Learning Curve

I think this photo sums up my everyday challenges here in Laos.  

Luckily sticky rice is eaten by balling it up with your hands and eating it as finger food.  What we're they thinking?!?

Festival of Lights

So I realize that Chanukah is only a couple weeks away, but I'll celebrate the other festival of lights when the time comes.  This time I'm talking about That Luang Festival. Held during the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, this festival is one of the largest in Laos and the most important in Buddhism.

Wednesday was a national holiday and with the day off work, I was determined to make my way to the festival to watch the procession and join in the commotion.  I was told that over 5,000 monks gather at 5 am to process in and receive alms at the That.  Unfortunately, I fell asleep at 9 pm on tuesday without setting an alarm and by the time I woke up, if was far to late to even think of biking across town.  Instead, I enjoyed my day off reading my book on the patio and later in the afternoon, met my friend Michelle for a drink on her rooftop terrace.

Pha That Luang in its golden glory

Feeling guilty about skipping all of the That Luang festivities, Michelle and I decided to venture over in a tuk-tuk to witness the 7 pm candle lighting ceremony.  The entire area was mobbed, but we made our way towards the That and were able to watch the monks lighting rows of candles that had been strung up around the higher steps.  By 7, more and more people had begun to climb around us, offering wax castles and flowers to the monks.  We tried to walk around for a better view, but it was hard to see over the large wall that was keeping the public out of the That grounds.  Not sure what we were waiting for, we went to go find something to drink and as soon as we stepped under a tent, it started to rain.  Before the big downpour hit, we made our way to a tuk-tuk and were waiting in traffic to get back to city center.  Despite the wet conditions, the Lao proceeded to try and have a fireworks show which was sad to say the least.  And I'm not blaming it on the weather.

Monks (in orange) lighting candles at the base of the steps

We made it back to town and decided to try out the Korean restaurant on our block.  To be honest, it wasn't as good as everyone kept telling me, but maybe we'll order differently if there's a next time.

Cheers to good friends and golden temples!

My Art Days Are Numbered

I finally got the drawings back from the art college and the poster is in progress!  Just to give a little sneak preview, this is what the drawings look like.  They're a lot better than my chicken scratch rough copies, although I know they would have ended up on the fridge anyways!

The goal with the poster is to both advertise and fundraise for the War Victims Medical Fund (WVMF).  This fund covers the cost of transport after a UXO accident, emergency medical care, family support and follow-up care with rehabilitation.  We are hoping to have the final poster up and printed by the end of the year!

  

UXO accident and transportation

Emergency Medical Care

Family support: food stipend during hospital stay

Aftercare including rehabilitation and psychosocial support

We tried to make these images accessible to a wide audience of both victims, villagers, hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, families of victims and potential donors.  I would love any feedback you have, just comment, Facebook at  Sticky Rice and Socialism or email me!

Breaking (Dawn Part II) Buses

After recovering from way too much eating on Thursday and the end of the work week on Friday, Kiki and I decided to plan a trip to Thailand on Saturday.  Since she had to do a visa run anyways, it made sense to do a day long adventure.

Having promised a Mailly family skype session, I was up at 6:45 am making coffee and trying to keep my eyes open.  Two hours and many faces later, Kiki and I headed out the door to the Talat Sao bus station.  We were hoping to catch a bus directly to Udon Thani, but because they only sell tickets the day of, it was sold out until the afternoon.  We took our chances of catching one once in Thailand and got on the local bus to the friendship bridge.  

Immigration was really quiet and we both made it through the border police very quickly.  We caught a bus across the bridge, filled out our Thailand entry forms and made our way through the final checkpoint.  We were quickly offered rides for $15 directly to Udon but instead got a tuk-tuk to the bus station and proceeded to wait for the next hour for the bus.  It wasn't as abad as it sounds because we got to sit on the AC bus munching on banana chips and newly discovered dried kiwi slices.  The bus finally left the station en route to Udon.

Just outside the city limits we heard a loud popping noise and were told to get off the bus.  Many people were shuttled into tuk-tuks and Kiki and I hopped into another one (our first female driver!) to the shopping center.  We're pretty sure there was nothing wrong with the bus, but that the drivers get commissioned to shuttle falangs around town.

We arrived at the mall and it was like stepping into another world.  The bottom floor food court had a Dunkin Donuts and the grocery store carried everything from Heinz ketchup to Kiki's favorite biscuits. Having very few baht to our name, we found an exchange counter to switch over some money.  The bank was very careful and insisted on copying Kiki's passport with the money we were changing.  It looked like a wanted and reward sign...

Wanted!

As planned, we went upstairs and bought tickets to go see Twilight, the only movie showing in english.  Kettle corn in hand, I entered the theater with VERY low expectations and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.  In any case, it was great to just enjoy the AC, comfy seats and big screen.

Not sure when the last bus was leaving Udon for Vientiane, we left the mall and walked to the bus station, stopping to take pictures in front of the Christmas tree and decorations.  When we got to the station, we found that the last bus was leaving in 5 minutes.  We got so lucky!

