connie's space

As Week 4 in Vientiane, Laos, comes to a close, one of my goals was accomplished: That of riding a motor scooter in the city traffic.

As mentioned before, public transportation in Laos is pretty sparse. Few taxies and no public bus system (either city or long-distance) make it virtually impossible to go anywhere unless you have a vehicle of some kind. Cars are one mode of transportation but the big one are motor scooters and motorcycles.

The Suntisouk (Peace) Language and Vocational Center (SLVC), with which I am affiliated, has 4 motorcycles available to staff but none are automatic. This makes for some difficulty for me, the “old lady,” whose last motorbike was an easy-to-operate, kick-start, 1983 moped which I rode from age 16- 23. At 23, I then headed off to Japan for my first overseas teaching position and that was the end of my riding career.

Fast forward now to Laos, where motor scooters are a must if you want to transport yourself along the rugged, beat-up alleyways and streets of this capital city.  I certainly can walk to the Center from my apartment complex. It only takes 25 minutes. But problems arise if I have teaching duties on the other side of Vientiane, or if I wish to go to church on my own, which is a 30-minute trek into the outlying countryside.

There are also shopping ventures needed for food pick-up. One market is only a leisurely 10-minute walk away but bigger supermarkets are located across town.

For 4 weeks, I’ve been relying on Modester, and her excellent motorcycle skills, to drive me around to and from the Center, church and even shopping. Her kindness in doing this whenever I ask has been greatly appreciated but there came a point where she did say recently, “Connie, when are you going to buy your own motorbike?”

“When I have practiced in traffic, with someone to follow ahead of me and make sure I don’t wreck!” was my response.

My practice session took place yesterday. Borrowing the bike of the current Center director, Angie, I was led by her adult son, Amos, to a distant lake for driving about. 

To get there, we started on back alleyways but eventually, I had to enter traffic with cars behind me, ahead of me and beside me, not to mention hundreds of motor scooters and motorcycles zipping in and out or puttering along next to me. Amos on his scooter had his eye on me in his rearview mirror. I had my eye on everyone behind me and in front of me as I nervously, gingerly braked with clarity and sped along cautiously.

Know what, folks? 

That saying, “It’s like riding a bike,” (meaning you never forget) is so true!

Within just 10 minutes, I was wondering why I had made such a big deal out of this business of driving a motor scooter in Vientiane. 

Here I am yesterday, entering the Center after our 50-minute tour about the city. 

https://youtu.be/fzHkdvfy-fw?si=rEPTHYAwbKVhue_j

Next Step: Shopping for a Motorbike

It’s an interesting process, buying a vehicle here. I’ve already quizzed Amos about what I should expect.

Automatics obviously are more expensive than those which are not. I am too old now to deal with shifting gears and want something easy: Just push the button, it starts, and brakes are on the handlebars.

Used bikes, such as the one I was riding, are available but then you do have to worry about maintenance and if it’s a good one. Used, which might run from $500 – $1,500, are iffy although there are so many listed on Laos websites, including Facebook. 

As one who expects to be here for at least 3 years, I’m going for the new one. Brands vary but if Japanese, American, Korean or Vietnamese, this will run me $2,000 – $2,500. (Thank you to all who gave me a little monetary gift send-off before I left. You will be responsible for my newfound freedom!)

Only Laos citizens are able to purchase vehicles so one of the local staff members will have to come with me. The license (which the seller will complete as part of the price and send in to the government transportation department) takes 2 months to be completed. The paperwork of the purchase is all in the name of my Laos purchasing friend. This seems to be the way things are done, with foreigners such as myself carrying around copies of the paperwork to show police if we are stopped.

Needless to say, police in Laos never bother stopping anyone, especially foreigners, unless there is a blatant violation of road rules. And I will say, it seems somewhat of a free-for-all, although I notice people drive so slowly and carefully that running through red lights doesn’t seem to bother anyone. And, yes, lots do run through red lights.

Are there any police in sight when this happens? Well, I’ve been here for 4 weeks and I haven’t seen a single police officer around except for a police car that was sitting outside of a government office building. From what I understand, we drivers are. pretty much on our own to be trustworthy enough not to run into or over anyone.

Having to Wait: A 2-day Conference and Teaching Term Begins

This next week begins our new teaching term at the Center. I will be teaching daily evening classes to primary students whose parents want them to have a good start in English. They’ve already been working through “Let’s Go” Book 1 so I’ll be leading them into Unit 4 beginning Monday.

