Hectic Last Week; Hectic This Week

Posted on January 19, 2025 by connieinasia

I attended a conference last week, thus the long silence.

The promised picture of my birthday sihn is below. I chose the golden one for my golden 60th. What do you think?

And would you believe it’s time for classes to start again!

Monday begins our next 3-month term, January 20 – April 9, right before the most famous celebrations of the country take place, Boun Pi Mai.

“Boun Pi Mai : Pi Mai means “new year” and it is the time when the Lao people cerebrate the start of their Lunar calendar year. Practically the entire country grinds to a halt for the festivities. Houses are cleaned, people wear new clothes and Buddha images are washed with holy water, This festival makes one of the best times to visit Laos.”

Of course, that’s a long ways away yet but it does give us all something to look forward to for our end-of-term celebrations.In the meantime, teachers Santi (beginner level), Shaloom (elementary level 2 and junior high) and myself (elementary level 1 and junior high) have prepared our classrooms already. We now have 5 fully equipped teaching rooms ready to go, thanks to the incredible donations of so many of my overseas’ supporters.

How many students will we have this term? Latecomers to register might very well send us over the 35 mark. One year ago today, I had only 4 full-time elementary students enrolled.

And now? The numbers are growing! I’ll let you know by the end of the week the final count.

Winnie a Happy Camper as Well

The conference was amazing and uplifting, but I did wonder about my dog while away.

I placed Winnie for the first time in a kennel. I was fortunate enough to find one with a very good reputation, located only a short motorbike ride from the Center, in a countryside area.

Along with packing my suitcase for the conference with plenty of sihn and necessities, I also prepared Winnie’s for her boarding.

After dropping her off, I was told that daily updates would be given of her time there.

“May I ask where you are going?” the Laos owner, a young woman whose English name was Anna, asked me. “Will it be out of the country?”

“Oh, no,” I replied. “Within the city district. I’m attending a conference so if there’s an emergency, just let me know and I can come ASAP.”

There was a pause.

“A conference?”

She had an interesting facial expression I couldn’t quite read.

She then added, “If that’s the case, you had better silence your phone. We send a lot of pictures as an update.”

“That’s good. I’ll appreciate that,” I remarked while heading out the door.

In China, I had also received updates about my dogs kenneled there. Lucy, Beanie and Sister all received the best of care while I was stuck in America during Covid. Those pictures were precious to me as they showed just how well-cared for they were.

So I wasn’t surprised that I’d be getting pictures of Winnie every day.

What I didn’t realize was what was meant by daily photo updates.

52 on Day 1, 43 on Day 2, 37 on Day 3 and a very generous 46 with videos on Day 4.

Goodness!

As you can see below, Winnie probably had as good a time at her “conference” as I had at mine.

But next time she goes for kenneling, which most likely will be longer than a few days, I’m calling it quits to so many updates. Yes, I love my dog but, honestly, folks, a couple photos a week is enough!

Here’s Connie in Laos, signing off yet again until the next report.

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I’m “sinning” my way to 60

Posted on January 11, 2025 by connieinasia

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My 60th birthday on January 12 is a day away but I’ve already gone decadently overboard in my celebrations.

Yes, I’ve been “sinning” away.

By that I mean I’ve been ordering numerous sihn (pronounced “sin”) which are traditional Laos skirts.

I fell in love with the Laos skirt as soon as I saw its popularity among both young and old alike. So many were wearing it throughout the country. The gorgeous colors and patterns in which it came in were another selling point for me.

Originally, I thought the sihn was a restrictive pencil skirt. That’s certainly what it looked like in photos I saw. In actuality, I found out the sihn was an ingenious 3-fold cloth design that allowed for extremely comfortable daily activities, from walking or jogging to squatting or sitting to leg-splitting motorbike or animal riding. (Laos, if you didn’t know, is known as The Land of a Million Elephants.).

As you can see below, the sihn is quite an accommodating piece of clothing.