With her striped shirt it's like "Where's Waldo" Christmas Edition

The journey back was uneventful and significantly quicker than the ride there.  Now we know to catch the direct bus and get to Talat Sao early. We arrived back to the city around 9 and decided to try the new Turkish restaurant for dinner.  Perhaps one of the best meals each of us have had in Laos! 

We will definitely return for hummus...

Dinner Drivel

Just your average dinner conversation:

Kiki: "I'm so thirsty I feel like Jesus after 40 days in the desert."

Carly: "Jesus was in the desert for 40 days?"

Kiki: "That's what lent is all about."

Carly: "Oh! Well, the Jews were there for 40 years, I guess it just takes us a little longer sometimes....     Regardless, you stole our story."

Kiki: "My bible is your bible."

Carly: "Mi casa es su casa."

Thankful Thursday

The whole concept of hosting Thanksgiving started about a week before, when I found out that Kiki had never celebrated it.  Despite Brad resisting to partake in a holiday that inadvertently celebrated the exploitation of native americans, we finally convinced him to join in on the grounds that we were all thankful for surviving x number of months in Laos. 

After days of clicking around vegan foodie blogs, I finally decided on the menu for the evening (recipes have already been posted). I invited anyone who was interested to join in on the basis that it was going to be potluck, not because I didn't want to cook that much food, but because I only have one cook top in the apartment.  In the end, Laura came over with an amazing pumpkin bar dessert and a roasted pumpkin to serve the chili in.  Kiki, who helped me cook all week, ducked out of work early to assist and pick up some much needed Spy Wine.  Brad was held up until 9 pm, the latest ever, on a reporter who was taking his sweet old time writing the front page article.  We tried waiting for Brad, but eventually gave up.  With promises of chilled Beerlao upon his return he arrived in good spirits.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened during our meal and it was a perfect night of friends and good food.  Being here constantly reminds me of how thankful I am for everyone in my life, but it was nice to slow down and actually celebrate it.

These were the only turkeys at our vegan feast!

Spuds 101

After debating whether or not to prepare mashed potatoes the day before thanksgiving (I only had 2 hours to cook, clean etc after work on thursday), I decided to start cooking them at 9 pm on wednesday night.  It was a good decision because the whole process took over three hours and by 1, I was exhausted but relieved that one more menu item was out of the way.  This recipe was really simple but the rate limiting step (science nerd?) was boiling the water.  All in all, these turned out great and microwaved to perfection in time for feasting on Thursday.

Very simple vegan mashed potatoes

Potatoes (approximately 2 per person)

Water

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Scallions or roasted garlic (optional)

1. Wash, peel and quarter the potatoes.

2. Place segments in a pot of water and bring to a boil.

3. Cook for 25 minutes or until a knife can easy slide through each piece.

4. Drain water from the pot and allow potatoes to steam for 5 minutes

5. Using a knife, slice the potatoes until they have a mashed consistency. This would be easier with a masher (or mixer), but if the potatoes are soft enough it should not be a problem.

6. Add a few tablespoons of oil and work it in to the potatoes.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste.  You can also mix in scallions or roasted garlic!

Smile and Nod

By the last day of the conference I didn't know how many more times I could stand to hear the phrase theoretical regional exchange.  It wasn't because I wasn't enjoying the conference, and in fact I found the whole thing very interesting, but because it was completely and utterly theoretical.  After spending the morning planning out a potential exchange involving a trip of Lao people to do a field visit in Sri Lanka, I felt as if we had completely wasted our time.  The Sri Lankan delegation even openly admitted that they didn't want to come to Laos.

Our booth setup with the posters I designed last week!

After being told on Wednesday that the conference would end on Thursday after lunch with donors, the time schedule was switched again and people were asked to stay for the afternoon.  People, especially those who had used the time to plan some tourist visits in Vientiane, were clearly upset, but no one said anything.  In addition, only four donors showed up to hear the proposals despite coordinators promising lots of time with many donating bodies.  A minister from the office of the minister (someone high up according to Barbara), was brought in to address the group and almost immediately shuffled out with his accompanying entourage or cameramen and reporters.  It was in that brief 5 minutes that Barbara reminded me not to pick my nose because it would surely end up on Lao television... thanks for the heads up!

Groups split up by country met again in the afternoon and it was clear that some people had ducked out to enjoy shopping and sightseeing.  The Lao delegation was paired with that of Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand was uninterested in meeting with any other country, which makes sense because it is significantly more developed than any other at the conference and its hard to imagine that they could learn anything from little Laos.  (They didn't have to act like jerks about it though!)

Having lost most of our group, I was asked to present as the Lao representative.  Unlike the asian women who presented, I at least spoke loud enough for people to nod in recognition.  Barbara snapped this great picture of me in full "sustainable livelihood discussion mode." 

Public speaking is just another thing I get to practice.  Jane of all trades.

Although it was just another day in Laos, I wasn't going to let thanksgiving be brushed aside.  Rushing home to finish up the cooking, clean the apartment and set the table, I left the conference, hopped on the bike (heels and all), and sped across town to assume my role as hostess.  Two hours until guests arrived and I was ready to roll!