Aside from normal Center duties, the 7 staff members (all Christians) at present are also busy dealing with a 2-day Christian conference which I will attend during the daytime. This will be happening Tuesday and Wednesday.  That will take up a majority of their time, driving to and from the distant meeting place at the church outside of the city. Without my vehicle, I’ll be holding on tight to the back motorbike of whomever I can catch a ride with.

My hope is that this coming weekend, someone will have time to come with me to the motorbike plaza to scout out what’s available and how much. 

Any occasion, you might ask, for my big purchase?

It’ll be my birthday!!! I’m turning 59 on January 12, Friday. What a way to celebrate, buying my first ever vehicle. 

I can’t wait! And to make it even more of a perfect celebration,  add to that the purchase of an office birthday cake, my first Laos birthday here, to share with the staff. (Don’t tell them! I want it to be a surprise.)

Signing off, from Laos with Love.

It’s been a somewhat quiet week leading into 2024.

The Suntisouk (Peace) Language and Vocational Center staff have been off for a much needed holiday from December 23 – January 3.

The current director, Angie, and I have been meeting every morning, in the quiet of one of the Center’s classrooms, to help me gain a better understanding of what I’m stepping into. 

We’ve discussed current classes, outreach programs, tasks of staff, GMF (Global Mission Fellow) supervising duties, workings of the Center, budgets, day-to-day happenings, difficulties, challenges, hoped-for goals . . . . It’s been a lot for me to wrap my head around. How very grateful I am to Angie for giving me the time I need to truly get my feet on the ground. After all, this is only ending Week 3 for me. Still so many little bits and pieces that I’m trying to figure out. It will happen but just will take time.

Learning Numbers

Some success stories this week: I am learning my numbers in Laos. This is a must when going shopping. I can ask, “How much?” but when someone replies, it’s a mystery to me what is being said, especially when working with numbers that are thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands. Gracious! It sounds like a ridiculous amount of money when I buy a bread bun for 6,000 Kip (30 cents) or a bottle of lotion for 83,000 Kip ($4) or a motor-bike helmet for 450,000 Kip ($21.50). 

The bills I am starting to figure out. I no longer have to fan them out in front of sellers and have them grab what’s needed. Bless their hearts, they are so honest and don’t label me a simple-minded, ignorant foreigner that deserves to be cheated or taken advantage of. The Laos people, at least the ones I have encountered , are very kind, tolerant and trustworthy.

With numbers so large, I feel like a billionaire when in actuality, I’m nowhere near that.

A Perfect Ending to 2023

I can’t help but share this with you as a closing off to 2023.

If you’ve followed my past entries, you will know about my former Chinese student from 1992, “Nancy” Ouyang. She spoke not a stitch of English when she entered the Amity Foundation-sponsored English training program for adults, which lasted for 1 year. I was her teacher and so was Jean Crouch-Smith, a former British headmistress of a private school who felt a need to do something different in life. China in 1992 was certainly different!

Moving on: Nancy was one of my greatest success stories. Her drive to learn English well, and continue to improve, eventually led her into the hotel industry. She’s had positions in China in the Four Seasons Hotel chain as well as one of China’s biggest and best, the 5-star rated Shangri-la. She is currently the manager in Guangzhou for yet another famous international hotel.

We have stayed in touch over the years, sharing our lives and adventures as we progressed into our careers and different stages of life. 

Three years ago, she asked via WeChat (our means of communication) if I could help her Hong Kong Chinese friend’s young son with a recitation contest.  He had a poem to memorize and then had to perform it. His English name was Horace (Kok Cheek Lun), and at that time, he was 10.

My help was to record the poem first, listen to him read it himself, correct his pronunciation and finally give him hints of interpretation. We did this via recordings and video posts.

 That first try in 2021, Horace was placed into the lowest prize categories.

The second try in 2022, at age 11, he had a tad better result by being categorized into the 3rd prize group arena.

In 2023, at age 12, I was sent the next chosen recitation poem for this year’s contest, “An Old Plot of Land,” by Clive Webster. Here it is below. 

Horace’s Greatest Obstacle

As you can see, challenging vocabulary as well as so many possibilities of interpretation which had always been Horace’s greatest difficulty.  His ability to recite the words was fine but to give meaning and emotion to the poem itself dogged him for 2 previous years. 