My Favorite Laos Tailor

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There are hundreds of sihn shops in the city. Some are very fancy with high prices and distinguished signage. But I have chosen a very different shop to patron. It’s located in my open-air, fresh vegetable and meat market, in one of the many stalls crammed together among other small mom-and-pop sellers.

I found this stall by chance several months ago. When Seamstress Noy saw me pause to look at her creations, she hustled from her sewing machine to greet me. Slippers came out for me to enter her clean tile floors, materials pulled from racks, a skirt show-and-tell of her skills and I was hooked.

Whenever Noy sees me approaching her shop, she immediately points out numerous material patterns and colors waiting to be created into a masterful Laos skirt. She knows I have a weakness for such things, thus recently sent me a photo of her newly purchased selections, ordered for the year 2025.

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Didn’t take me long to arrive at her shop a week ago to give her my picks for my upcoming 60th birthday. She did a speed order for me and had them ready for pick-up just a few days ago. (Slideshow below) I am still deciding what color tops I should choose to go with my colors: red, green, dark purple and golden yellow.

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My plan is to wear in church tomorrow, which just happens to be January 12, the birthday itself. Which color to choose?! Or should I take all 4 and do a pre-service fashion show for my Laos congregation ladies to decide? Somewhat of a humorous joke but I have considered it.

More 60th Celebrations to Follow with Students

This past week and next, we at the language center are registering both old and new students. Our standard 3-month term begins on Monday, January 20th. At present, we have only 3 teachers (myself, Shaloom and Laos teacher, Santi) which means we have limited space. Our classrooms are small, with most holding only 8 students comfortably. The class times are also limited to after school hours only since most of our students are elementary, junior high and high school. We only have 4:30 – 6:30 open as most parents don’t want their children staying out too late every night, with a full day of public school the next day. Thus we reserve evenings for adults, not the younger crowds.

Our growing reputation, however, has had me interviewing more and more young people to place them in the proper level. I’ve interviewed 7 in the past 2 days to evaluate and place them in the correct level. This has led me to take Shaloom shopping to set up 3 more classrooms.
What fun!

And what will be happening that first week of classes?

You guessed it: More Connie birthday celebrations! What better way to learn English than by having a unit on birthdays and birthday celebrations? And whose birthday is better to celebrate than mine, turning 60?

I’m making this 60-year milestone the highlight of my first year anniversary of life in Laos. I’m finding great joy in sharing with all those I know in this amazing country filled with amazing people.

(Oh, yes. That likewise includes Winnie, my adopted companion.)

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Here’s signing off at age 59; next time signing in at age 60.

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Time to Celebrate! I’m turning 60

Posted on January 9, 2025 by connieinasia

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Where have I celebrated my birthday on January 12?

I certainly never imagined my chosen profession as an English teacher would have me celebrating birthdays in so many different countries and cities around the world: Kyoto, Japan; Nanchang, (Jiangxi Province), China; Taipei, Taiwan; Hohhot (Inner Mongolia), China; Luzhou (Sichuan Province), China; Longzhou (Guangxi Province), China. And now here in Vientiane, Laos.

“Who’d a thunk it?” as my Midwest upbringing would say.

While all birthdays to me are special, these milestone ones, such as my upcoming 60th, demand particular attention.

And who better to draw that particular attention than myself?

Treating Others: My Birthday Cake Begins

For my former decade-centered birthday gatherings as an adult, I made sure people knew this day was coming or had arrived by treating those in my midst. What better way to do that than through the internationally famous, well-beloved birthday cake?

Vientiane has so many cake shops for these distinctive occasions. I have a favorite one that touts numerous layered sponges lathered in whipped cream galore along with decorations of fruit, chocolate coins, cookies, flowers, figurines or miniature signages. Candles are included, along with a plastic cutting knife.

Yesterday, an all-day staff meeting allowed me to surprise everyone during our carried-in lunch with just that: a cake.

And I chose a big one, too!

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With 14 at our meeting, I wanted to make sure everyone had a good-sized piece, including myself.

And we certainly did, as you can see below: Cake demolished, serving its purpose.