Sauce without the Cranberries

Who knew one of the hardest things to find in Laos would be cranberries? Not having bought a can of cranberry sauce before the grocery store sold out, I was left hanging.  I needed to figure it out.  Using the only cranberries I found, I set off to make cranberry sauce with dried cranberries.  It's not the same thing, but when in Laos, bor pen nyang!

Ingredients:

1 cup Cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail, I read that cran/pom works too!)

36 oz. Dried cranberries

1 cup Orange juice

Orange zest

1/4 cup Orange marmalade

1/4 cup Sugar

Corn starch

1/2 cup Water

1. Add cranberries and juices to a pot and bring to a boil.  The cranberries should plump up in the liquid.

2. Add orange marmalade, sugar and more water.  Bring to a boil.

3. Allow the sauce to simmer for approximately 20 minutes.  This might be too long if you're cooktop actually gets hot.

4. Add a few tablespoons of corn starch, one at a time, until the sauce begins to thicken.  Remove clumps and stir continuously.

5. Remove from heat and refrigerate overnight.

Things to keep in mind if you try and repeat this recipe:

- I do not own measuring cups, so everything is a guesstimate

- Do not attempt to make this if you are hoping for something resembling cranberry sauce, it is a sweet orange cran medley that tastes good with mashed potatoes, but certainly is not the real thing

- In the end, it was very sweet, so start out with a little sugar and keep tasting it along the way

Ban For Hope

After the conference on Wednesday, all the participants were invited to the French Institute for the world premier film screening of a documentary on the Handicap International Ban Advocate program.  Please take the next 24 minutes to watch this very moving video.  I work with Thoummy, and have met all of the ban advocates.  Their voices need to be heard and through their hard work, UXO survivors worldwide are given the chance to speak up and tell their stories.

Minimalist Cooking: Vegan Pumpkin Chili

This recipe was a joint collaboration between myself and my vegan expert, Kiki P.  Feel free to add/modify/remove any ingredients you wish.  I have to say though that it was delicious!

Serves: A lot of people!

1 Head of Garlic

3 Onions

1 Pumpkin, pureed

4 cups Kidney Beans soaked overnight ***

10 Tomatoes

4 Ears of corn

1 Can Tomato Paste

Chili Powder

Peanut Butter

Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

*** Prepare the night before

1. Boil water in a large pot and add the tomatoes for one minute.  Remove from the water and cool.  Peel off skin and dice.  Set aside.

2. Cut pumpkin in quarters and clean out the seeds.  Microwave on high for 15 minutes or until soft.  Scoop softened pumpkin away from the skin and mash until it reaches a puree consistency.

3. Cut corn away from the cob. Set aside.

4. Dice onion and garlic.  Set aside.

5. Add a little oil to a large pot and heat.  Sautee onions and garlic until they soften.

6.  Add diced tomato, corn, tomato puree and 4 cups of water to the pot. Stir. Bring to a boil.

7.  Add Kidney beans, a heaping spoonful of peanut butter and pumpkin puree to the pot.  Throw in a dash of chili powder, salt and pepper.

8. Simmer for 3 hours.

For a little special touch, serve in a roasted pumpkin!

My first receipt

Tuesday was day 1 of the Handicap International sponsored regional conference on victim assistance.  Representatives from the government and civil society sector in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal, gathered at Don Chan Palace to discuss and inform each other on VA initiatives in their respective countries.  The goal of the workshop was to create exchange opportunities regionally and find out how other organizations support their programming.  

I'm not going to bore all of you with the intricacies of the presentations, but the morning was focused on legal obligations to victims through treaties (which the US has not signed off on), and the history of conventions regarding cluster munitions. The presenters used a plethora of acronyms that are only all too familiar in the VA NGO world (and that Kiki never understands when I try to tell her about my day). During coffee breaks and at lunch, I was able to meet and interact with people from all over the region, hearing about what they do and how they ended up where they are today.  All very interesting.  

The conference ended and I paid a visit to the veggie stall lady who resides near Kung's.  With Thanksgiving only two days away, it was time to start cooking! As I was serving pumpkin chili as a main dish, I thought it would be best to let it sit for a day before serving, so fingers crossed that she had a pumpkin, I biked over.  Luckily she had one left and after cutting it for me, bagged it with my other groceries (almost 6 kilos!) and placed it in my bike basket.  I was shocked when I received a receipt for my purchase.  A whopping 42,000K ($5.25) bill written on the back of a cigarette packaging box.  I'm keeping it for laughs.

Receipt from Veggies:
2 Kilos of tomatoes: 16,000K
10 bulbs of garlic cloves: 5,000K
1 Pumpkin, quartered: 10,000K
5 eggplants: 8,000K
Bunches of cilantro, parley and dill: 3,000K
4 onions: 5,000K

I returned home and started cooking before Kiki came over to bless me with her vegan chili cooking wisdom.  A couple hours later, with chili simmering on the stove, I nestled up exhausted with Sok, who quickly fell asleep, tongue dangling, on my lap.  It's so hard to hate her sometimes when she's just too darn cute!!!

