This week I have nearly doubled my vocabulary through the discovery of the term “ki”. If you put this word in front of nearly any noun it means the bad part of that thing. For example if you put in front of the word for nose (dung) ie kidung … it means snot! In front of the word for fingernail (lipmehr) ie kilipmehr … the dirt under your fingernail. In front of the word for ear (whoo) ie kiwhoo … ear wax! You can let your imagination run wild with that one … and you will probably be right!
Well as I write this entry I am feeling large amounts of pleasure that my stomach can now digest happily again. A bit of a phou nying (girl’s) night out was had on the weekend and some very dodgy seafood laksa was consumed. Anyway … all’s good that ends well. On Monday I stayed home due to feeling decidedly off colour and wanting to lay very low. So you know how in Aus when we are feeling sick or sad we generally want to be left to deal with our misery alone???? … not the same here! I had a continual stream of large groups of visitors all day as word got around that Ajan Katie mii jep tong! I did my best to smile and be nice but who wants to have a conversation when you feel like you are about to faint or throw up??!!! Apparently Lao people do … but this Aussie girl does not! Anyway I now have a kitchen full of sticky rice balls, oranges, bananas and apples … good recovery food and very thoughtful actions.
On Friday night I went to a basi … which is a ceremony they do when anything vaguely interesting or sad happens ie someone leaving town, baby born, new house, someone dies etc etc In this case, a Canadian friend who has been working in town for a few weeks was leaving. Very intriguing experience … lots of ceremonial talk and what appeared to be people wrapping us up in long bits of cotton! Then everyone goes around and ties pieces of cotton around each other’s wrists, wishing each other good luck, good health, good finance etc Because I was the only other falang there they of course all got it stuck in their heads that myself and the Canadian bloke should be getting married. So suddenly they found some special robe for me (even though it wasn’t my basi) and made sure at every other second Rob (the Canadian bloke) and I were sitting close together, talking together etc etc!! All very amusing.
Most afternoons after work different groups of students and/or teachers play extremely competitive games of soccer right outside my house. (Actually as a side note, I have noticed some girls doing some training at some ridiculous hour in the morning when it is barely light, so I have joined them on a couple of occasions which has been fun. Might have a run with them one day soon!) Anyway, last Friday, the teachers from my office played and won their match. In normal tradition they celebrated by sharing a bottle of lao lao (sticky rice whiskey). Normally this stuff is clear but this time it was bright red. So I was thinking that maybe it was some tasty blend of local berries soaked in whiskey … but oh no … I enquired to discover it was the normal whiskey but blended with fresh goat’s blood! Normally I am open to attempting most culinary delicacies but here I drew a line … and pulled my vegetarian draw card. As I have mentioned to some of you, it was very difficult trying to explain in my limited language how goat’s blood still comes under the definition of non-vegetarian food!
Some of my lovely Lao girlfriends ready to hit the “discotheque”! Such a different experience to going out on the Goldie. We all met at my house for some green tea and sunflower seeds (who wants champagne and brie anyway) and then jumped on our motorbikes to high tail it through the rice fields into Happy Beer … the local hip watering hole in town.
A few little stories for you …
(1) I spent many hours cooking up a storm for two dinner parties this week … and each time hardly anyone ate anything. I finally managed to ask why … and they looked at me very strangely and said “we are full because we have already eaten at home”! So I thought maybe that I didn’t communicated properly that I had asked them for dinner and they said yes that they had understood but in Laos tradition you must always eat at home first before going to someone elses house to eat … this way you don’t put too much pressure on the people’s house that you are going to. Dinner parties are apparently just for talking not eating! They looked at me very strangely when I said that I never eat before going to someone’s house for dinner … in fact I’m thinking that maybe I look very rude because I am eating too much???? Aaargh …
(2) Some of the teachers have been on a week (JUST a week) teaching practicum. None of them went to the last day of their placements however because they were having all day celebrations and parties to celebrate the end of their WEEK practicum!