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While my staff enjoyed a surprise cake, I received an even more treasured surprise: A birthday card signed with lovely sentiments and very touching comments. Each individual gave such thoughtful and meaningful wishes for my 60th.

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We’ve known each other only for a year, with some even less than that but those heartfelt words written in my card reflected how much we mean to one another. I was quite moved as I read them.

You can bet this item is being placed in my box of other cherished cards, letters and notes from students, friends, colleagues and family members. I’m sure I’ll be adding more in years to come, but at present, this one I’m holding particularly dear.

Be sure to check this space for more of my 60th celebrations, yet to come!

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My Meeting with Jimmy Carter: Tongue-tied before my hero

Posted on January 1, 2025 by connieinasia
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Here in Laos, I have just heard of the passing of Jimmy Carter. I posted the below 2 years ago but I’ll include it here again.

This article, “Tongue-tied before my hero,” was published in the October 11, 2012 issue of The Christian Science Monitor’s Home Forum section. I share it with you again as a means of my tribute to a man I have greatly admired and respected over so many years. The world has lost not only a great statesman, Christian and humanitarian, but a strong moral compass as well. I give you my Jimmy Carter encounter, with a little bit of humor and a great deal of heartfelt sadness.

Tongue-tied Before my Hero, by Cornelia M Wieck

I recently received an email from my mother concerning an interview she’d heard with Jimmy Carter.

“I’m sure you can catch it online,” she wrote, then added, “Remember when you met Jimmy Carter?”

Leave it to a mother to start rattling skeletons in her daughter’s closet. Although there are plenty to rattle, my face-to-face meeting with Mr. Carter has always been a particularly embarrassing experience to recall.

In 1997, I was staying near the campus of  Emory University in Atlanta, attending a three-month orientation program for overseas work. Our small group of participants was fairly representative of the global village: Some were first-time visitors to America. Others were residents or US citizens. But we all knew about Jimmy Carter. I took great pride in my former US president, a man whom I greatly admired for his humanitarian work both in my country and around the world.

The final days of our program had been hectic. I’d had no time to return several books to the university library, so I found myself heading out on a chilly December evening to do so.

I arrived on a campus that was oddly quiet. With final exams beginning the next day, students were absorbed in their studies.

While taking a shortcut through the student union, I came across a posted announcement: “Today from 4 to 6 p.m., Jimmy Carter book signing. Join us!”

My heart sank. Of all the worthwhile campus events I had carefully scheduled in my calendar, this one had slipped my notice. It was well past six o’clock. I’d missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a legend.

In irritation, I made my way down the corridor leading outside. As I passed a meeting room, I glimpsed a white-haired man at a long table.

I stopped.

Was that who I thought it was?

I stealthily peered through the open doorway.

Carter was methodically signing a pile of books. A formidable bodyguard in a neatly pressed suit stood nearby. No one else was in sight.

I dashed to the adjacent student union bookstore, snatched Carter’s book from the shelf, paid the cashier, and sprinted back to the conference room. As I ran, I rehearsed what I’d say: I’d ooze words of admiration, spout intelligent remarks, pose profound questions. This meeting was to be a highlight of my life. I wanted it to be perfect.

I stepped inside the room. With feigned calm, I approached the man who had so inspired me. He looked up with that famous wide smile of his. I opened my mouth and out came … nothing.

“Mr. Carter,” I finally squeaked, “I admire you so much!”

“Why, thank you,” he said kindly, prying the book from my nervous grip.

He slowly opened to the front cover.

“And are you a student here?” he asked politely.

“Uh, no.”

He waited for further explanation. I frantically searched for something to say and miraculously managed a complete sentence.

“I’m attending an orientation.”

He nodded.

“Overseas work.”

He looked interested.

“Teaching.”

He smiled encouragingly.

“In Taiwan, ” I added.

“And do you speak Chinese?” he asked while signing my book with a quick stroke of his pen.

“A little.”

There was a pause, meant for me to display some of my language expertise. But for the life of me, I couldn’t think of a single word to say in my own language, much less another.

“Well, that’s good,” he continued. “I wish you the best of luck.”