Sok after a long night slaving away in the kitchen

Organization or Bust!

After a weekend of fruit lady deprivation, I stopped by and picked up my regular take away fruit salad, said hello to my friendly tuk-tuk driver friends, and cycled to the office.  It was quieter than normal, with different project groups preparing to leave the city for program implementation. 

I spent the morning working on the website and a layout for the WVMF poster, before Nang and I drove over to the art college to check out the drawings I had commissioned.  After having hand drawn sketches for the artist in an attempt to convey the message of each, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the drafts.  Since its Lao, and the artist is currently working on his thesis, I was promised the drawings by Friday.  That ruined all hope of getting a mock up of the poster done before Mark's return, but at least its a step in the right direction!

When Barbara invited me to join her for lunch at Nudle, I jumped at the opportunity to eat something for lunch that wasn't pho, grabbed my bag and we headed out the door.  I stuck with the usual delicious satay noodle salad take away.  There's something about eating with chopsticks out of a take-out box that always makes things taste better too!

In preparation for the conference tuesday through thursday, Nang and I drove across the road to Don Chan Palace to set up the marketplace booth with the posters I made last week.  I was really excited to see them printed, but when we arrived at the scheduled setup time, no one was there and the posters were MIA.  We were able to pull two tables together, put down our other materials and left hoping that everything would figure itself out.  

The little outing was a nice break from drama in the office regarding GPS data.  Remember how I was making Google Earth maps? Well, the saga continues and some staff, not to name names, decided to change all of the formatting from the original files.  Needless to say, after printing out all the data sheets, reorganizing/highlighting/being OCD with it, I finally was able to create a new spreadsheet.  Luckily this was after many laughs with Barbara, who kept both of us sane all day.  

Leaving the office for the day, I stopped at Simuang, the ex-pat grocery store, in the hopes of finding cranberry sauce for thanksgiving.  After scouring food blogs for days, I had finally decided on my Vegan No-Bake thanksgiving menu (Stay tuned for results, photos and recipes!).  Since it will be Kiki's first thanksgiving, I was hoping for some decent cranberry sauce (an essential in my books), but they were out.  C'est la vie!

I returned home to a crazy cat and a nice hot cup of tea.  I am becoming that lady...

BPA Anyone?

After a disastrously early Sunday morning, Kiki and I finally emerged at 11, ready to restart the day.  Having splurged on a box of vanilla almond special K, Kiki ran downstairs to buy some soy milk and the two of us binged on cereal for the first time in months.  With no official plans for the day, we finally decided to head back to the pool and bask in the sunshine of another beautiful Lao day.

Borrowing some pool floats from the Lao kids splashing around in the shallow end, Kiki and I worked on kicking as part of swim lesson #2. I left her at the wall to do some laps until Brad arrived and insisted I do a 25 m sprint with him off the blocks.  Unfortunately the shoulder was already killing, but I couldn't forfeit.  Needless to say, despite his lanky figure that hovers over 6 feet, I beat him to the other side and called it a day.  

We all settled into poolside loungers and I was able to get a little reading in (and work on the non-existant tan that one would expect to have after months in a 90+ degree climate!)  Waiting for Brad to finish a BBL, we all wandered back to the apartment having convinced Brad that we make a mean salad.  Using leftover veggies and some fresh pineapple, we threw together a great late lunch that totally hit the spot.  In an attempt to steam some more pumpkin, this happened.... gotta love chinese imports!

Microwave safe? I think not.

Relaxing on the porch, we wasted away the rest of the afternoon and finally got our act together to get massages as planned.  Brad left for a skype session while Kiki and I abandoned the idea of biking to Sok Paluang and instead ventured to the infamous Sabaidee massage.  For $4 we were treated to a foot scrub, 1 hour massage and a parting cup of tea.  The whole experience was fabulous and a great way to end an eventful, yet rejuvenating, weekend.

Meeting back up with Brad for dinner at Nazim's, our new indian discovery, Kiki introduced me to her favorite curry dish and the three of us ravenously dug in.  For some reason the indian food is amazing here, maybe it's because I've finally gotten over my trauma in Sarnath...

"Not So" Fun Run

So I guess I should learn my lesson about posting pictures of myself at 3 am roaming the streets of Vientiane because when I walked in to work this morning, Barbara asked me how I was feeling, as if my early shenanigans were related to any sort of weekend bender I had embarked on.  I'm here to set the story straight and tell my story of woe (and humor).

The infamous photo
Caption: Sunday morning. 3 am. Patuxai Monument. Bor Pen Nyang. 

It all started last week when Kiki asked me if I would run in a 2K race with her on Sunday.  She was asked to sign up by the "sports guy" at the Vientiane Times who invited her to join the Vientiane Times team.   The race was being sponsored by the Lao and Australian embassies in celebration of 60 years of collaboration in Laos.  It was scheduled to take place at the Friendship bridge and most importantly, we would get a free t-shirt.  Who wouldn't jump at that opportunity? She signed us up.

