Lao PDR Sabaidee!

Sunday, September 22, 9:45 am

Hello dear peeps! I've been in Laos since Tuesday night, and it's been a bit of a whirlwind/blur/onslaught. I'm still amazed and grateful for this "I couldn't have dreamed up a better wish" of an experience.

It was a 30 + hour door to door voyage -- from 3 am departure Monday in an Uber for LAX to 11:30 pm Tuesday arrival at the hotel in Vientiane. It's a good thing I didn't calculate the total time until today: it would have added to the fatigue.

I arrived with another English Language Fellow (ELF) who was traveling via Dallas. We met up in ShangHai for the last leg. Transit in ShangHai took 3 hours -- going out and then in again through customs and needing to pick up and recheck your bags. Also standing in line for an instant visa. I mention all this detail for those who are hopefully considering a visit here! Avoid China if at all possible.

The tourist visa for Lao PDR requires a passport photo which you glue on yourself and gets approved at the Wattay Airport Vientiane with payment of 40$. I'm here, at least for now, on a tourist visa. I will now explain why.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is not approving any visas or teaching assignments at the moment. 2024 has been the year when Laos is serving as chair for ASEAN -- kind of like an EU for this area of the world -- Brunei, Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They have wanted to focus on this responsibility, and are postponing usual business. In mid-October , Foreign ministers are coming to Vientiane for the annual conference. Antony Blinken is coming. So it's a big deal.

Our English teacher visas and placements are on hold until November. My ELF peer Sharon and I are going to be teaching at the American Center (an adjunct service of the US Embassy) in Vientiane; also the Fulbright teaching assistants will be joining us there too. (Fulbright ETAs are new college graduates and are assigned to schools as assistants. There are two ETAs going on to Pakse with me who will be assigned to the university where I'll be located as well as other schools).

The big issue for us has been to get out of the hotel and into cheaper housing so we don't spend too much of our budget here. The hotel here is nice, clean, doesn't feel too western, and has amenities. It has a great breakfast including congee, Lao noodle soup, morning salad and usual western fare. All for $40/day-- costs are very inexpensive.

I'll be crashing with Sharon in her flat when she moves in this week. It's next to a fancy mall near Talat Sao. (morning market). Sharon and I both start co-teaching next week 4-6 hours per day at the American Center. We're looking forward to it.

As some of you know my family lived in Vientiane 63-66. My memories are coming back, including some words from the patois my family and I learned to get around. I saw the outside of my old school. I tried to go to the cathedral today, but it was being rebuilt and I didn't see where the services were taking place. We used to notice that all the husbands would stand outside the cathedral smoking during mass, or be drinking at a cafe across the street while their wives and kids were inside. I kinda wanted to see that again. Maybe next Sunday.

Anyway, Lao people and culture are lovely - gracious and kind; I'm so looking forward to my adult brain understanding it more, especially the language. The food is like Thai food -- only with sticky rice and more soups like Pho, from what I can tell. But this is my first week's impressions.They also do great grilled sausages which are cooked in the open market. I will be trying those as they are fully cooked and safe. I am taking it slow with new foods until my body gets acclimated.

Getting around town is challenging despite good access with google maps.There are a lot of motor bikes and sidewalks are frequently interrupted with breaks, parked cars and scooters, small stands of food and fruit for sale in seemingly random spaces. This forces a walker carefully in to the street for a few paces every 100 meters or so. There are no street signs marked. Pedestrian crossing lights are faded or don't work. If there are traffic police, they are concentrating on the car traffic. And night time walking is very dark -- I'll be using an Uber type app unless it's clear walking. Safety challenges are from uneven pavement and traffic, not from the people.

I mention all the above for my friends and fam who may be interested in coming for a visit and may not be expecting such challenges. No complaint from me-- this is a developing country that I am excited to offer my services to, particularly to the youth directly by supporting their teachers. But I will not be posting about any challenges on FB or IG. Last week, much of the region suffered from flooding due to a typhoon, so that's why you may see sandbags in some of my photos that I posted earlier. Now for the past two days we have a tropical depression and it's been raining off and on. I'm actually fine with heat/humidity. For me, it's a lot easier than frigid winter, and like winter, you should limit exposure to 1 hour or so, and then come inside to cool off. At least two showers a day are de rigueur.. : )

I'll close for now. I'm so grateful for you all -- and knowing that you are there and part of my cherished Ann Arbor- Michigan- US life and home is such a comfort. Love to you!!

PS. The fellows and Fulbrights had a fabulous visit at the US Embassy Thursday. The embassy is a fortress which is to be expected now I guess. Ambassador Heather Variava is a fabulous leader. She's career FSO and spent 45 minutes with us despite her busy schedule.

The street near my hotel

That Dam -- an ancient stupa that was built as a symbol of protection for the Lao people from Siam invasions.This is near the American Center (former US Embassy where my dad worked) and where I'll be teaching for the next few weeks.