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.

Bo Pen Nyang!

This is one of the most common phrases used in Laos- I hear it numerous times each day. It means "No Worries", "Never mind", "Forget it", "Oh, well it can't be helped", etc. It's interesting how sometimes you don't feel like saying it, but must! Or sometimes when you say this- it makes you and/or the other person feel better about the situation. It's especially helpful since most of the time- showing emotion is not appropriate in Lao culture.

Three Examples:

1) The first weekend I was here, I joined with a gang of people from our organization (Lao & "Filang" or "Foreigners") to drive an hour or two to visit a waterfall. On the drive back, I was the only foreigner in the vehicle. A cute little white dog with a brown/black spot on its' eye darted in front of our vehicle, and next I heard and felt a THUD. I quickly looked behind me, and there was Fido lying lifeless on the road. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand- my initial shock "Oh, no!" reaction. However, I observed everyone else in the car quickly said, "Bo Pen Nyang" to the driver- many times they repeated this phrase and I could tell she definitely felt better when they said that. We continued as if nothing had happened- and my new Lao friends who'd seen my horror asked me if I was aware that many people eat dog here :)

2) The other day I was using the internet at a nearby hotel. The internet unexpectedly stopped working. I told the gal working at the front desk, and she found another employee to help her. After about 10 minutes, it was clear that they were not having success. I said, "Bo Pen Nyang" with a smile and calmly left... realizing this was the first time I felt a real need to use the phrase, and I really meant it. I could use the internet another time- no biggie. And it definitely made them feel relief- otherwise what were they going to do with this foreign girl waiting for internet that wasn't working?!

3) Yesterday I was walking down the street of our school, and was carrying a coffee maker/pot in one arm and my motorbike helmet in the other. I was right in front of the office where I was delivering the cofee pot when I stepped on a downward slope and watched helplessly (in what felt like slow motion) as the glass pot fell to the concrete where it shattered with a loud noise into many tiny pieces. There were a lot of construction workers standing very close by, and as I stood there in shock looking around, no one flinched- and just continued working! Then I went inside the office and explained very apologetically about what had happened- and everyone re-assured me, "Bo Pen Nyang!" At that moment, I was extremely thankful for this phrase and attitude of Lao people.

As you can see- it goes both ways... you need to give the grace of "Bo Pen Nyang" to others (even when maybe you don't feel like it at all), and then other times you will receive the kindness of "Bo Pen Nyang" from others. It definitely makes potentially awkward or emotion-packed situations quite calm. I still have a LOT to learn about how deeply this idea impacts culture- it's HUGE here. However, I am learning from culture, and seeking to see how it reflects aspects of the Father's character.

(Sorry- I tried to upload 1 picture for over an hour- no success with photos today).

Home Stay

I can't believe I'm living with a Lao family! Their home is in a perfect location- a 10-15 minute bicycle ride from most places I need to go- Candlelight (where I take Lao language classes), the mini-mart (think Wal-Mart small scale), foreign food (Joma Bakery!), and teammates' homes.

Their family has been great to get to know. There's an 8 year old girl who I have blast with! She's raised by her grandma (my host mom) as her parents are both working- and only has older boys around- so she's quite the tomboy. Whenever I offer to do her hair or paint her nails, her eyes get SO big and she nods an excited YES. I LOVE loving on her and having "girl" time she doesn't normally get! We giggle lots and she corrects my pronunciation and has been so helpful for my language learning because she'll speak slowly and simply. It must be so strange for her to have a foreigner in her home... I guess she writes stories about me at school.

Her older brother is 13 years old and is quite shy, but very kind- and is a hard worker. He lives next to the house I stay in... his bed is a mat on the floor with a pillow. A cousin (?) also lives there with him. They have a motorcycle washing and repair business. He washes one motorcycle for 5,000 Kip = 60 cents .

Speaking of motorcycles, I had my first "driving lesson" on Saturday. Carolyn explained the basics of how to drive a motorbike, and then I got to practice some in an open area. I have ridden on the BACK of many motos, but was never the driver. I was wobbly starting off, but it wasn't too bad once I got going :) I'm going to practice more the next few weeks- and would appreciate your thoughts as I learn to drive!