We didn't hear anything more about it for a day or two until we got notice that we had to meet at the "French school" by Patuxai monument at 4 am for pick up.  We rolled our eyes but decided not to bail and hold out for the free t-shirt.  I think we were hoping it would have some foul english grammar on it like almost every other piece of clothing here.

As noted in the previous blog, we were not out partying on Saturday and did not take Brad's suggestion of just pulling an all nighter.  (Have you noticed that the Aussie didn't get talked in to signing up???)  We went to bed around 10 with alarms set for 3.  

After five pretty decent hours of sleep, we rolled out of bed, made coffee and put on our sneakers, trying as hard as we could to get in to running mode.  By 3:30 we were on our bikes and enjoying the wide open roads of a sleepy Vientiane.  We made our way to the french school, parked our bikes and shuffled through the school children who were gathered and receiving their t-shirts.  We asked a woman where the team from the Times was and obviously she spoke no english.  I told Kiki not to panic and we amused ourselves in the the street taking full advantage of the unobscured views of Patuxai.

Kiki was ready to run and strong enough to hold up the whole monument!

Caffeine rushing through my veins: attempt at a great jump shot.  Epic fail. 

When we walked back up to the school a woman asked if our names were on the list, but one glance at the 10 page sign with all Lao names told us no.  (Looking back on it, I should have told her my name was Phetmany). We told her that we needed t-shirts and were here to get a ride to the Friendship bridge for the race.  With the buses already lined up, we knew we had to be in the right spot.  Sticking out like sore falang thumbs in a sea of Lao school kids, we were finally approached by a head teacher who asked where our team was.  We explained to her that the "sports guy" had told us to meet at 4 am at the school for our pick up to the race start and that was all the information we had been given.  After about 5 minutes of trying to talk to her, she asked if I spoke french and miraculously I was able to repeat the entire crisis to her en francais.  Despite her desolees and suggestion that we call the Times (what! at 4 am!!!) we were both pissed.  According to her, it was a security threat to let us on the bus with the kids and since we didn't have t-shirts (which we were told to pick up there!!!), she couldn't let us ride the bus.  Clearly we were very suspicious characters...

Revved up from the two cups of coffee I had chugged, we worked our way back to our bikes which were not in the back of a room filled with about a hundred motorbikes and I tried to google where exactly the race was taking to place to see if there was any possibility of partaking.  Upon search Lao-Australia Fun Run I found a press release for the event.  Not only was it a 5K (not a 2K), the race started in Nong Kai (Thailand) and anyone wishing to participate from Laos was required to bring their passport.  (This was something Kiki had inquired about and was told otherwise).  From the other websites I gathered that it was actually a huge event, with concerts, performers and professional runners participating. Anyways, since we were passportless, we weren't running.  The good news is that the t-shirt wasn't even worth running for.

Unsure whether or not the whole thing was a practical joke set up by the "sports guy," we biked home.  I was in bed by 4:49.  So no, I was not drunkenly roaming the streets of Vientiane on Sunday morning.  Just to set the record straight. 

Sauna in the bush

After one of the best nights sleep in Laos, we woke up to a breezy and overcast Vientiane morning.  While that doesn't sound like the most appealing forecast, it was finally pleasant when we stepped out the door.  It was spectacular!

Because my fruit salad lady, from whom I buy 5,000K fruit salad every morning before work, doesn't work on the weekends (how dare she!), Kiki and I walked to Sabaidee cafe (the falafel stand) to pick up some fresh fruit en route to the pool.

We decided Saturday was the perfect day to check out the Vientiane swimming pool and let me tell you, I was skeptical.  Having promised Kiki to teach her how to swim in preparation for her triathlon, I got over my fear of public pools and jumped at the opportunity to get back in the water. 

In the end, the pool was fantastic.  There was enough chlorine to bleach my hair back to blonde, but that might be a good thing. We finished our visit to aquatic paradise with an ab workout that would have made the Wild Bunch proud.  It was Kiki's first time doing forced crunches, but I'm going to pretend that she loved it!

Walking back to the apartment, we decided to grab our bikes and visit the vegetable market instead of eating greasy street food and falling off the healthy saturday path.  The market was busy but we loaded up on tons of fresh vegetables and we lucked out when we found fresh pumpkin that was already cut up!  When we got back home, we made a huge salad, steamed the pumpkin and enjoyed a fabulous meal on the porch.  Sounds divine, right?

Our vegetable cornucopia!!!

Although we were cutting it a little close on time, we decided to follow our original plan and attend the free meditation session at Wat Sok Paluang.  It's advertised in all the guide books and since Fulvia (my couch surfer from a couple weeks ago) found it on her own, we didn't think we would have that much trouble.  We were wrong and when we finally found the meeting place, it was five minutes in and we had missed the instructions.  It was ok because we found a place to sit and enjoyed the 20 minutes of silent meditation, 20 minutes of walking meditation and another 20 minutes seated.  I have mixed feelings about walking meditation, especially among a group of falangs.  It just becomes an awkward traffic jam and its hard to keep a straight face when you're trying to walk and focus on the breath at the same time.

