What a Week!

Dear loyal readers,

My sincere apologies for falling off the blogging boat these past two days.  I've adopted the Lao way of life and there seems to be no urgency to post.  Unfortunately, so much has happened that you deserve updates.  Here you go....

I last left you on Tuesday, after recollecting my meeting with the venomous barista.  Tuesday night began with happy hour and a glass of red wine downtown with Kiki, Adam and Brad.  Because the Vientiane Times lets out around 6, happy hour makes the most sense, and I'm not going to complain.  From there we wandered over to Makphet, a restaurant on a mission: based off the model in Cambodia,  Friends International opened this restaurant which trains and employs street kids in hospitality and cooking.  The food is a fusion of Lao and western cuisine and accompanied with the traditional basket of sticky rice, was delicious.  It's actually a great organization and a visit to the restaurant is ranked #2 of things to do in Vientiane.  

You can check out the organization and its other establishments here: Friends International

Biking home, I had to wake up the 24 hour security guard to let me inside the gate and after apologizing profusely and realizing it was his job to not let creepers in, I headed upstairs and caught an episode of Borgias, which is a great show and you all should watch it.

Wednesday brought a whole slew of new adventures.  Having gotten to the office early I was able to live stream Kol Nidre services at my desk before beginning my daily morning routine of emails and laofab updates.  Through the screen I was transported right to the sanctuary, just this time I could control the volume of the organ and choir with the touch of a button.  It felt great to be part of my home community, yet so far away.  I spent the rest of the morning toiling away at the computer, attempting to teach myself the basics of Adobe software and trying to get in touch with our Xieng Khouang staff about my trip up there next week.

After lunch, Mark and I drove to the NRA for a quarterly meeting of the UXO Victim Assistance Technical Working Group.  Leaving our shoes in the doorway, we entered the building and were escorted to a conference room lined with Tigerhead water bottles (the only reputable Lao brand according to vegan Kate).  The florescent lights reflected off the walls and patent white tables, giving the whole room a pristine clean glow.  After initiating the meeting, and deciding that it was going to be conducted in English (thank goodness!), NRA officials began giving their reports on this quarter's activities in victim assistance.  In September alone there have been two UXO accidents, each killing one child and injuring two more.  While the recent facts were sobering, the group addressed the topics of barriers to emergency care, lack of transportation and how to standardize several NGO's approaches to UXO education and first aid training.  The meeting was a success, and most importantly the sinh got to make another guest appearance. 

On Wednesday afternoon I headed over to Home Ideal, determined to finally buy a lock for my bike, gloves to wear at rowing practice and a flashing light for night biking.  The trip was a success and I met up with the gang by the river side where the boys were enjoying their daily dose of BBL (Big BeerLao).  We split a parantha, a crepe style Indian pancake filled with banana and hershey's syrup before I locked up my bike to the fence nearby and we set off for meditation circle at Ruth's house.  Ruth is our farang boat racing coach and his house was so hard to get to.  After navigating our way through unclear directions, failures in anglo-lao communication with the Tuk-Tuk driver and backtracking several times past the barbed wire lined Chinese embassy, we finally arrived. Late.

Now, usually I would feel bad about arriving late to a function but the mix of Jew and now Lao in me has grown accustomed to waiting for things to start within an hour of when they are set to begin.  Promptly doesn't exist anymore.  Although meditation was supposed to start at 7, we found ourselves adjusting our lotus position a little after 8:05.  Sitting in a circle joined by Kate, Josepha, a Dutch woman and Ruth's two dogs, we began the meditation by inviting the bell. 

Inviting the bell is the hippie excuse for hitting a metal bowl with a wooden stick and striking it until it emits a pleasing sound.  Actually, it was quite pleasant and we spent the next 10 minutes listening to Ruth read an adaptation of the Noble Truths while we focused on breathing and not letting our legs fall asleep under us.  From that we transitioned to a silent sitting meditation for 15 minutes.  I let my mind wander and tried not to get distracted by the two labs attempting to lick my face.  Fifteen minutes felt like forever and I was relieved when Ruth invited the bell again.  The last phase was reciting mantras, which Ruth did while we breathed.  By the end, my back was sore, but my mind was clear.  Sounds like Yom Kippur, right?