So back to my home stay... here are some interesting tidbits for you:

• Squatty Potty- YESSSS! Fan in my room- YESSSS! Barefoot in house- YESSSS!
• Daily misunderstandings due to language barriers/different cultures= LOTS of laughs.
• If you leave something in a common area, it will become a shared item! I left some shampoo packets in the bathroom, and they got used up :) I also left a pair of flip flops (thankfully cheapo ones) on the porch, and those were on the neighbor's feet the other day... haven't seen them since.
• I was pleasantly surprised to have a washing machine to use (you just add water manually 2x)... however- upon hanging up my clothes to dry on the line, I noticed only shirts and skirts were visible (no undergarments). So I took mine into my room and hung them there to dry. Later I learned this was a good thing because undergarments are never hung in public places to dry here... PHEW! However, the little girl peeked into my room later that day and saw them hanging there and just laughed her head off :)
• My host mom makes sticky rice every morning outside at 5 or 6 for the day's meals. I'm determined to get up one morning to watch and learn how to make it! We eat the same food throughout the day- breakfast, and dinner (I usually eat Pho noodle soup or fried rice Candlelight staff for lunch) are the same- sticky rice, vegetable dish, sometimes soup, and usually a meat dish. We eat lots of fish- which still looks like fish when we eat it. Last night my little sister took the fish head and ate the eye! Oh, and we eat mostly with our hands- sometimes a spoon for the soups.
• The phrase I hear the most is "Kin Lai Lai" which means "Eat a LOT!" My host mom wants to fatten me up- and I can never seem to eat :) "Kin Kao" is the expression used for "let's eat"... which is literally translated "eat rice." Language is so fascinating!
• It isn't a big priority to have all family members sit down to eat together. From what I can tell, people seem to eat whenever is convenient for them.
• Evenings are usually spent watching Thai soap operas. I usually work on Lao language homework or try to start up a game of checkers or UNO since I have no idea what's going on in the show... but it's kind of fun to try to guess. Last night there was this girl and guy on the show who seemed to be having lots of drama- and I just figured it was relationship issues. Then my host brother told me they had different blood types? Wow, I was way off! Ha, ha.
• No internet at home- so every once in a while I bike down the street to a hotel which has wifi for less than $1/hour in its lobby... So each blog is an act of love in appreciation for YOU and your thoughts for me!

Seriously, I have sensed many people uplifting me and so thankful for my amazing support team. When I left for Laos three weeks ago, I had no idea if a home stay would even work out and no plans were in place. Now I feel somewhat settled (albeit temporarily) with my Lao family- who will probably be "family" to me from now on in Laos whether or not I'm living with them. WOW! I'm just in awe of His care and His plans... He knew all along where I'd stay- and where I'll be in days to come.

I continue to give Him the unknowns of the days ahead (especially housing), and am asking for daily language learning ability (to hear 6 tones) and creative ways to bless and honor my new family. Thanks again for your thoughts!

Taste and see...

His goodness has overwhelmed me in my initial days here in Laos! And I am so aware of many people thinking for me, because since I last posted some requests, I have seen so many answers!! Here are a few:

1- A host Laotian family was found for me to live with right away! I moved into a Lao home on Monday and my first week there has been great- full of learning experiences and laughs and sticky rice :) Here is a picture of me with "Me Sida" (Mother Sida) taken on an outing to a waterfall last Saturday. I'm so amazed at how the Father's provided this family for me to live with for the month of September.

2- I'm loving learning Lao! I have fun teachers, and great classmates. Pictured below, you can see all of the consonants I put in order in class- all of which I can say and write and identify when I hear them! We've also learned most of the vowels at this point- quite a bit more difficult than the consonants... plus learning some basic conversations- introductions, bargaining, ordering food at a restaurant, etc. It's really exciting to start communicating in daily life :)

3- He provided a BICYCLE for me to use! I was SOOOO excited when a neighbor lent me Bethann's old bike (Bethann is Sarah's roommate and teaches here in Laos), and was pretty over-the-top excited about the ORANGE color of the bike! I especially love the front basket and back seat for an extra passenger :) Oh, and there's a little bell on it to announce that I'm coming through. Riding a bike is a great way to learn the streets and flow of traffic before riding a motorbike. I've really enjoyed pedaling along on TURBO!

So my life for this month will continue to include bike rides to/from Lao language classes, living with Me Sida and her son and two grandchildren, lots of cultural learning in daily life, as well as some orientation training type stuff with my new teammates who just arrived this week- the Ronzheimer family and Lindsey Nagel.

Thanks for your thoughts for all of us as we continue to adjust!