“Uh, thank you. Thank you very much.”

I took back my book, wanting desperately to say more. Instead, I watched Carter turn back to signing the pile of books as I made a speedy getaway.

I’ve relived that meeting many times. In those encounters, I don’t try to impress with brilliant statements and intellectual chatter. Carter and I simply talk about sensitizing others to the world’s cultural differences and establishing understanding among nations. In that meeting, I discover what it takes to be a Nobel Peace Prize winner and, years later, can reflect upon a remarkable conversation with a man who has brought the world’s people a little closer to unity and peace.

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My First-ever Laos Carolers Alight!

Posted on December 31, 2024 by connieinasia

In that last post, I mentioned waiting for the young people from church to arrive and sing Christmas carols.

In preparation of their arrival, I had informed my building owner, Sulisak, to please tell the staff these were not unwanted guests pulling up to steal and cause trouble. This was a Western and European tradition to spread joy and cheer for Christmas and the New Year. I was on their list of stops. All was well.

Yet another announcement I sent to the group chat among all the residents in my apartment building and those in our palatial gated houses lining the alleyway: Sorry for the slight disturbance but carolers are coming to my home, they’ll be singing a few songs with guitar, they’ll be gone fairly quickly and (by the way) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Next order of business was for me to prep in appropriate Christmas attire (Christmas shirt and jewelry), get all the decorations in order, put the dog away in the back bedroom (she gets too excited with visitors) and wait.

They’re Here!!

My guests arrived in an open-air bus, known as a tuk-tuk, at 7:45 pm.

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They first sang outside to greet my apartment neighbors . . . .

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before entering my home on the first floor.

What lively, enthusiastic Christian Laos songs filled my home! My office manager, Khamxay, was in the lead with his younger brother as guitarist. Youth leaders Nyai and Thamnong gave extra energy to the group, encouraging them to sing louder and more joyfully. What was somewhat a shy, hesitant beginning quickly blossomed into a vibrant spirit.

A prayer for my home and the new year followed, after which memories of this special evening were recorded in pictures. My many Christmas stuffed toys came in handy with all 10-plus being snatched up as appropriate props. As you can see, we made the most of my Christmas house, excellent backdrop and all.

Group, no Connie
Group, Connie best

Before leaving, a small gift was in order: Cookie packets for their journey onward. Nyai (seen below) held onto these until their final destination, that of country director David and his wife Sora, completed their musical holiday rounds.

Cookie packets, keep up strength

I later heard this greatly satisfied their munchy needs, especially as they’d eaten dinner quite early (something around 5 p.m.) which left them in desperate need of something to eat on the long journey back to the church, located 40 minutes outside of the city.

Connie’s Surprise

I requested my carolers to sing their way out into the night, serenading my hallway neighbors whether they wanted it or not. They did so with gusto, climbed aboard their tuk-tuk and with many “Happy New Year! God bless you!” shouts filling the evening air, off they went.

I returned to my holiday home, soon to be dismantled the next day, and was about to change into my less attractive attire when there was a knock at my door.

“Ah,” I thought to myself. “I bet someone left their cell phone here or a purse.”

I opened the door to find my Korean neighbor from across the hall, the wife, smiling and holding out a plateful of stir-fried rice noodles.
“Merry Christmas!” she said, rather shyly with a smile, and thrust them into my hands while I expressed, as best I could, my Laos and English thank you’s.

Korean neighbors, sent noodles

This Korean couple I have had so very little contact with. The husband and wife are avid golfers, that I know, as they are often loading their outside van with golf clubs. We exchange smiles and hello’s every so often but that’s about it. They speak little English and I speak no Korean.

Her gesture of kindness I know was spurred on by my visiting carolers. The happiness and delight these Christian youth brought to me were obviously felt by those who heard them from within their homes in my building.

What a truly special night. I couldn’t have wished for a better closure to 2024: the spirit of Christmas touching the hearts of others through a simple act of faith-sharing through song.

This is Connie (and Winnie) in Laos, wishing you a Happy New Year’s Eve. See you all next year!

