Well, after almost three days of traveling I finally made it to Vientiane. While the nine hour layover in Bangkok was rough, I was able to sleep for most of it (Imagine that grungy looking traveller painfully curled up on a terminal bench). After they changed the gate three times, and I got an extensive tour of the Bangkok airport, the 50 minute flight into VTE was a breeze. The airport has one terminal and luckily my work visa was waiting for me at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bypassing customs (I don't really understand how I got away with that), I was met outside by Mark, the program director for World Education Laos. We walked through the muddy parking lot, which is being renovated for a global conference in November (over 50 diplomats will be arriving), and loaded my bags into the WE truck.
The drive to Mark (and Nancy's) apartment followed parallel to the Mekong, through the tourist district and four blocks past the WE office. While I'm living here, I will certainly be walking to work. Up in the apartment I have my own room and bathroom, but the best part is the AC unit, which is kept at 20 C. (Maddie knows thats my favorite!!!) Now that I've showered, I feel alive again and maybe even clean enough to sleep. I'll be heading into the office tomorrow morning and have already been warned that the Lao staff is having a lot of trouble pronouncing the "R" in Carly. I tried to explain that my grandparents Boston accent has made me used to being called "Cahhllie," but I think the reference was lost. I'll let you know how it goes in the morning!
P.S. I've only seen one mosquito and one spider so far and it wasn't the giant huntsman!!!
The drive to Mark (and Nancy's) apartment followed parallel to the Mekong, through the tourist district and four blocks past the WE office. While I'm living here, I will certainly be walking to work. Up in the apartment I have my own room and bathroom, but the best part is the AC unit, which is kept at 20 C. (Maddie knows thats my favorite!!!) Now that I've showered, I feel alive again and maybe even clean enough to sleep. I'll be heading into the office tomorrow morning and have already been warned that the Lao staff is having a lot of trouble pronouncing the "R" in Carly. I tried to explain that my grandparents Boston accent has made me used to being called "Cahhllie," but I think the reference was lost. I'll let you know how it goes in the morning!
I've got my visa and I'm ready to take on the smallest capital of SE Asia!
P.S. I've only seen one mosquito and one spider so far and it wasn't the giant huntsman!!!
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