A month or so into second semester already and I haven't told you how it's going? Sorry about that. It's not that I'm terribly busy or couldn't make it to an internet cafe. I'm not sure what the reason is, so I won't make one up but instead I'll fill you in on some going-ons.
1.) I readjusted my schedule at the school just a bit so that I could take small groups of students out to study with-- 15 or 20 instead of the 30-60 that are in the classroom. I'm a big fan of small groups and feel like it is possible that my students may learn something this semester and may enjoy it because we can play games and actually practice speaking together and all without too much chaos. It is, however, exhausting to play games for hours (who knew) and I've struggled with having only a shared space to use for the small groups. So, this week, we did worksheets and games in class and it went surprisingly well. Maybe I'll rotate between different teaching techniques.
2.) I went to Thailand last weekend, which sounds like a big deal, but it was really only a two hour drive. Still, it was a good break to get a change of scenery, to eat soft-serve ice cream (DQ hasn't made it to Laos), and to visit a World Heritage sight where they found some ancient pottery-- evidence of an ancient civilization in SE Asia. The history of the world is fascinating, or what we can piece together of it with all our scientific methods and inferences. I've been out of the world of science for a while, but it is remarkable that we can have an idea of how people formed their pots, annealed their metals, cared for their teeth, etc. based on testing things we find all these years later.
3.) It was also good to come back from Thailand and its loud malls and chain restaurants to the peace of Vientiane. Sure, things get loud when people have a party (huge speakers are set up, perhaps so the whole neighborhood can hear the music and announcements, perhaps so that people don't have to make awkward small talk, I'm not sure), but there is a peace even about this capital city that is nice to return to.
4.) I was sick for a time with some stomach trouble. It wasn't pleasant but could have been much worse and the medicine I had handled things quite well. Besides which, it seems downright lucky, really, to have been here for six months before having any illness to speak of. To assume I should be able to go the whole way without need of bedrest would have been quite arrogant.
5.) Women's Day was celebrated on March 8th. It was a national holiday, in some places only for the women but at my school we all got a break. The day before we had a celebration at the school. I'm not sure that it was related but there was a singing competition in the morning, with students dressing in traditional costume and performing Lao songs, occasionally
with backup fauners (traditional dancers) adding to the fun. Then, in the afternoon, there was a volleyball game and a meal
together. I didn't play in the competitive game, but hit the ball around a bit afterwards with
some students who were hanging out.
6.) The government has been responding to worries about avian flu by culling birds in the area. People often have chickens and ducks in their yards so government workers have been visiting neighbors quite diligently. Compensation is low-- half of what people would have gotten at the market for their animals, which could hit people who need this source of income quite hard. But hopefully these measures prevent any spread of the disease here in Laos.
I'll tell more tidbits another day soon, I hope. My parents will be here next week and surely tell their stories when they return to the U.S. so
you won't have to only rely on these few written words.
Peace,
Renee
Some of my fellow teachers took me on a weekend trip to a temple overlooking the Mekong River. Here we are: Sonxay, next to me, works with me at Nita School. He's holding his daughter and standing next to his wife. Khamphet's wife is on the right. He is another co-worker of mine and took this photo for us. 
About 100 of us from Nita School took a field trip. We didn't make it to the waterfall we hoped to see and swim beneath, but wound up at a different temple also overlooking the Mekong River. This is a small group of the field trippers-- Sonxay and Panmaha are P.4 teachers. The students are all in P.4, one of my favorite age groups at the school.
