Adjustments

Since the first day I arrived in Laos, I was struck with how vastly different this country is from its neighbor, Vietnam. It's hard not to compare everything this year to my experience last year. And even though I expected many of the differences (and even looked forward to some of the differences), I've found the adjustment overwhelming at times. I think it's a normal part of transitioning to a new place... and I've been trying to process it a bit.

For many of you who've never stepped foot in either country (both of which I love), let me explain some of the BIG surface differences:

TRAFFIC- Laos has a lot more cars/SUV/truck type vehicles than VN. Beeping is a normal part of traffic in VN to let other drivers know you're coming, but is considered quite serious and a bit rude in Laos. Traffic patterns are WAY different, but that's something you have to experience- tough to explain!

FOOD- I find food in Laos in general to be more spicy than in VN. Both countries serve some common meals, such as pho or fried rice, and fruit for dessert. Sticky rice is a staple here, but steamed rice was the staple in VN... and therefore many meals are eaten by hand in Laos, and chopsticks are more often used in VN.

BARGAINING- In VN, you could expect to be given at least double the normal price of something as a foreigner... and you could bargain your heart out and walk away if you still didn't get the price desired. In Laos, vendors will raise the price a bit at first, and then bargain down a few times (I've never experienced more than two or three price reductions)... and if you walk away after bargaining- it is VERY rude! Starting to bargain means you plan to buy.

DRESS- In VN, the traditional clothing for women was the "ao-dai"... and the "sinh" skirt is the traditional clothing in Laos. Both are very feminine and beautiful.

COST- Overall, I've been surprised at how much more expensive life is in Laos... due mostly to the fact that so much is imported here. Yet, there are a lot more "foreign comforts" here in Vientiane than in Dalat, VN... a nice advantage of living in the capital city which borders Thailand.

LANGUAGE- Both are tonal, but TOTALLY different... VN tones are sharper, and Lao tones sound more rounded to my ears. Vietnamese is written in a romanized alphabet, and Lao uses a Khmer script (aka "squigglies").

FOREIGNERS- There are WAY WAY WAY more foreigners here... which has its pros and cons... but one interesting effect of that is a major decrease in the amount of attention I attract here- I am quite pleased with this difference :)

WEATHER- I was in a mountain town last year that was quite cold- to the point of needing to wear several layers! The weather here has been very hot and humid overall... although we've had some cooler days recently.

POP.- There are 6 million people in Laos compared to 86 million in VN! This just means HUGE differences for so many aspects of life... streets seem empty to me here, housing seems bigger, life seems calmer and quieter, pollution is not as bad, etc.

RELIGION- In VN, I noticed most people had alters set up to honor their ancestors in their homes or shops, and occasionally would see monks walking the streets and pass a Buddhist temple. However, in Laos, I see monks daily, and every 'village' (i.e. neighborhood) has its own temple- and the name of the village is the same as the name of the temple.

I could go on and on about cultural differences too... Needless to say, starting all over in this learning process isn't easy, but an older/wiser friend pointed out to me one of the big differences in my journey this year that seems to encompass a lot of what makes this transition hard- but really worthwhile. She commented to me that last year, I functioned mostly in English... and invited my students into "my world." It was so fun to share my life with them and have them experience my language and culture- which was also comfortable and easy.

My journey in Laos so far has been more focused on stepping out of "my world" and learning how to join the Lao world. I am learning to speak Lao, lived with a Lao family and now in a Lao neighborhood, and life looks and feels a lot different this year! I think this has been one of the biggest adjustments. It is much more stretching and tiring, yet it is (and I believe will continue to be) very rewarding. I feel that I already know more about Laos, in some ways, after a few months than I did about Vietnam after almost a year. At the same time, I am humbled to realize how little I know and how much I have yet to learn. I feel weak and so inadequate for the long road ahead, "but He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness...'"

Honda Wave 100

Now you can envision me on the Honda Wave 100 motorbike- with the massive Snell brand helmet that says "Legend" on the back and with my green CAMACrafts purse strategically worn across my body and in front of me to make it more difficult to snatch. I'd appreciate your thoughts for safety on the roads, and please ask that the bike won't be stolen (motorbike theft is quite common here). I use a special lock on the wheel every time I stop.

This lovely motorbike is actually not mine. Friends of mine who were teaching in Laos last year went back to the States to get married and have graciously allowed me to use their bike until they return next year. What a blessing from above!! I'm getting more and more comfortable on the bike and in traffic, but definitely ask for His protection daily.

In the past, I have usually named the vehicles I have driven...