After our usual back and forth with recordings, including me once again guiding him on how to interpret and examples of interpretation, it was left up to him once again to find his own voice to the piece.

The Outcome at Age 12? First Prize!

Below you’ll find the judge’s remarks on his scoring sheet. What an accomplishment!

A Mother and Son’s Proud Moment

It’s been such a joy to be able to help this young man succeed in his language endeavors. I credit my own mother, whose MA was in Speech and Drama, with having influenced and advised me enough that I could be of assistance to Horace on his journey to a win. 

I close off this last entry in 2023 with a picture of Horace and his mom. What a remarkable way to end this year: new beginnings for me in Laos and a final well-deserved, longed-for successful accomplishment for Horace.

Horace and Mom

It’s two days after Christmas and the remnants of this Christian holiday are still apparent in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos.

Despite very few being Christians, the commercialism still lingers onward with Christmas carols being played throughout malls or grocery stores, cutesy Santa and elf apparel lined up in night markets or hanging up along street apparel shops and decorated food gift baskets with “Merry Christmas!” labels being sold here and there. 

I’m not sure when this will disappear from the consumer market but it might be awhile. We shall see!

Let me catch you up on all the activities for my Christmas weekend.

The Center’s Christmas Party for Students and Staff

Last Friday evening, 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., had the students of our Vocational and Language Center arrive for a very nicely organized event.  Those attending were:  The “village”, or rather city district,  chief’s English Class (all ladies, learning English to better communicate with foreigners who live in their city areas), the primary school English class kids, the high school and college students taking courses to improve their language skills and a few other guests.  The Center staff were also present:   a mixture of Laos and us foreigners (Modester, Afijul, Angie, myself).

We had our opening warm-up of “We wish you a Merry Christmas” with dance moves, an explanation of the religious significance of the day, party games, a gift exchange (we all brought a wrapped gift and then had a drawing to determine who received which one) and a meal served afterwards.

See below all the photos  of this fun event, which was held in the Center’s larger room with stage and power point ability.

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A Christmas Vientiane Night Market Venture

On Saturday evening, Modester invited me and her Liberian friend, Beatrice, to the Vientiane Night Market, located along the Mekong River, for a shopping spree. This was my first experience in the city’s night market. I’d seen the quiet, abandoned goods and food stalls during the daytime but never experienced it in full swing.

My goodness! Anything and everything could be found here:  watches, hair dryers, cosmetics, clothes, shoes, kitchen supplies, . . . .

I was in need of warmer clothes as these chilly 50-degree evening temperatures really surprised me. I had researched Laos seasons and was told in the north, it could get quite cold (40s-50s) but central and southern Laos had temps running year-round from 70s to 90’s. No mention of drastic dips at night so I bought myself a hoodie sweat jacket and warm slippers. Cost was 90,0000 Kip ($4)

I was a little disappointed that local Laos handicraft items were not that popular. Only 2 stalls among hundreds sold what I was eager to buy. 

Here are my purchases below, and displayed in my home:  310,000 Kip ($14)

Christmas Day: Attending Church

The church I attended was a 30-minute motorcycle ride from Vientiane. As mentioned before, the main mode of transportation is by motorcycle (motor scooter), which most locals throughout Laos have. Larger vehicles, quite nice, are purchased by those who have a bit more money. Public transportation or long-distance bus service (much like in America) is still very sparse thus the need to have your own means of transportation.

I am not yet adept at driving a motorbike, although I am practicing and will be purchasing my own soon, on my dime.  I’ve been debating between a new one or a used one. I think you can guess which I’ll be choosing! (Brand new, with Laos models being untrustworthy so most people buy the imported versions coming from Japan, Vietnam or the US.)

Afijul was gracious enough to take me on his bike. Modester took Beatrice. Angie’s son, Amos, brought her.

A pre-service praise singing time took place from 9:30 to 10. Service began at 10, with opening prayer, introduction of officials present (yes, non-Christian local gov. officials were invited to receive gift baskets and thanks for their continued service to the country), message by the pastor and then performances by children, church leaders and (yes) us few foreigners present. Afijul accompanied us on the keyboard while Modester, Angie and I sang Away in a Manger (with motions and parts) and lastly, Go Tell it On The Mountain with audience participation of clapping. Although no one understood English, the feeling of our shared faith that we exuded was apparent and appreciated. A substantial meal was served afterwards for all present, over 100. 