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Connie’s Christmas Finishes Off in Laos

Posted on December 30, 2024 by connieinasia

It’s been quite a Christmas here in Laos, which will finally be finishing off tonight with the Laos church youth coming to sing Christmas carols.

This is the first time for these young people to take part in a caroling adventure. One of the members attended an Asian Christian conference in Thailand 2 months ago. Christian young leaders from all over the region came together to share, plan, create, worship and pray. Those from Thailand were excited to explain the Westerners’ and Europeans’ caroling tradition, which is now becoming quite popular it seems in Thailand.

Our Laos youth have never done this before. I am one of the fortunate ones to be on their list.

My Christmas Home: A Bit Overboard

All those boxes from China finally came unpacked and weeded through except for (you guessed it), my Christmas things.

I had 6 boxes of my 35-year holiday collection that found their way to Laos. There it sat into that second storage bedroom, along with everything else. I went through the clothes, the school supplies, hundreds of books, teaching materials, the jewelry, the make-up, the bedding, the kitchen stuff . . . . but I left all the holidays until they began arriving.

First was Halloween’s 2 boxes. Then came Thanksgiving’s folders. Next was to be Christmas but . . . . so much!

I decided to limit myself: the Christmas hats for students and staff parties or home visitors, 1 tabletop tree (I had 5, different sizes), a bit of the tinsel roping, a stocking or two, and maybe a few dangles, including 2 wall hangings. Naturally just a few strands of lights as to make things look festive.

All the rest I would go through leisurely, after Christmas. I’d re-pack it all into those 6 storage containers I purchased at the D-mart just for that purpose. All would be clearly labeled. Then next year, I’d have my holiday extravaganza, including open houses for neighbors, students, school staff, apartment staff, friends and all of Laos if I so choose.

Well, folks, as you can see below, what was to be just a few festive items in my home ballooned into a visual holiday feast.

Anyone approaching my home. . . .

would never in their lifetime expect what was inside. (Again, a reminder the below is a slideshow. Click on the arrows on the first picture to progress.)

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A Few Visitors

It took about 4 days, with maybe 70% of Connie’s Christmas in full view, before I was somewhat satisfied.  With my late decorating, I wasn’t able to invite as many over as I’d wanted but I did manage a Christmas soup dinner.   On Christmas Day, country director David, his wife Sora and my GMF Shaloom enjoyed what I had to offer, both for the eyes and the stomach.  They were a bit floored by the display, including raised eyebrows when I mentioned that, with my calculations, most likely 30% of the decor was still at large, hiding somewhere in a few untouched China boxes.

 Closing Off My Christmas in Laos

As I wait for my carolers to arrive, my last visitors of the year,  I leave you with these final few photos of my 2024 holiday here in Vientiane.  May God’s blessings fall you on all  to close out 2024, and may 2025 bring with it a glorious year of joy, excitement and an enthusiastic spirit to serve.

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From Connie, and her dog Winnie, here in Laos

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The End of our Winter Term

Posted on December 22, 2024 by connieinasia

“Christmas Tree!” 11-year-old Sisakda shouted as he popped up excitedly during our Christmas Bingo game on Tuesday night.

We all fell into laughing hysterics.

“No, Sisakda,” one classmate responded, rather annoyed. “You shout ‘Merry Christmas’, not ‘Christmas tree’!”

Students had gone all out in creating their own Bingo cards using our Christmas vocabulary. It took my elementary class about 15 minutes as they were eager to play, especially with Christmas stickers as prizes.

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In junior high, however, we have quite a few artists. It took them a full class hour to complete their game squares so Shaloom and I delayed their Christmas Bingo to Wednesday. As you can see, they took their drawings very seriously!

Shaloom and I also made our own pitiful symbol cards as well. With this game, winners become the teachers, drawing the symbols from a bag and calling out the words, thus we all get to participate, even us official educators. (See our efforts below, minuscule in comparison to the teenagers.)

Connie's Bingo CardShaloom's Bingo Card

Thus our 3-month term wound down with Christmas Bingo and words of praise from both myself , Shaloom and Santi, our Laos staff member who is a certified English teacher.