"Bonnie Sue" the 1986 Pontiac Bonneville

"Charlie" the 1999 Chevy Cavalier

"________" the Honda Wave 100

Can you help me fill in the blank and name my temporary mode of transportation?! :)

That Luang Festival

I live about 2 blocks (5 minute walk) from That Luang Stupa- the national symbol of Laos- and today is the final day of the major event of the year- the That Luang Festival. This morning I left my place with some friends at about 6 am to observe thousands giving offerings (food, money, flowers) to monks from all over Laos. Tonight there will be a candle-lit procession. It's an incredible opportunity to learn about values and cultural tradition, etc... As I watch thousands of candles lit around this famous temple, I am going to ask for Light to shine here.

Take a 3 minute peek at this video which gives you a better idea of what's going on today in Vientiane, Laos (and my neighborhood) and please remember this nation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJyXvXtJyfM

Snippets of the past days . . .

I was at the Honda shop getting my oil changed, and needed to use the restroom. Instead of asking, “Where is the restroom?” I accidentally asked, “Where can I shower?” J

I was so excited to successfully use my language at the market to purchase 10 eggs (they don’t sell them by the dozen here- but by 10). After making my egg purchase, I proceeded to drop my bagful of eggs on the concrete while trying to put on my motorbike helmet… only 3 survived L

The neighborhood I am living in has been super lively… as the Tat Luang Festival is coming up on Nov. 2^nd. There’s like a HUGE carnival nightly 2 blocks from my house… complete with blow up toys and rides for kids, rounds of bingo, ring toss and balloon games, cotton candy and popcorn, and of course, lots and lots of BeerLao. Really, it isn’t too different from the state fair.

There is amazing street food just around the corner from my current house. My new favorite dish is called “tam mak tua”… green beans with tomatoes, peanuts, sugar, fish sauce, 1 chili pepper (more than one pepper is too spicy for me)- YUM.

One of the Lao teachers at Candlelight made it to the top 20 finalists who were trying out to be announcers for the 25^th SEA Games (to be held HERE in Vientiane). Last night there was a MAJOR show at the culture hall downtown for the final tryout- including traditional Lao singing, dancing, and the 20 contestants reading from a script in Lao and English. It was comparable to many elimination reality shows you see on TV. The quality of the show was excellent (although our friend wasn’t chosen), and made me excited for the honor Laos has to host the SEA Games- basically like the Olympics for South East Asia!

The city has been growing with excitement and preparation for the SEA Games- and has even been paving some of the dirt roads on my route to school each day (this particular road is now paved on both sides).

I participated in a 5K run hosted by the ambassador from Singapore… I originally thought it was to benefit those in Southern Laos hit by Typhoon Katsena… but then learned it was to benefit disabled children here? Not quite sure, but it seemed like a good use of time, money, and energy- even though it was at 6 am on Saturday morning. It was quite fun to fill the main streets of Vientiane with so many runners.

I unpacked the last of my bags… and found sweatshirts and scarves and hats for cold weather. Maybe I’ll use them at some point, but at the moment, it just bewilders me and makes me start to perspire just thinking about putting those things on.

I visited my Lao family, and my little sister gave me a funny picture she’d drawn based on the book I’d given her. A sweet pr. reminder!

My language class randomly decided to have an ice cream party just for the fun of it- we each brought something to contribute- ice cream, chocolate syrup, cones, peanuts, and bananas.

“Helmet Hair” is a daily reality. There isn’t much hope for a good hair day when you drive a motorbike in a hot and humid climate… but as I heard someone say this week- I guess safety comes before beauty. However, I did go to my first Lao wedding and had the best up-do of my life for just over $2.00... and wore a traditional Lao outfit for the first time (pictured below with teammates Sarah & Bethann).

I have been stuck on this quote from Mother Theresa, “Fix your eyes on the Crucified and nothing else will be of much importance to you.” I’m also reading biographies of early workers here that are very inspiring and challenging.

I spent a few hours using internet at my ‘regular’ spot (a hotel lobby), and was surprised by the price when I went to pay the worker. So I began to use my market bargaining vocabulary and asked in Lao if he’d be able to lower the price. He was so happy I was speaking Lao that he took $1.00 off of my total and asked me to come again!

I’ve enjoyed going out for fruit shakes with the young people after Sunday morning fellowship. The gal in the middle with the gray flowered top and orangish sinh skirt is my current roommate- Nang, from Thailand.

Poem & Pics.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

My mind is SO full of Lao

I have no other thoughts for YOU!

Yep. This week I feel like I've hit what they call a language learning "plateau." I've been steadily progressing and adding vocab. and sentences up till now, and all of the sudden my brain feels like it turned off this week- unwilling to accept or remember new information coming its way, and mixing up information that seemed to make sense before.

The studies will go on and my brain will have to catch up :) When it does, maybe I'll have something more entertaining to share. Thanks for uplifting language study!