The session ended with a half hour Q&A about being a monk, meditation and Buddhism in general.  Kiki and I had also read that the Wat was host to an herbal sauna, so after the meditation session, we asked around and were finally pointed down this overgrown path that opened in a clearing with a raised tree house like massage room and sauna.  We were given cloth to wrap ourselves in and pointed in the direction of the sauna room. Opening the door was like walking into a zero visibility fog storm.  Trying not to trip into the hot coals, we found seats on a bench and eased our way into the heat. We ended up meeting a really nice couple on vacation and talking with them for a while before excusing ourselves to cool off with a cup of tea.  We went in the sauna again while waiting for a massage, but didn't last long.  With Brad waiting for dinner, we decided to skip out on massages, took a quick hose shower "in the bush" and biked to town.  

We picked Brad up from a skype session at an internet cafe and walked to Via Via, one of our favorite pizza places.  While Brad got the veggie lasagna, Kiki and I split a vegan artichoke pizza that we almost finished before Brad was served.  After dinner we called it an early night in preparation for Sunday morning...

Fruit salad Lao style: pineapple, jackfruit and lychee!

Stay tuned for the 3 am Sunday morning craziness!

Happiest Hour

After spending most of the week brainstorming for the QLA and various fundraising efforts, I decided to attempt to make a website for the organization.  While World Education has it's own fancy spot on the interweb, QLA doesn't even get a mention on anything but facebook.  We're trying to get legit so website it is.  

I spent the greater part of the morning piecing together different bits of information I had spent the morning collecting and was finally able to get something that actually looks functional up.  You can check it out here, but don't let it go viral or anything.  

Despite plugging away at the computer, Thoummy, the director of the QLA who is in Vientiane for the next week, pulled me away and invited me to lunch.  Due to the opening of a special stupa at the end of our road (which has caused massive traffic jams every morning, forcing me to bike in a cloud of motorbike smog) the usual pho place was packed and we were forced to venture to the other side of the street for a bowl of pho at a cleaner looking restaurant.  Although they said that ordering rice was not possible, we witnessed the man who walked in after us, be served a heaping plate of fried rice, but bor pen nyang.  Thoummy and I quickly decided that the quality of pho is inversely proportional to the cleanliness of the restaurant, and after making our way to the bottom of the bowl, vowed to never visit again.  

The afternoon seemed to run away from me and after an hour or two of scheming with Barbara, I received the call that it was time for happy hour.  Although the email invitation noted that HH would start at 4, the 3:37 phone call was no surprise.  If Lao people are on time for anything, its happy hour.  This is taken very seriously.

Today's happy hour was in celebration of three things.  First, we were saying goodbye to the acting Medical Project Officer on staff, Dr. Oukham, who is returning back to the hospital she used to work at.  Second, we were welcoming Dr. Saykhek, the new MPO who will be working to improve the quality of trauma care in Xieng Khouang Province.  And finally, and unofficially, we were celebrating Bounsong's new car, which she drove off the lot only hours before.  

Dr. Oukham, Tor and Bounsong at Happy Hour!

With the new Toyota Fortuner parked outside, we raised our Beerlao glasses to the doctors and happy hour began.  Memorable moments include Vongdala mixing beerlao and prune juice (what's happy hour without prune juice?), reminiscing about my trip to XK and the sleeper bus and Lao inappropriate humor that only goes from bad to worse.  I love it.

After most of the staff had gone home, Barbara, Bounsong, Davee, Thongma and Dr. Oukham remained.  Barbara decided that we had to bless the new car by sprinkling BeerLao over it.  We held a little ritual ceremony outside, but then were forced in because our "drunkenness" was not appropriate in such close proximity to the new stupa, which crowds had again gathered to bless.  

Dr. Oukham, Bounsong and Barbara blessing the new Fortuner

I hung around the office for a while longer before Kiki messaged me to join the Vientiane Times happy hour at the beer garden close to my office.  I bid my BeerLao farewells and biked off.  The group of reporters, photographers and sub-editors was a motley one and it was interesting to finally put famous to infamous names.  Kiki and I didn't stay long and after one more glass of BBL, we hit the road.

It was the much anticipated sleepover night and Kiki and I quickly decided to head straight home and veg out on the couch.  Wasabi peas and a couple episodes of the Wire later, we were both passed out.  I finally got up to tuck Sok in and sleepily made my way to bed.  After a long week, it had been a very happy hour.  

Life After College?

From as young as I can remember, some aspect of life revolved around going to college.  I studied, participated in extracurriculars and got involved in community service projects.  When I finally got to college, I did the same thing but without knowing what was next.  We all heard people talk about "life after college," but never fully grasped what that entailed.  At Smith we were told to follow our own path, and I guess that brought me to Laos.  In the end, its all about taking risks and carving out your own niche in the world.  

Most recent graduates I know jumped at the opportunity for their first job (if they were lucky enough to find one) and to settle into their newly found adult life.  Uncertain of what I actually was going to do, I moved back home and nannied for a couple months, which, don't get me wrong, was perfect.  Waiting for the perfect job was something that we were warned about, but in the end, it all paid off.  