Christmas Day Evening in My Apartment Complex

Yet another surprise was a gathering arranged by two of our long-term residents in this apartment complex: Paul, from Britain/New Zealand, and his wife June, from Thailand.

Paul has been here a year as a consultant for WHO (World Health Organization) in his field, epidemiology. He’s consulted over 30 countries at different lengths of time with Laos being one of his longer stints. The greatest threat to human life here is Dengue Fever, a mosquito-carrying disease which doesn’t get the needed research or concern that malaria has been given over the years.

There is no vaccine for Dengue Fever. It is the only mosquito-carrying viral infection that targets humans, not animals. In 80% of initial infections, it is not fatal but results in high fever, rash, muscle aches and pains. It can last from 2-7 days. There is no specific treatment. Stay hydrated as the fever can deplete hydration and death can result from that. Do NOT take aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), aspirin-containing drugs, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen) because of their anticoagulant properties. 

In other words, you can bleed out.

Instead, take paracetamol, which is a drug easily found in Laos. Below you will find the lovely gift packet of medication for this, as well as a small container of vix-like Monkey balm, to soothe sore muscles.  I did wonder why the church had put together this lovely packet of medication, which the ladies distributed to us as we came to worship. 

After my conversations with Paul, I knew why such a gift had been selected by church organizers: Definitely this was a showering of Christian love and concern for the well-being of all who received it.

Another nastiness of this infection is that if you have had it before, the next time can be even more severe with a greater risk of death. So if all goes well your first infection, it may not go so well the second, third or even fourth time. This is why there is such a high death rate here in Laos due to Dengue Fever: No ability to build up an immune system response, like malaria.

Our potluck gathering outside had not only apartment residents invited but our Laos staff present as well. These are the ones who clean, do laundry, take care of apartment problems, bring us our bottled water and help in any way possible. I learned their pay per month is quite low, only $45 per month. Our rental is $500 – $600 a month. We have quite a few apartments in this complex. The owner, Mee, is doing quite well, obviously, with her various properties about town. It is a shame that their pay is not higher as they work very hard to maintain this place, plus two are present 24-7, living in the tiny office space and taking turns sleeping on a small cot.

Although we spoke different languages, with very limited lingual commonality among ourselves, we managed just fine: Good food, good fellowship, with much appreciation given by those of us who live here to our local Laos caretakers and friends. Now that is the way to end a Christmas weekend!

I’m a bit late with this one but jet lag has really taken a toll on this 59-year-old lady. Today I have been in Laos a full week and am starting to feel back to my normal self

I’ve already had my Center visit, meeting the staff for the first time with a 1-hour Welcome meeting. Angie (from the Philippines), the current director, greeted me at the door and ushered me in. Also present were the 2-year Global Mission Fellows, Modester from Malawi and Afijul from West Africa. The two are finishing up the last of their volunteer service as teachers with the Center. They have 6 months to go.

Here we have my initial entrance. (Thanks to Amos, Angie’s son, for assistance in recording this.)

After this, we had a meal together before everyone bustled off to their offices to get to work.

As a new person to Laos and this job position, I will be taking time to adjust and get needed things done. Duties as the Center’s director will wait for now.

These next few weeks, I have numerous things on my “to-do” list: getting my permanent work visa processed, opening a Laos bank account, tagging along with Modester and Afijul as they teach their classes, learning how to once again drive a motorbike (i.e., scooter) as well as purchasing one since we have no public transportation here, plus just getting my feet on the ground a bit more.

Also included in the above will be enrollment into Laos language classes. Very few people here speak English. This is much like China, when I first arrived in that country 33 years ago. In fact, much of my time so far has been filled with nostalgic trips down my China memory lane. I am having flashbacks of so many of the same experiences I had those many years ago in Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi Province: No English signs in sight, pointing to things I wanted in the market, taking my life into my own hands when crossing the traffic-filled streets, trashy areas where rubbish was thrown about wherever . . . Wow. China is so different now but Laos certainly is not.

I’ll leave you here with these last images, including my gift to the staff: Hershey chocolates. Angie informed me that Laos people adore American chocolate but it’s very expensive here and also hard to find. As a good director passing on the baton to another, wanting to endear the staff to me, she suggested I bring some, which I did. Don’t we all look like we’ll have a great time as a team? I’d say so!

Before I report on my first visit to the Sunbeam Vocational and Language Center, let me show you my neighborhood here. 

