Holidays in Laos

So I have been bad about writing in general. There is so much going on sometimes I feel like I don't even have time to take it all in. By the end of the day I just want to crawl into bed and there is always more work to be done, this is all part of being a teacher who is not allowed to have a schedule because of society demands in a foreign country confused or feeling helpless 90% of the time.

WHen I say helpless I mean being ripped off because I am a foreigner all the time or not knowing the culturally appropriate thing to do till it is too late. I am coming to accept this and starting to figure out decent prices and not buy things if they are more than that.

The other day I was on a tuk-tuk and at first I got angry because I understood what they were saying and they told me a higher price than they were paying. You see they told me 5,000 kipp and there were 4 of us the total was 15,000 kipp. I can understand way more than I can speak so at first I was angry and then a few minutes later my father drew me back. I took a look around and listened more, the lady sitting next to me had a sick child and the other two were paying for her to go to the hospital because she could not afford it. It always costs at least between 3-5,000 a person and the more people the less it costs. How selfish was I being I can afford to spend less than a dollar.

OFten when I look around I am either left saddened or angry. There is so much hurt but I expected this. I think the worst things I have seen or have happened have been on the bus that is part of why I want my own transportation.
That and a lot of my friends live on the other side of town. It is a 45 minute bus ride one way and 1 1/2 hour bike ride. I live with two people but they are often not home so it is me and a big house all alone, so fun!

Now for why I really wrote this you see I taught on Christmas day and spent a great deal of it with people I don't know. Then this week Monday classes were cancelled I find out oh Monday morning, not uncommon here. WHy? Because my students are lazy and had a party where they didn't invite me.How rude! They have all their classes together so this has happened before and I waited 15 minutes and no one showed up.

So tommorrow I have no class unoffically. Apparently New Years is now the 2nd in Laos. Why? The university decided to offically close then in celebration. They want a 4 day weekend. Hahah..Whatever....Welcome to my world...eventually nothing will phase me but these holidays I think I hate them being away from home. Eventually it will be better but starting off it is so hard and lonely. I am thankful to all of those back home who helped to make it a little brighter and even in the midst of things it is good to know I am not forgotten. Thanks again and Happy New Years!

Living in Laos and My House

So I couldn't sleep, I live on the second floor and I had posted some pictures of Hanoi, Vietnam on facebook but those are from two months ago and in an attempt to keep from waking my roomate up, even the faintest footsteps can be loud well I had to make a few I decided to post pictures of my house for you all. Hope it is not too overwhelming :)

The upstairs shower some of the stairs

Upstairs hallway My doorway yeah I know The upstairs deck leads to the

it is see through working on that bathroom


bathroom/shower more bathroom my bed yeah I don't have bedding yet it

is all borrowed

more bed it doesn't match but you cannot tell here it doesn't closet and desk

seem to matter unfortunately either

My desk fan and door window and cabinet The kitchen


more kitchen it is huge! Laundry/downstairs/shower Bathroom or as they say toilet

lots of multipurpose stuff in Asia

The outside- Front entrance The carport Door to kitchen

more downstairs laundry/bath/etc one of my roomates rooms dining/entry way

living room our balcony our entry way

storage room and my door looking off our balcony into

Well, that is most of our house I did not show the upstairs closet or one of my roomates doors but you get the idea hope you enjoy or as my students would say "Are you enjoy?"

of

Oh this is the life for me

Wow, so I have already been in Lao over a month. I have my up and downs and I am definately still adjusting to things such as our road every now and then becoming a river and even once falling in trying to get somewhere. Sometimes having to raise my skirt to walk through and other days being okay. I am learning so much about myself, my father and others. Sometimes I wonder how much I am actually processing.

Perhaps my favorite thing that I would like to share is that this week all my afternoon classes were cancelled because the man with the key to that building is out of town. Go figure!Apparently things like this happen often. I waited 30 minutes before being told this. Then the next day my poor students found another classroom and waited for me and today no students showed up so I have only had one set of students twice so far. Hahah.

The Lao phrase" Bo pen nyang " It means never mind or at least that is how I translate it or no problem kind of a cross between the two like no worries. I am trying to learn not to complain but just go with it. We'll see.

To be or not to be

So this language stuff has been really difficult for me and I feel like I am always lost and without even some of the basic necessities sometimes but it is good. I learn to trust him more and more.

A funny story from the other night. Our language school teaches both English and Lao so the other night they had a coffee house where the two groups mingled to work on their skills. It was great fun. I got to talk to so many students and some of them will even be potential students and Dong Dok where I will be teaching and I see them every day b/c they are in the class across the hall we were just too shy to talk to one another.