As much as moving to Laos is an extreme adventure, there are certainly aspects of the "life after college" that we weren't ready for.  

For starters, after four years of constant work and time management on hyperdrive, its a real shift to walking away when the day is over, only to start again tomorrow.  Granted, if something comes up it will get finished, but overall, the fact that people aren't accessible by email 24/7 is a real change.  

Next, there's the lunch break.  Maybe it's only Laos, but people in the workforce are dedicated the the hour-long respite from mind numbing screen gazing.  In fact, despite the fact that lunch starts promptly at noon, it is unreasonable for me to ask anyone anything after 11:30 as said people are preparing for lunch.  My colleagues think I'm crazy when I work through lunch or don't follow the 12-1 routine. But as I've noted previously, Lao can eat anything, anytime, anywhere.

One of the biggest adjustments to life after college is not being able to see familiar faces on a daily basis.  At school there was the routine of classes and friends hung out regularly.  I realize moving to Laos completely cut me off from any social scene I ever participated in, but friends back home second the feeling that its hard to start over as a working adult.  I've been very lucky to make amazing friends here and start a life from scratch, but if I was home, I know that it would be difficult to work my way into a new environment and assume the responsibilities of adulthood.

In the end, moving to Laos has eased my transition into the "life after college" phase of my life.  In addition to providing challenges and adventures, it has given me more time to think about the future, on which I am more unclear than ever.  We get used to saying stupid one liners such as "when one door closes another one opens," but in reality that's what it's all about. 

"The best is yet to come"

As I sit in my Lao office I am reminded of where I was four years ago.  Sitting around the Washburn tv, we anxiously awaited the announcement that Obama had won the election.  Only five days after I became a legal voter, I felt that I had contributed to something bigger.  The announcement was made and we all rushed outside to celebrate, scream and run around campus like chickens with our heads cut off.

Today is different.  It's not just about the presidential election but about the change and progress that our country is undergoing.  Women are standing up and taking charge: Mazie Hirono from Hawaii will be  the first Asian-American woman (born in Japan) in the U.S. Senate,  Tammy Duckworth from Illinois will be the first disabled woman to be elected as Congresswomen, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin will be the first openly gay senator to be elected (Not to mention she's a SMITHIE!!!) and Mary Gonzalez of Texas will be the first openly pansexual state Representative. Same-sex marriage was legalized in Maine, Washington, and Maryland, meaning that my friends will have the right to marry and love whoever they want in their own home states. AND, Puerto Rico voted to become the 51st state by a 65% majority.  

Welcome to America. 

Laos is a world away, and amidst the hustle and bustle of third world development its hard to imagine change happening any time soon.  America, tonight you showed the world that change and progress is possible.  I'm proud to be an ex-pat and even prouder that America is home. 

The Weekenders

Falling behind on blogging is one of the worst things that could happen to me, up there with falling into a squat toilet in heels and being tricked into taking shots of Lao Lao with the locals.  

It has been a great week and SImon's visit, although brief, was fantastic.  With the realization that the best pad thai can be purchased "take-away" for less than $2 and that Joma cookies are the best thing before sliced bread, he quickly adapted to Lao life and embraced the "Bor Pen Nyang" attitude.  

Spending Thursday and Friday at the office, we decided to pack our bags and escape the ASEM traffic and hectic city atmosphere for a relaxing weekend in Vang Vieng.  Buying 35,000 Kip bus tickets ($4.50), we took our chances and went north.  It did not disappoint.  The three hour bus trip was air conditioned and uneventful.  Everyone else had been traveling for a long time and I, with my small weekend bag and prior knowledge of the Vang Vieng setup, stuck out like a sore thumb.  But, no worries.

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we ventured over to "The Other Side," the site of my infamous Vang Vieng shenanigans the week before.  I was quickly recognized by the wait staff and Simon was unsure whether to take their "this girl is crazy" as a good or bad thing.  Making our way to the scenic part of the restaurant, we assumed the VV veg state, relaxing into the pillowed benches and ordering drinks.  With Gangnam style blasting in the background, the atmosphere was hyper and calm at the same time.  Just what we needed.

Our biggest mistake of the evening came when we decided to place a dinner order with a young woman who appeared to be our waitress.  Why was this a bad thing? Well, after an hour of more drinks and more friendly banter with my new Lao friends, none of our food had arrived.  The restaurant was starting to clear out and lights were being turned off when we finally inquired about our meal status.  What meal?  Oh, right.  That waitress speaks Hmong, only nods when talked to and is not responsible for taking orders.  I guess I appreciate the Lao thinking I was going to sit for over 4 hours only to drink... Anyways, one bite into our "pizza" we realized it hadn't been worth the wait at all, bor pen nyang.  

Closing behind us, we left TOS for Fat Monkeys, a popular bar on the same strip.  There, the bartender was freaking out about the arrival of a group of police who had inquired about the ex-pat employees business permits.  All was well, but the stressed out vibe was uninviting and we ventured on.  Having passed up on the pizza, we stopped to pick up a chocolate banana peanut butter pancake from a street vendor and savored the deliciousness all the way home.  