Before the visuals, let me tell you a bit about Vientiane, the capital city where I am living. (In red below) It is the largest city of Laos, with a population of 840,000. It’s also located along the Mekong River, bordering Thailand.  

It is composed of 11 districts and 486 villages. (A “village” is really a city neighborhood, not a village as we think of it in English.). I live in the Thongkang Village, the Sisattanak District.

My Village and Area

I have already walked my small alleyways to explore. As you see the slideshow below, you’ll notice a beautiful Buddhist temple (that’s to the left exiting my apartment alleyway) and exiting right, narrow roads lead to one main road that is heavily trafficked. All along my village walk, I pass VERY wealthy Laos people in gated, spiffy homes that look like palaces. There are always several expensive cars parked in the inner courtyards. Then we have others who live in rundown concrete buildings, scraping by doing whatever work they can find.

Eventually, after zig-zagging my way about, I can eventually cross the main road to buy few shopping items. There are so many mom-and-pop, family-run convenience stores. They have everything you would need, including Diet Coke. (Surprise!) I just have to be careful when getting there. I keep my eyes on cars and motorbikes whizzing by to slowly make my way across.  I don’t want to get hit, thank you very much.

Another tricky aspect of walking my village streets deals with strays. Homeless dogs roam everywhere. They lounge along roads, pick through tossed garbage, run in packs or stay single and wary of those passing by. Others belong to shops and just wander about in the heat or guard their owner’s areas.  Angie has been bitten several times, she told me. This is why we get our rabies vaccinations before we come here, good for 2 years.

Enjoy the below. I had fun putting it together for you. Welcome to my neighborhood!

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After over 32 hours, from a 4 a.m. flight out of Indianapolis to Atlanta to Incheon, Korea to Vientiane Laos, I am finally here!!

What a relief to have my luggage arrive (100 pounds full of gifts, clothes and personal items), whiz through the visa line, show my work visa document and be given the stamp of approval for entry.

Next, to be greeted at midnight by Angie Broncano (current coordinator of the Sunbeam Vocational and Language Center, SVLC), Modester from the country Malawi(a Global Mission Fellow, teaching with the Center as a 2-year young volunteer) and Amos (Angie’s adult son, living with his mom and dad here while he takes online seminary classes.)

The three loaded me into a taxi and off we went for the 30-minute drive from the airport to my temporary apartment, where I’ll be staying for a month while settling in and considering if I want to remain here or rent somewhere else. 

Day 1 had me staying awake most of the rest of the night, not able to sleep. Modester, who lives in the apartment next to me, was my savior in taking me market shopping the next day on the Center’s motorcycle. Here I am, seated behind Modester as she speeds along a traffic-filled Main Street. Notice the shops are carrying Christmas clothing, of all things! Laos is 61 % Buddhist but Christmas commercialism has set in with a vengence.

We went to a supermarket and open air market for all my temporary needs: vegetables, meat, milk, shampoo, soap, hangers, house slippers . . . Everything one would ever need is here in the capital city. And so many clothes, which I already have. I was a bit astounded at the prices, however. It was not as cheap as I had imagined, including USA costs for some items. I went through my $50 dollars of Kip (local currency) in a hurry.

Settled into My Apartment

I have now unpacked, decorated for Christmas with what I brought with me and am trying to get over jet lag.

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Ready to Meet the Staff

I have not had time yet to venture too far out, although I walked the streets a bit with my absolutely zilch Laos language ability.  I can say “Hello” and “Thank you,” which seem to have endeared me to the street sellers.  Today, I will be meeting the staff  at 10 a.m. Angie has arranged a welcome party for me and we will go out to lunch afterwards.   Modester will be motorcycling me off about a 4-minute drive to where the Center is located. I will dress appropriately and bring the following items:  gift of chocolates for the 11 who will be in attendance (Angie told me to bring chocolate as it’s very expensive here),  vitamins for Angie and a MacBook Air connection cord for Afijul’s computer. (Afijul is another Global Mission Fellow who was in dire need of this item yet couldn’t find it in Vientiane, the capital city where we are staying.  I ordered on Amazon Prime, with a 2-day delivery, for a mere $15 and brought it with me.)

I will be sure to post more pictures of Vientiane and the outside world, the one I have not yet been able to fully appreciate. Stay tuned for more news and adventures from here! Know that I am overly happy to finally be in a place I feel called to be.