(3) So I thought that no one in Laos ever went running … until one morning this week, one of the trainee teachers wanted to go for a run with me … but wanted to meet and 5.00am … I negotiated 5.30am, still feeling incredibly noble. When I met him in the freezing, misty weather there were loads of people out and about running and just arriving BACK HOME having already been out for a run … at who know’s what time! People must thing I’m lazy for only going at 6.00am!
(4) I arranged to meet a friend for lunch last weekend at Midday. I was worried because I was going to end up being 15 minutes late so of course tried to call and sent a text through. Anyway … I arrived at 12.15 and waited for about half an hour and decided she must have forgotten … so I went ahead and ordered food on my little lonesome. Eventually she turned up at 1.30pm and wanted to know why I hadn’t waited for her before ordering! I told her that I thought she had forgotten and she said, “Oh no, I just had some things to do and wanted to talk to my brother”. Why is it that I always come out of these situations looking like the strange one???!!! As I have said before, what is normal to some is strange to others and vice versa!
Met an American guy in town this week who is up here doing some research for his PhD. Was so lovely to talk in fluent English! There is no one here in town who has English as their first language so my vocab is seriously diminishing. I need to start reading some books with some really big words! So anyway had him and some other Laos people over for dinner which was great.
Went on a little dirt biking road trip to Vieng Phouka this weekend … amazing scenery but just a little stressful for poor little inexperienced me! Some photos below …
So my first bit of dirt bike riding was had this weekend … and let’s just say that this photo shows an incredibly good stretch of road. I’d like to say I wasn’t stressed at all but I never have backed myself too highly with mechanical equipment! This is the road to Vieng Phouka … only 50 kms but took about 3 hours, and my clothes were completely covered head to toe in red dust and mud upon arrival. Amazing scenery though with the road snaking down the hills into the valley and back up.
View out the window of my little guest house in Vieng Phouka … apologies about the horizontal viewing but computer is being very annoying
Pierre, Natalie, Lara and Mika … lovely friends from Belgian who also live in Luang Nam Tha.
I actually heard myself utter the words “home” when referring to Luang Nam Tha yesterday … which has gotta be a good thing. Has been a bit tricky readjusting to life away from all things familiar and comfortable but every time I start feeling a bit isolated something nice always comes my way. Today for example I was feeling a bit that way so I went for a run and passed a little noodle shop that I go to a bit … and the lady came running out and wanted to know where I had been and brought me in to give me some water and tried to feed me noodle soup. So beautiful. Feeling a bit weird also this afternoon so jumped on my bike to go for a ride and passed a house where I know a couple of the girls and they made me stop and come and join them and their family to eat papaya salad (dtum mak hoong). So you can see that I am living in a pretty special place with very thoughtful people. All these transactions happened in Lao as well so you know, I am getting better!
I have started a new project … Have decided to organise the first inaugural Luang Nam Tha marathon! For two purposes … one to give me a bit of a reason to keep getting up in the morning to run (because it is cold and misty now!) and two to raise money to start building the resources at the Teacher Training College where I am working. So you will be hearing from me on this topic, so keep your ears pealed! If you feel like making history and being a part of it, it is tentatively planned for late Feb early March next year.
A few shots for you below …
Not possible for clear water with the amount of rain over the last little while … and I know you people in Aus aren’t interested in the term “too much rain”. Surely some scientist can work out how to spread it around the world just a little more evenly???
I have been out of action for a while as I decided very spontaneously to do a quick trip home for a very special friend’s wedding … Kyles. I was in Aus for 5 days but will be away 12 days in total in the long trek back and from my little town. Still not home!
Thanks so much to my special Goldie friends for the awesome surprise bday party as well!! So unexpected and so lovely!
I have put some photos of Kyle’s wedding below for those of you that know her. More stories soon …
Filed under: Updates
Two birthday celebs in my time back home!
Rach Kate Fi … just a few of the wonderful friends I was able to catch up with at Kyle’s wedding