While Shaloom and I teach those with some English foundation, I assigned Santi to take care of my A, B, C learners due to their difficulty in entering my Book 1 beginner’s class. At ages 6 and 7, the poor things can barely read Laos much less English. I’m hoping that the new term, starting January 20th, will bring more such youngsters into our midst. Already, office manager Khamxay has received numerous requests from parents to save a spot for their child.

I have a feeling we’ll have to turn some away. There are only 3 of us. We have limited after-school hours only and can’t be keeping students late into the night on school nights. Adult classes are reserved for the 7 – 8:30 p.m. slot. Looks like we’ll have at least 2 of those, hopefully one college group and another for working professionals needing skills to communicate with clients or at international conferences.

Thursday’s “Graduation” Night: Presenting Certificates of Study

In the past, students were so few (only about 7) that the previous director didn’t bother with formal study certificates. Last semester, the Center prepared certificates of study for the 16 we had enrolled but kept them in their separate classrooms. At that time, I was their only teacher for both elementary and junior high.

But this time around, it was a different atmosphere altogether.

Thursday evening, we gathered at 5:30 in our beautifully decorated main hall. Almost all our 29 students came to receive words of praise and encouragement from both myself and Shaloom. One by one, they came before us to be handed their carefully prepared document. Signatures of both myself and Shaloom, along with attendance tallies for each person, highlighted their paper. The official stamp of the Center was added as well. Quite an impressive looking document! See the slideshow below of our evening together, including some candid shots. (Yes, Winnie my dog got in on the event as well.)

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After photos were taken, students chose a Christmas window decal and a Christmas pencil from my stash of hundreds of holiday pencils.

Where did those come from? Those of you who mailed to China my “wish list” asks, the biggest of those being a variety of Christmas pencils. All my pencil hoards found their way to me in my shipped boxes, thank the Lord!

Preparing for the New Term

For those wondering what we’ll be doing for a month without classes taking place, there’s a lot. The Center remains open as always. We have Christmas Day off only, then December 30, 31 and January 1st before returning for regular work days.

Shaloom and I have a lot of planning to do. We need to find new books for his upper level elementary class. We then need to prepare all our junior high lessons ahead of time. Last term was rather a helter-skelter mix of us trying to figure out what we should cover. It doesn’t help that they arrive willy-nilly, often 15 – 20 minutes late, giving us only 40 minutes of quality time to cover what we want to cover. Often times, we have to nix the lesson.

As this is not a public school, we can’t make them come on time. Scolding is not helpful, nor does it produce a happy atmosphere, so we go with the flow, smile and make a great class despite unenthusiastic, exhausted, ready-to-go-home teenagers. Takes them about 10 minutes to warm up but warm up they do eventually.

So as you can see, Shaloom and I have a lot of discussing to do about how to keep them actively learning and happy while trying to accomplish what we’d like to be accomplished.

I am also planning on seminar and workshop courses I’d like to open up for area businesses. Santi, my translator, and I will hopefully be going to hotels, beauty salons, public schools, even government offices to cater to the needs of those who want us. I was hoping for Saturday mornings or afternoons where we cover English vocabulary needed to communicate with foreign clients or visitors. Vientiane is in great need of such training. Let’s see if I can get it off the ground for the new year.

I do have more to report but I’ll save it for another day. It’s a late Sunday night here and our usual Monday morning staff meeting takes place tomorrow. It’ll be a quick wind down, then an even quicker winding up for 2025.

Connie in laos closing off, always grateful, always excited to share, always eager to continue onward. Merry Christmas!

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Christmas in Laos: We are Ready!

Posted on December 20, 2024 by connieinasia

Proper pose, Elementary

What a night!

The Suntisouk Language and Vocational Center here in Vientiane, Laos, had its first ever Deck the Halls activity evening with the students. After a surprise road construction and alleyway paving closed us for a day, we had to delay this night from last week to this week. As you can see below, our 2 weeks of road prep and then the final paving left the staff and myself not in the best of holiday spirits. Driving our motorbikes on this was very precarious.