Anyways an English student comes up to me after we have been taking picture and points to my stomach and goes what is that? Then she tries to make a little pouch with her pants. Now Lao people joke a lot so I am not sure if she was serious or not but her nickname is innocent so she then goes on and says I eat and eat and nothing happens. By this time I am just dying laughing and she goes on and on. THey are a hoot. They have no problem with asking certain things. I am boggled by so many things but hey life is all about learning.

Then they proceed to tell me they are shy. I mean come on? What do they mean by shy? I guess I understand b/c I am the same way it is just so funny to me.

Laos

So I have been here almost three weeks and a lot has happened but one thing I have learned is no matter how slowly you want to move or where you are there will always be westerners trying to rush things.
I am currently in language school and since coming to Lao I have managed to buy a bike, lose the tire on the second day, fall down the stairs, bruise my legs and bottom, hit my head on the cupboard, run into a nail sticking out of my bed, been asked if I eat too much and passed a test with a satisfactory score in Lao and still not been completely shocked. That is a summary. I am currently learning basic conversation and have really nice teachers and pronounciation which I stink at. I really want to be able to talk to people in their heart language but I get so nervous. One on one if I know them I can do it but otherwise I just get so nervous. If I just was not so worried or nervous about messing up i would do fine. I am glad I remember to laugh a lot as dad said or else I wouldn't have made it this far.

Blogger never fails

Wow, well today I finished three weeks of classes and then lost it a little but now I am okay. I guess that is to be expected I just wish I had done it a little differently and I don't have a really good excuse. Granted, I have had a headache for the past two days but I probably would have done it anyways. Three weeks with no alone time or privacy can do it to you. I keep thinking of the book 5 minutes peace. My roommate is a sweetie but everyone needs alone time sometimes and growing up I always escaped to my room. Don't know what to do when I can't do that. Even when you live in a house you can still do that.

In the sorority house I lived with the same girl for 2 and a half years and it worked out pretty well but we both had our escape places. She was a night owl and I was a morning person. I escaped to the basement and studied and I don't know where she went but she didn't usually stay up late at night in our room and if she did she was quiet.
I have to start writing lesson plans and I teach alone on Monday not sure how I am going to write one alone if I can't be 100% alone. Guess I'll figure something out. The other ones we team teach so I don't know if that is better or worse haven't made up my mind I am still a bit nervous.

So today after class I just had to get away. I walked to the park. I was there ummm...4 hours reading and talking to foriegners who handed me their babies asked me to tutor them and oh what not..oh yeah the common questions how much do you weigh in kilos? and are you single or married? I am still in the process of understanding their customs sometimes? I was also confused b/c a friend told me you had to pay to get in bt you didn't so I ended up paying some lady who scammed me for 2 dong to weigh me and measure me b/c I thought how much you weighed depended upon how much you had to pay to get in? I was so confused!

On top of this my day gets better. Those of you who know me know I have the best sense of direction. Coming home I got a bit turned around so a foreigner offered me a ride. At first I was hesitatant but then he said free so I thought sure why not. Well on his motorbike he pulls over in the middle of the road and asks to see the map and wants to know where I am staying I am frantically looking for the card which I am terrified I didn't pack b/c I don't think he knows where he is going and I finally find it he moves my arms tighter around him. He tells me he speaks "small English. " I kindly correct him "Oh very little English" Then he pulls over again in the middle of the road to look at the map. I am a little nervous. He stops the motorbike leaving me stranded with his bike in the middle of the road and goes back to get some glasses which I don't even think are his. By now I know where I am. We are at the other end of the street on the opposite side from where I began but I walk home. He trys to convince me to take his helmet but I am too weirded out at this point. Thankfully I made it home.

I wanted to check my e-mail and facebook but neither would work, sometimes the internet doesn't even work, but blogger would! Yeah...I would like to say that it is ok for everyone to lose it sometimes but it is not...I gotta get that temper under control at least it was this week and not next..as long as I finish my test before Sunday I should be good to go...We'll just have to see that and laundry...boo I am almost out of clothes..not that I have that many anymore.

Jowzers and Photocopy Stores

Well, so I did not write immediately I apologize. Class has kept me pretty busy. That and adjusting mentally and physically yes I did say physically. So I ate these Chinese things Friday called Jowzers. I think that is how they are spelled? They were pretty amazing, so I ate a ton and it made me so sick. It wasn't until yesterday that my stomach finally began to recover four days later. Someone who has been overseas for sometime told me to get used to it that their stomach is upset like that at least once a month for a whole week so I thought well great! The food was kind of like ravolli but not I don't even know how to describe it. I have been pretty adventourous I even used the tap water for tea but I boiled it twice. I figure I am going to be over here for awhile I mine as well get used to it.
Oh and funny story I got to explore a lot of Hanoi a couple of days ago looking for a photo shop that happened to be a lot closer than I thought. Suprise! Me wander, never. Two hours of exploration and 27 photocopy stores later I finally printed some pictures off. I learned a lot that day but I might save some of that advice for later.