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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It’s Vacation Time! A Visit to America

Posted on August 1, 2025 by connieinasia

Well, folks, the Center’s classes have ended so I am off to America for my vacation time.

One of my adult students,Alat, graciously volunteered to take me to the airport for my midnight flight. I prepared a small gift bag for her thoughtfulness.

Her mom came along and treated us to a lovely meal near the night market.

And since we had time, we traipsed about the many rows of sellers and their wares, selling anything from clothing to jewelry to Laos souvenirs to underwear and bras. You name it, the night market has it. And lucky us! No rain.

My drop-off complete, Alat and her mom left me to await my late-night check-in.

Flight was to Korea first, then America next. My only sadness in this departure was not seeing Alat when I return. She will leave on August 18 to study English in New Zealand for 2 years! We’ve had such fun during our evening classes these past 3 months. I will miss our time together. I will have to see her off in spirit rather than in person for her new overseas adventure since I will still be gone. Take care, my dear friend! You will truly shine in your new home, I am sure.

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Our Term has Ended!

Posted on July 27, 2025 by connieinasia

What an amazing end to our term!

Last week had Shaloom, Santi and myself busily preparing our students for their closing ceremony performances which took place last Thursday evening. Some were squirrely and energetic, like my 8 all-girl class of lower level English learners. Our performance was composed of classroom chants and silly “Thank you. Bye-bye!” antics.

Santi’s ABC beginners were just plain excited to show their magic tricks, a genius idea which Santi thought of several weeks ago. All 6 secretly had been practicing for over 2 weeks, mastering their crafts as magicians but not revealing their talents to others until it was showtime.

Then we had Shaloom’s higher level elementary ed learners along with his junior high class, all in a funk. As older students, with attitudes, there was a lot of eye-rolling, sighing and slowly meandering into the classroom. Most were just wishing the end would come so they could enjoy the rest of their summer holidays in peace, total freedom, without having to spend it in a classroom, even if for an hour.

I will say in the end, most came together with a spirit of “Yeah!” and the performances went well. Our students enjoyed watching their classmates on stage.

Certificates were handed out, pictures taken, fun English language reward pencil gifts distributed (thank you to my many USA donors who have given those over the years) and all departed with cheerful hearts.

And we teachers? Sigh of relief to have everything over and done with for the summer, ready to close up shop, clean classrooms, tidy up and have a break . . . finally. While the Center remains open, no classes will be held until September 1 when we open for registration. We are already prepared with our outside signage, as you can see below.

In the meantime, if you want to see the videos, go to our Suntisouk Language and Vocational Facebook page. The performances will be posted next week. The far above still shots for those who are checking here in this space, a teaser for what’s to come. https://www.facebook.com/suntisouklvc

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“If one’s good, two’s better”: My mother’s favorite idiom comes in handy during rainy season

Posted on July 13, 2025 by connieinasia

My mother taught me: “If one’s good, two’s better.” This phrase , which often refers to the benefits of collaboration and partnership, I have found comes in handy as a consumer of goods. With my mom’s love of shopping, which was passed on to me, the above idiom I found also goes for purchases made of basic needs items, or even not-so-basic needs items. Some of my first buys in Laos revolved around what people told me would come in handy. Among them was a rain cape for motorbiking about town. During the rainy season, this apparel would be my staple to keep me dry not only as I motored to and from the vocational center where I teach, but zipping about on errands throughout the city. Rainstorms come up suddenly. Bright, sunny mornings disintegrate into torrential downpours in the afternoon. Preparing for such weather inconsistencies means always keeping your rain gear with you 24/7.

With this in mind, I purchased my first rain cape as soon as I bought my Honda Scoopy scooter. Following my mom’s “if one is good” advice, I had my seller go to the back of her store and dig out 3 more capes. A discount was given and I confidently took my 4 capes knowing they surely would eventually prove a wise spending of my money. One was for me, the second going to Shaloom (our 2-year Global Mission Fellow teacher from Pakistan) and 2 more kept in the Center’s office for staff use. Those 2 have been staying in their original wrapping, unused, for almost a year now. In fact, they were just found stuffed in a drawer a few weeks ago. “Why did you waste your money on 2?” one of the staff recently commented with a frown. The answer came last week, for our free Wednesday night adult class.

If you didn’t know, it’s rainy season now in Laos. The rains come suddenly, with little warning aside from fast-gathering black clouds. They hit in sprinkles or downpours, lasting minutes or hours. We all know, as motorbike riders, to stuff your rain gear under our bike seat or in our bike basket at all times. But there are times we forget. This was the case with Moukie , who works at the China ice cream chain store, Mixue. She came for our weekly free Wednesday night English sharing time at 7 pm. At that time, we had semi-clear skies but by 8:30, as the our time with the group ended, the rain hit.

It had been a long day. She was tired and wanted to go home but with no rain cape, and a 20-minutes journey along busy streets to get home, she was going to be stuck with us until it subsided. Everyone else was gleefully perched astride their 2-wheeled vehicles, or getting in their cars (yes, we have 2 with cars) but not poor Moukie…. until I whipped out my sneered-at “if one’s good, two’s better” office rain cape.

Moukie’s look of gratitude and relief was quite apparent when I handed it to her. She and our other attendees were able to leave together and arrive home at a decent hour. Moukie returned the cape the next week. It is awaiting another borrower, whom I’m sure will be just as appreciative and thankful. How it pays to listen to your mom’s advice and let it guide you through your life journey, right?

Anyone else have stories to share of this common idiom? Send a note! Always eager to hear.

From Laos, here’s Connie staying dry and happy (That includes Winnie, of course.)

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