My lovely, well-thought-out, spot-on schedule for Christmas lessons, all-day staff hall prep and the final big night of decorating went out the window. Adjustments were made, however, and the results were outstanding.

That includes the road, which finally allowed the students to come to their Christmas lessons unencumbered, and with clean shoes!

Road finished!

Learning About Christmas

Last week, Shaloom (my Global Mission Fellow from Pakistan) and I led all the students in Christmas vocabulary lessons so all were well prepared. Junior High received both the religious and the traditional symbols using my tried and true vocabulary Christmas sheet I used in China for over 20 years. It proved just as perfect in Laos as it did in China.

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An All-day Friday Preparation

Friday had the staff, Shaloom and myself setting up the main hall for Monday’s evening of decorating Our 3 craft stations were: make ornaments, create paper chains, and snowflake cutting. We hauled over all the tables from the classrooms, set up chairs, set the basic decorating foundation for the night by wrapping the trees with lights and putting up festive wall hangings. (Those hangings were my Walmart bargains from 2 years ago: 10 cents each holiday door panel — I bought 15 and brought them all with me.)

Our Deck the Halls Night

We began at 4 pm and ended at 7. These Laos students had never decorated for Christmas before, even though the city has exploded in lighted trees along with hundreds of shops selling Christmas outfits, tinsel roping, lights, ornaments, holiday window decals, wreaths and everything else associated with Christmas commercialism. What a treat to participate in and experience their joy as well as our own. As you can see, this was a spectacular holiday event, worthy of the effort and time put into it. (Note: The below is a slideshow. Click on necessary arrows on the first picture to proceed.)

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With our night completed, now students can continue to enjoy the hall until the closing certificate celebration to end the semester on Thursday. Thank you to all my staff who helped me spend an entire Friday preparing for this event and then manned the stations, plus helped the students on Monday (along with clean-up afterwards) to create a special festive atmosphere. Merry Christmas from Laos, from us to you!

SLVC Group shot 1Junior high second great group shot

Merry Christmas group !

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My First Thanksgiving Day Lessons in Laos: Being Thankful

Posted on November 29, 2024 by connieinasia

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I don’t have time.

It’s too late to prepare a PPT.

No one will know if I mention it or not as it’s not popular here.

Those were my thoughts last Sunday morning as I suddenly remembered: “Oh, my gosh!! This is Thanksgiving Day week. I totally forgot to share with others this cultural tradition in my country.”

The reminder of Halloween had been all over the streets of Laos for over a month. No problems forgetting that one. But Thanksgiving Day is not known much throughout Asia. This special day was about to whiz by me. I had been extraordinarily busy last week as director of the Center: staff meeting, formal visit to a government office, preparing lesson plans, teaching, dealing with a disastrous electrical issue (we almost had the Center burn down!!), not to mention the never-ending unexpected surprises which piled high on my plate, one after another after another.

Honestly, stopping to be thankful was not at the top of my to-do list.

It should have been.

My staff watched my numerous meltdowns as my anxiety mounted. They saw me through with sympathy, concern and tremendous support. But I was so caught up in the duties of my position that it just sent me spiraling into “Get it done and move on to the next shoe that drops” mode.

But . . . . Well, I got inspired on Monday late night, stayed up until 1 a.m. to finish two Thanksgiving Day power point presentations, and awoke with more of a thankful spirit in my heart. The first PPT was for junior high, a 2-part lesson with first the history and later the traditions of the day explained. My beginning English elementary school class would receive the less complicated one, concerning namely traditions and purpose of the day, to give thanks, along with turkey drawings.

The results? See below!! It was a joyous Thanksgiving Day after all.

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What surprised them the most concerned the turkey.  Turkeys are rarely found in Laos so many seeing my turkey slide, even with the Laos translation noting it’s a turkey,  immediately shouted, “Chicken!  Big chicken.”

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Nope. Not a chicken, my teacher assistant and translator, Santi, explained. It’s a turkey.