HOORAY! Pictures uploaded tonight... here are two pictures relating to my last blog :)

1- My little sister smiling from ear to ear right after opening her gift.

2- Modeling my new Sinh material (not yet made into a skirt) with my Lao mom in their living room. Notice how the pattern is the same as her skirt- just different colors.

Goodbye Gifts

Last night I moved out of the home I'd been living in with my Lao family. It was a bit emotional as we've grown to really care about each other these past weeks. What a wonderful experience and opportunity!

The other day I was reading on my bed, and my little sister came in and wanted to hang out with me (quite common). So I told her she should go get some books and read next to me. She responded that she didn't have any books. The next week, I showed her some books that I was using to learn Lao- books with fun pictures, and she really enjoyed going through them several times.

Another day, Kip was exploring my things in my room, and came across my floss. "What's this?" she asked. I showed her how I used it... and gave her some to use. After that- she would often come into my room to get some floss to try out :)

I decided that I wanted to give her a book as a little thank-you/goodbye gift. When I looked at the children's books available in Lao, there was one about teeth and eating candy and plaque and brushing your teeth! How perfect. I purchased it, had it wrapped in special blue paper, and presented it to her last night as we said goodbye. She was a bit shy to open it, and then giggled a lot when she unwrapped it. I asked her to read and said I would listen- and she was so excited and read almost the whole book to me! Now she has a book to read.

My host mother also presented me with some beautiful, colorful material from a northern province (where she's from) to make a traditional Lao "sinh" skirt! There are rich purple, orange, and green colors in the pattern. It's likely to be my favorite Lao skirt simply because of the special connection and fond memories it will bring me of my Lao family. My Lao mom has a skirt with the same pattern, but different colors.

I got great pictures of all this- but internet isn't strong enough to upload pics :( One day . . .

For nerd eyes only:

As a full time language student (3 hours in classroom + daily interactions), I need to process a bit of what I'm learning... so the nerds among those who read this blog will enjoy this post :)

I like paa saa lao (language lao)... a lot. It's a fascinating language, and the more I learn, the more I want to learn. The ability to communicate to another people group really is priceless. Language teaches you TONS about culture, too. It's unbelievable how the two are intertwined. And the moments of successful communication are so so so rewarding and exciting. Of course, I am at the very beginning of long journey of learning, but I thought I'd share some interesting aspects of the Lao language with you- from a Western/English speaking perspective.

There are six tones . . . so you better be careful to say the right tone, or you may say the wrong word :) You also have to discern between short and long vowels. Here are some similar sounds I have to be careful with!

--> kai = near, far, chicken, open, fever, egg

--> koowa= bridge, more than, kitchen, right

--> ma= to come, dog, horse

--> suu= name, to buy, to go straight

--> sinh = meat classifier, or traditional lao skirt

--> ko thoot= excuse me, or may I please pass gas

--> mu= friend, or pig

--> bo= no, or question word

--> dai = can, or past tense marker

--> mac = fruit classifier, or to like verb

No need for verb conjugations... HALLELUJAH! For past, simply state the time (last week, yesterday, etc.) and then put dai in front of the verb. For future, you simply add si (like the word "will") in front of the verb. For present continuous, simply add kamlang before the verb (which is the equivalent of "ing" in English).

No feminine or masculine items (like Spanish or French). No plurals. YEE-HAW!!

And many words in Lao have multiple English meanings. Koi means I, me, my, mine, etc. Lao means he, him, his, she, her, hers. Tu means any type of cabinet or item that holds something- SO many English equivalents- like dresser, bookshelf, and so on.

Classifiers really simplify the learning and understanding process. There are SO many- but here are a few for you. Rooms or buildings often have the classifier hong + the specific purpose of room (ex: hong non= room sleep... yep, the bedroom!). Mac is the fruit classifier, pah is the classifier for materials (ex: pah sed muu = material to dry hands = handtowel), anything to do with light/fire has the word fai in its name, con is for people, han is any type of shop, lodt is the classifier for vehicles, nam is anything to do with water... can you guess what hong nam is?

Some literal translations that make me smile:

no stand no sit = to squat

heart good = kind/nice

medicine teeth = toothpaste

cabinet cold = fridge

The word for keys is luuk ka jee (luuk = children) and the word for lock is me ka jee (me = mother). Isn't that great?! So the lock is the mother of her children, the keys. LOVE it.

I am now reading and writing Lao as well- although quite slowly and with many mistakes. Here is a picture of my work from class today :)

I can't get over how in one month, I can now attach meaning to what used to be nonsense squiggly lines. Wow, I love learning. I confess, I'm a nerd!

I appreciate your thoughts for continued desire to learn, ability to hear and speak tones, boldness to communicate and practice, and a willingness to laugh at myself! I want to work at this with all my heart, for Him.