The session ended with a potluck dinner for which we had not prepared anything.  Had we known we would have stopped on our way...next time! Ruth had prepared a variety of spreads with french bread while the Dutch girl had brought pumpkin soup.  Everything was really good, except I still don't understand how Ruth's guacamole was bright orange.  Confused.

We finally got a tuk-tuk out of her area and back to town where Kiki, Adam, Kate and I met up with Brad for a late night dinner at Aashifa, the indian restaurant.  The food there is so good and Kiki has been able to find vegan options so it's always a safe bet.  We ate there past closing time but the staff was happy to have us.  When Kiki and I went to go round up my bike so I could get home, however, it was no where to be found!!!!  The bike that had been ridden for years without a lock was stolen hours after a lock had been placed on it.  Seriously, who gets bad karma from attending a two hour meditation session on the day of atonement?!? Bike down, Kate and I shared a tuk-tuk and I made my way back home.  

Thursday was another slow day at the office, broken up by my lunch time trip to Kung's, house of the mango sticky rice pancake.  Other than getting some work done, my big news is that I'm going vegan for the next month.  I'm going to try it out and with Kiki and Kate at almost every meal, it's super easy.  Now I won't have to take my chances with rindy pork and blood ball stew.  Kiki and I are going to start posting about Vegan foodie adventures in Vientiane and I also recommend you read her wildly sarcastic blog, It's Me Kiki P!

Once out of work, I went home and got ready to walk (I miss the bike) into town.  I met up with the group again at their usual spot with BBLs and we chatted about Vientiane Times gossip, which is certainly more interesting than the happenings at my quiet little office.  From the bar, we ventured over to Lao Kitchen, a restaurant two blocks over that specializes in Lao/Thai cuisine.  The food was amazing and in true vegan fashion, Kiki and I went for the veg curry and tofu laap.  Now that I'm out of the omnivore circle, the boys can now rekindle their little BBL and meat eating bromance.  We have some pictures to post, but those will have to go up this weekend.

The best part of the meal was the sticky rice and mango dessert which was out of this world.  Certainly worth a revisit, or ten.

I made my way home solo, sitting shotgun in a tuk-tuk.  Although that seemed like a good idea (I wanted to point out exactly where I wanted to be dropped off), the driver leaned over and tried to kiss me when he stopped.  Shocked, I pushed him away and ran off towards home.  Lao personal space does not exist, but this went too far.  I'm willing to risk the Lao miscommunication in the future for sitting in the back seat.  Never again.

Friday.

I woke up this morning, showered, and threw on a sinh before running out the door to meet Mark at the office by 7:50.  We hopped in the truck and drove to km 5 (everything here is measured in distance), for the official UXO Sector Working Group Meeting.  This meeting had over 100 people, took place in a huge conference room and was officiated by the Chairman of the NRA (a minister of the PM's office), the UNDP resident representative to Lao PDR and the US Ambassador to Lao PDR.  The meeting overviewed what the working group covered on Wednesday in addition to information covered by the Working Groups on Mine Risk Education and UXO Clearance.  It was very formal and the immediate translation through head sets was immensely helpful.  

Head set, Tigerhead and ready to go!

While I've realized that these meetings bring up a lot of key issues, I've decided that the coffee break is the most important part of any meeting.  In those 15 minutes you can network, introduce yourself to the authorities and put a plug in for your cause.  During that time, I met the Ambassador, several government officials and other NGO workers who I will be working will moving forward.  In all, the meeting was a success.  

Excusing ourselves from the ritual luncheon, Mark and I headed back to the office for the driver (Tongma, who is fabulous!) to bring us Seng's house for a ceremonial lunch she was having.  Wealthier Lao families celebrate the anniversary of the death of loved ones with elaborate meals and religious traditions.  While the main event will happen tomorrow, and over 100 people are expected to attend, she had invited the staff and some friends over today.  Now observing veganism, I stuck to salad and sticky rice, luckily avoiding some questionable dishes.

Inside Seng's house.
The golden setup was in honor of the 5th anniversary of her mother-in-laws passing.

Heading back to the office, I sat myself down and began answering the mornings inbox.  Tonight Kiki and I are meeting at 6 to join the crowds of outdoor aerobics fanatics at the riverside park and hope to jazzercise our way through 90's pop beats.  Inevitably we'll end up at happy hour with the boys then who knows.  

Hugs and Kisses from Laos!!!