How fortunate I was to have pictures of my dad from many years ago, cooking the traditional turkey and all the other popular offerings which land on our Thanksgiving Day tables in America. I only forgot one important item, the stuffing. (Whoops!) I’ll have to add that for next year.

My favorite visual for this presentation was the below. Many laughs followed that one. Laos people may not get the concept of a turkey dinner, or pumpkin pie, or mashed potatoes and gravy but they certainly do understand eating a big dinner and collapsing with a full stomach afterwards.

No translation needed for this one.

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At the end of our lesson, we all shared what we were thankful for.

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Mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, Laos . . . so many English words were shared. But the one that touched my heart the most was from Pizza (she chose that as an English nickname), one of my youngest students at age 6. Bless her heart, she said, “Teacher Connie!”

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And for myself?

So many blessings here and thankfulness from my end for being able to serve in this country, with the support of so many both here in my midst and abroad.

Happy Thanksgiving Day weekend, everyone! I leave you with this very appropriate Native American prayer my mom sent to me: “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” Peace and Joy, folks, from Laos.

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A Relationship of Firsts

Posted on November 20, 2024 by connieinasia

I’ve been learning so much about government structure here in Laos, especially when it comes to neighborhoods of big cities, small towns and then tiny villages.

“Villages” for Laos in big cities are comparable to precincts in America. I have 2 villages that I am a part of: One is where I live and the other is where the Center (my place of business, or rather my workplace) is located. Last week, the Center’s village chief sent out a notice concerning the safety and security check of our village (our neighborhood). As Laos’ National Day approaches (December 2), the city government has begun to ask villages to do safety checks over the next 2 weeks, gearing up for a good showing to top officials. Don’t want your country’s official National Day to be marred by neighborhoods that are unsafe and unprotected.

Those who take part in these checks often work late into the night. They walk alleyways, make sure public lighting is adequate and take note of house gates or broken locks. Our village chief sent out the notice to all businesses, giving us a “heads up” concerning these mandatory procedures, along with a request for us to send snacks or usable items to be shared among the safety check personnel during their breaks. We were to drop these by the village chief’s office within the next 2 weeks.

As director of the Center, I made sure that our language school participated in this most important ask.

Our Purchases for the Safety and Security Teams

This morning, I made a quick run to the D-mart (comparable to the Walmart) to see what would be a good donation.

At our Monday meeting last week, we had discussed what would be appropriate snack items. Coffee was a must to keep up the security teams’ energy levels along with something to go with it. I had voted for cookies but my Laos staff pointed out that cookies are not filling. Better to get something of more substance, thus the snack cakes were suggested.

I’m always one to listen to my staff so coffee and cakes it was. Not knowing what different individuals might want, I chose 3 different coffee selections, which you can see below.

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I made sure the count was a good one.  The instant coffee bags contained  60 single packet servings in total. The 3 different kinds of individually wrapped snack cakes (chocolate, vanilla and tea flavored) contained 25 cakes each for a total of 75.  These are like Little Debbie’s and come in a wide variety of flavors and kinds. Just take your pick.

The total cost was about 500,000 Kip ($24), which was taken from the funds of all those who have been so considerate to give to the Center through the Advance.  (Thank you so much!)

Delivery This Afternoon

Khamxay, my office manager, Santi (translator and office assistant), and I zipped up the block on our motorcycles to deliver our offerings this afternoon. We had a nice sit-down chat with our village chief after which he graciously accepted our offerings. I made sure to thank him for including the Center in this request. There are many foreigner-run restaurants, shops and even embassies in our neighborhood. None of them are sent such notices by our village chief because they pay little attention to the local Laos government. The Center, on the other hand, is one which I am so proud to be a part of. I want to support all the efforts of our village chief as part of the community. We need to show we care, and in all honesty, I truly do!

In fact, he even mentioned I was the first foreigner for him to know as a village chief and I, in turn, said he was the first village chief for me to know. A relationship of firsts! Such a special partnership we now have, along with this photo to remember our visit. (See below Khamxay in green, myself, our village chief in the white shirt and his office representative).

village chief visit

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