Peace, until later, from a very blessed and grateful Connie

5) Decorating the House

My mom and I hunkered down to decorate the house for Christmas. We started by digging through the carefully labeled bins in the garage.

6) The Christmas tree hunt at Danke’s, our nearby tree farm.

7) Outside Light Display

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8) Decorating the house Inside Tree

9) Saying Farewell to friends

Aside from finishing up Christmas decorating, I squeezed in a few farewells.

My neighbor’s children, Ariel (8) and Dee-dee (5), and I have a special relationship. My mom mentioned I needed to carve out a playdate with the two of them to have some closure before I depart. Ariel would have been devastated to come over, ding on the doorbell in anticipation of me being there only to find out I’m gone and won’t be back anytime soon. Thanks to the Dollar General, I picked up several ornament craft items for the girls and me to make. I hung out at their home, with their kitties wandering about the table and parents Jessica and Derek preparing dinner, while we colored. I haven’t colored in years! We really had a lot of fun.

Another highlight was dog-sitting for our other neighbors. After losing all 3 of their dogs to various old-age illnesses, Rich and Debbie finally found a rescue which tugged on their heartstrings. Mixed hound Penny was found running around the streets of Paris (that’s Paris, Illinois, 20 miles away) for over a week. She was a friendly little thing, about 6-7 months old, and is now a part of the Bernadoni household. Rich is a University of Illinois (U of I, in Champagne Urbana) graduate and faithfully attends all the home football and basketball games. U of I is 1 1/2 hours from Marshall. For the last home game, an all-day affair, I was enlisted to sit with Penny and keep her company. As a new canine to house living, plus being so recently adopted, Debbie didn’t feel comfortable leaving Penny all on her lonesome for 10 hours so over I came to spend the day with Penny. I had so many sofa cuddles and rub-my-belly sessions. (The latter being for the dog, folks, not for me.) What a sweetheart! I can’t wait to return in a year and see how much she’s grown.

My hometown church gave me a lovely planned send-off on Sunday, with prayers and a cake. The support I’ve been given, including permission to have an office space in the building (I took over the prayer room), has been such a blessing. To show my gratitude, I presented the congregation with the following, a Chinese paper cut made by Chinese Christians. This was my last one. It seemed only fitting that it be hanging somewhere in Marshall 1st as a reminder of my time here and the blessings I received from everyone.

Yet another in-person farewell (unplanned and a great surprise) was from Don Lindsay. Don and his wife, Kate, and I taught in China at the same time many years ago. They are now living in Indiana, not too far away, but we just hadn’t managed to get together. They visited briefly during Covid 2 1/2 years ago but since then, we’ve just stuck to emailing. Don was passing through my area, having attended a classmate’s funeral, and called to say he had pulled into my Marshall exit and was staying in one of the Interstate hotels. You’re kidding!!! We met for coffee at McDonalds the next day. What a wonderful way to spend my morning, reminiscing about China and catching up with all Don’s news of the family, grandkids and his church involvement.

Then we have goodbyes to Lucy and Beanie, my two rescues brought from China who now have a loving home with PJ. We four (the dogs, PJ and I) took a last walk around the Clark County fairgrounds on Wednesday afternoon. My heart misses them immensely but knowing they have the perfect home gives me great relief and great joy.

And my very last farewell I save for last:  The goodbye to my mom.

Who would ever have imagined my many years overseas would come to a sudden halt, stranding me in the States for 4 years?!  This incredible gift of being with my mom for so long has become  a treasured part of my adult life.  It was hard to leave her today, especially with Christmas around the corner, but we both knew it was time.  My 1-month yearly vacation time will definitely be spent with her.  And with this incredible technology we now have (cell phones and computers), connecting with her on a daily basis will be just as if I never left.

Goodbye, Mom and Bridget!  Time goes quickly.  I’ll be seeing you again in person before we know it.

It’s late in my nearby-airport hotel room and I have a 3 a.m. wake-up call.  Suitcases (2 at 50 pounds each) are ready to go and so is my VERY heavy backpack.  My colleagues are waiting for my arrival.  Let’s hope all the flights go well.

Next bit of news will be from Laos, everyone!  Watch this space for all the travel and arrival details.  I’ll have a lot to write about, I’m sure.

The countdown begins: I have less than 24 hours before my new life in Laos begins.

What have I been doing to prepare? Let me give you the updates!

Marking off my “To Do” List

1) The first has been waiting anxiously for my work visa document, which was completed last week, attached to my email and has been printed out to show to the visa agent upon arrival.

