Writing a blog, trying not to doom scroll...

 Hello dear peeps!

It's election day.  But life goes on here in Laos.  Today, our Savannakhet cohort (3 ETAs, 1 ELF) flew south to meet their new home and host accompanied by US Embassy personnel.  They'll be having meetings at the university and at schools where they've been assigned. 

I had been working on this blog entry for the Department of State Community of Practice, and finished it today.  Here's a cut'n'paste of it with photos.  

****

Silver Linings Pay Off

What do you get when there’s a delay in getting visas and paperwork completed? Some might say limbo and demoralization.  But they would be wrong.


When 3 ELFs, 12 ETAs, 1 Research Fulbright arrived in Vientiane, Laos mid-September, they were greeted by a vibrant American Center Program in Vientiane, as well as US Embassy personnel, some of whom are new to the post, wanting to make connections happen, not only amongst staff, exchange members, but within the community at large. We had originally expected our large group to subdivide and go our different ways, within a couple weeks or so, to Savannakhet and to Pakse. 


Shortly after arrival, it was clear that paperwork would be delayed to beyond the ASEAN meetings of the first two weeks of October, which Laos was chairing this year. 


Yet, within days, all were invited to the ambassador’s residence to celebrate alumni from exchange programs.  Next, other invitations arrived:  Lao-lloween invitation, a Marine ball, teaching  programs at the American Center for ELFs and then for ETAs. 

The most satisfying of these occasions have been the informal occasions to get together, taking Lao lessons,  tours to Buddha Park, traveling to Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang,  trying out new restaurants, celebrating September and October birthdays, and more. 

Yesterday, we had our last group activity. We filled two vans to cross into Thailand and back to change our tourist visas to official ones, the first step to getting a longer term multi-entry visa which we all need. 




Today, the first province group took off for Savannakhet. The Vientiane and Pakse groups are missing them, but know this gift of forming and solidifying our full country Lao cohort  was  only  possible because it did not go according to plan.  Definitely a Silver Lining and a great pay off for the support we received, and the patience and flexibility that it took! 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gratitude for this Journey and Senior-Life Renaissance

Image
As I wrap up my last month and a half as an English Language Fellow (ELF) at Champasack University (CU) in Pakse, Laos, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I was placed here by the US Embassy and my host, the Education and English Department at CU , who assigned me last fall to teach pronunciation and phonetics to first-year English majors and to run a sustained schedule of workshops for faculty aiming to improve their English for participation in international conferences. Some background: It was December 2024 when I applied to the ELF program. It was a last minute, end- of-year personal challenge—I was hoping for another overseas English-teaching adventure, after a gap since I taught overseas in Slovakia in 2012. It had been eleven years since I earned my Master's of TESOL from Eastern Michigan University and first taught English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in Michigan at the Michigan Language Center in Ann Arbor. Living and teaching abroad, immersing myself in a new c...
Read more

A Cross-Campus English Faculty Program at Champasack University

Image
(This highlight was written for  and uploaded to the Department of State's English Language Program's Community of Practice Web platform)   The Certificate Ceremony on June 30th Talo gets a well-earned certificate  Instructors from each of the six faculties at Champasack University were invited to participate in an intermediate-level English class designed to develop communicative competence, with a focus on speaking and listening. The course was developed and taught by English Language Fellow Julie Dean, who was asked to create a curriculum grounded in communicative language teaching methods and tailored to the needs of university instructors. Faculty members from departments such as Engineering, Law and Public Administration, Economics and Management, Agriculture and Forestry, Natural Sciences, and Education frequently attend international conferences in the region, where English is often the primary language used for presentations, discussions, and conference materials...
Read more

Introduction to Student Teaching Methods: Supporting Future Teachers in Lao PDR

Image
(This highlight was written for  and uploaded to the Department of State's English Language Program's Community of Practice Web platform)   For a second-year class of English Teaching majors at Champasack University, English Language Fellow Julie Dean co-taught the final 10 weeks of a 16-week course titled Introduction to Teaching Methods , alongside her counterpart, Ms. Somchith Vongphachanh. The course followed the university’s curriculum and textbook, which was written in both Lao and English. Having the materials in two languages helped beginner-level English students better grasp the pedagogical concepts. Key topics included teacher talk time vs. student talk time, when and how to use Lao in the English classroom, using games to enhance learning and increase student participation, and how to give simple, clear instructions in English. Lessons emphasized understanding these ideas through acitive engagement and  practice in class. This was particularly important as mos...
Read more