroom apartment and outer area, my costs range from $28 – 36. The release date of what’s owed is usually the 12th of every month so today being August 21, I logged into my OnePay phone app, entered my necessary electricity bill number and eagerly awaited my bill to pop up.
The amount with minimal electricity usage?
A whopping 119,083.
That ain’t dollars, folks, but Kip. Conversion?
$5.40.
Not breaking the bank on that one.
My Enclosed Attached Patio Area: Garden Survival?
My mom is the gardener in the family, not me. Having my darling little patio area with varnished wooden flooring has been such a joy, although it’s usually too hot to sit out there. The challenge has been that strip of dirt to experiment with, seen to the right in the above picture. What kinds of flowers will grow there? I pretty much gave up after several tries, resulting in disaster. I then decided to just hunker down with tropical green vegetation, including bamboo shoots and vines. I did purchase some flowers from a nearby nursery but I don’t expect they have survived over the past 2 months. This is the way I left them on June 24.
All were extremely happy and healthy, thriving away to create a jungle of green with some flowers to add to the color choice. The housekeeping staffer, Nok, has been assigned to water at least once a week.
I’m guessing weeds have taken over. If you were wondering what kinds of weeds we have in Laos, same as the States and that includes clover. I have no idea how clover gets into my little nook strip but it does. And pulling up by the roots doesn’t help. Those dang clover stalks always seem to spread and come back.
The Pets: Winnie and Midnight
Daily pictures of Winnie with all her doggie friends at the kennels have been coming in on a regular basis. They have daily playtime outings in the morning and afternoon.
There’s even a pool for them to swim in during the horrendous heat which engulfs the country during the summer.
Then we have rescue kitten, Midnight.
If you missed that story on Facebook, two days before I left for America, Winnie and I were out for her afternoon walk. I was so proud of myself as I had ticked off almost all my do-before-departure tasks on my list. That relief ended suddenly when the dog and I saw ahead of us a tiny kitten dumped by someone in the middle of the road. Cars and motorbikes whizzed around this frightened black thing. I scooped him up and was able to leave him with my veterinarian, Dr. Kim, for health-check, vaccinations and care. He’s awaiting adoption, I’m hoping, but one wonders if he might wind up in my family.
Here he is below, thriving and growing under the care of Dr. Kim’s staff.
That certainly beats the alternative.
Center Updates
The Center’s staff, office manager Santi and caretaker Suher, tell me all is well at the Center. Santi’s 6-week summer course with the ABC learners has ended. Torrential downpours during the rainy season have not caused us too many disasters of leaks to the tiled classroom area and repaired tin roof on the main hall.
Santi did report our operating license is in limbo. The district educational bureau chief would like to wait for my return for us to have the sit-down meeting, along with inspection of the premises, for that to take place. No worries there, Santi has reported. It’s just a formality and we should have the official stamp on all the paperwork.
My only dilemma before that meeting takes place is choosing which sinh (Lao skirt) to wear. The blue? The turquoise? The red? The light purple? Maybe Winnie will help me choose.
connie's space 