2) Researching Vientiane city real estate on Youtube:  Apartment/house rentals and tours

     In China, apartments on campus with other teachers and staff  were provided for me.  I had no choice about accommodations, with the perks being no rent and all my electricity, Internet and water costs were covered.  

      After 30 years of never worrying about where I was staying as it was always assigned to me,  I am now thrust into a situation where I get to house-hunt or apartment hunt on my own.   And what a selection there is in the capfital city, Vientiane, where I’ll be living!  I have already enjoyed Youtube videos of Laos real estate agents (English subtitles), touring clients through  various fully furnished city homes, apartments and housing complexes.  According to my colleagues, my budget can only go as high as  $700 US per month.  After that, I am required to cover the rest of the cost myself.  To me, that sounds like quite a high amount considering China had rents as low as $200. However,  I quickly found out Vientiane is pricey, with the lowest rent being $350 US per month, often a rather dingy place and one without electricity, water or Internet services covered.  That was all extra.

 I’ve also been told that going too cheap will compromise your safety.  Burglaries and break-ins, especially for those of us who are considered the rich foreigners, is a problem.  One Youtube video I saw had the resident setting up trip wires throughout his courtyard and keeping a big, mean-looking, noisy dog as a deterrent for unwanted folk coming onto his property, especially late at night.

With all of this in mind,  I have agreed upon a temporary 1-month, 1-bedroom furnished apartment rental for December at a price of $450 US, Internet provided and laundry service as well as gated security.   I was told the complex is near the Sunbeam Vocational and Language Center so I won’t have to go far to get to my new work place.  If I had not chosen a rented apartment, I  would be staying in a hotel ($50 – 75 per night) until I could find a more permanent place to stay.   The immediate apartment rental will  obviously save money and give me time to rest, adjust and search out the perfect place for my next 3 years in Laos.  

Curious as to what that apartment looks like?  Here are the pictures sent by Angie.  Quite a swanky dwelling, wouldn’t you say?

3) Enjoying Smalltown Christmas Festivities with My Mom

Saturday, December 3, had my small town in Marshall, Illinois, celebrating Holly Days. This year featured numerous live nativity scenes around the courthouse lawn. Different churches hosted snapshots of Bethlehem which were displayed in individual booths.

To serenade the spectators, different church choirs were given 30-minute time slots to fill. We dressed as angels. Here is Marshall First.

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4) Holly Day’s Evening Light Parade

As darkness fell, we town folk gathered for a 20-minute light show parade. Bridget, rescue dog from China, came with us as well.

(See Part 2)

To all those who made my mom’s birthday special, thank you so much! She received 41 cards in total. I had hoped for 25 so 41 is a bonus — definitely a well-deserved haul!

We started out taking Bridget for a walk at Lincoln Trail State Park. We were the only ones there!

After our hiking about, we dressed up and had a late afternoon buffet at Richards Farm (a restaurant in Casey , Illinois), which serves a gigantic Thanksgiving Day feast for the masses. We’d never been before and were told, “If you go home hungry, it’s your own fault.” (True, true, true!)

Our neighbor girl came by to give my mom a painting which her grandmother made.

Special cupcakes arrived from my friend, April, who lives in Hawaii. April spent Christmas Day with us in Illinois, her first ever cold December 25th, in 1989. She and I lived in a women’s dormitory house in Washington, DC, at that time. She was working for her Hawaiian senator; I was completing my USA placement as a Mission Intern after spending over a year in Japan. I invited her to come to Illinois for her Christmas Day and she took me up on the offer. We’ve stayed in touch ever since.

My mom’s brother, Rolf, and his wife, Becky, had flowers and a b-day balloon delivered. What an appropriate gift, not to mention the lovely display it presented in the living room.

For myself, I picked up a few fun items. She’s wearing the Christmas T-shirt I gave her in the picture with her flowers. Also included in her gifts was a pottery angel by our local artisan. She had seen it a few weeks ago and thought it was quirky, something right up her alley. Surprise! it’s now on the wall for her to enjoy.

Her lottery ticket numbers, sad to say, didn’t win her the millions she’d hoped for but the well-wishes of so many surely must have made up for it. That old saying, “Money can’t buy you happiness,” I still think holds true. As for my mom, she’d definitely agree.

Enjoy the visuals below. They make for a nice memory for us both.

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