Laughing about the day's events, we only became more amusing upon turning on the tv.  The only semi english channel was airing Miss International Queen 2012.  Despite watching for a while and wondering why some of the women looked funny, it was the interviews that made it all clear.  Instead of the quintescential "how would you change the world?" question, contestants were asked how they would make the world a better place for transgenders.  I should have seen it coming.  

Saturday morning was off to a slow start Lao style.  Once we finally decided on an activity, we packed our bathing suits and hailed a tuk-tuk to take us to the Phou Kam caves and the blue lagoon.  Expecting peace and serenity, we were pleasantly surprised to have happened upon the biggest backpacker gathering in Vang Vieng.  We decided to hike up the cave and then hung out by the pristine blue waters of the refreshing lagoon.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Schools of fish at the Blue Lagoon, Vang Vieng, Laos.

Spelunking in rays of sunlight.  Phou Kam Cave, Vang Vieng, Laos. 

Blue Lagoon, Vang Vieng, Laos. 

Calling it a day and wanting to catch a dinner sunset, we set back off into town.  We finally found a restaurant that would serve us drinks AND dinner, with beautiful views and no rowdy backpacker crowd.  The food was delicious and it took everything we had to simply walk away from the dessert menu.  Although we had been invited to join people at Gary's Irish Pub, we opted to spend the evening perusing old jewelry shops and stocking up on BeerLao tanks.  With plans of watching the sunrise a la hot air balloon, we called it a very early night.

Dinner at Ban Sabai, Vang Vieng, Laos. 

When the alarm went off at 5 am, I was immediately confused by the sound of water in the room.  Of course the last thing to cross my mind was that it would rain, because in Laos, I clearly would expect a water pipe break or the shower to spontaneously turn on. But, rain it was.  Dreading the idea of being over 100 feet up in a soggy balloon, I sucked it up and got dressed for our 5:45 pick up.  Late as usual, we picked up the other two brave souls who had signed up for the excursion and were shuttled to the balloon headquarters, basically someone's unfurnished living room.  By 7 they had decided that it was too dangerous to balloon and by 7:30 we were back at the hotel.  

We caught another hour of sleep before breakfast, checking out and heading towards the Blue Lagoon again to visit a silk scarf shop we had stopped at the day before.  Loaded up on holiday gifts (spoiler alert) before making our way back into town to catch the bus back to Vientiane. 

Another three hour bus ride later and we were back in the heat of ASEM city.  With police positioned every 10 meters it was as if the whole place was at risk for attack.  We avoided all contact and went back to the apartment.  Feeling adventurous, we decided to try Xayoh steakhouse for dinner.  Great decision.  Food was just like home and hit the spot.  After making friends with the waiter and vowing to return, we left and walked into the heart of town to check out the nightlife.  We ended up at Full Moon Cafe and a waffle ice cream sandwich later, it was time to call it a night.

Monday morning was busy in the office and Simon, Brad and Kiki met me for a Kung's lunch at noon.  While Kiki and Brad cycled back to the Times, Simon joined me at work to meet my co-workers and come with me on my afternoon field trip to the handicraft festival. While I had hoped to get some insight for the QLA gift shop, the booths were uninspiring and I was much more interested in the gorgeous wooden furniture on display.  Despite all the cool crafts however, the highlight of my day came with the discovery of YoQueen, an Austrailian frozen yogurt chain in Vientiane.  Plain yogurt with fresh fruit and I was in absolute heaven.

Returned home to edit some reports and play with Sok Dee before another night on the town.  Being super unadventurous, we ended up back at Xayoh but switched it up with the orders so as to confuse the wait staff.  Enjoyed horrible American music and laughed about the lack of ketchup, steak knives, side salads, french fries and chicken at the seemingly well-stocked restaurant.  

Simon's last day was spent with lunch at Black Canyon Coffee for the #1 pad thai and a stop at an art gallery he had found during his solo adventures.  Scouting town for a proper birthday card for Kiki, we finally found a nice paper place and then treated ourselves to iced tea, if only to show Simon the ridiculous cup sealer and shaker.

Commencing birthday celebrations a day early for Simon's sake, we met up with Brad and Kiki at the Spring Roll Shop for spy wine and birthday presents.  Simon had of course flown over with some beautiful pendants and marbles and both K and B were astounded by the glass.  Leaving to check on their cats, Simon and I wandered home alone and decided to try the pizza take away place that looks so western it should be illegal.  We stuck to the basics and ended up with a great pepperoni pizza.  Now I know.

Getting into election mode, we watched Ides of March on HBO and fell asleep waiting for the election results to roll in.  Waking up too early for any news, we went to Kung's for a final sticky rice pancake of the trip and bid farewell.  (Imagine tuk-tuk creaking off into the distance...)

Spent the rest of the morning at a meeting for Victim Assistance and preparing a poster presentation for a Southeast Asia regional conference at the end of November.  With Mark leaving the country, all World Education materials are my responsibility and I'm excited for new tasks that will actually be completed.  

Oh Laos!

Vang Vieng, Laos.