On Coming Home

Not an easy thing, this coming home business. A bit exhausting physically and emotionally to say good-byes and then to travel for 29 hours and arrive in a world that is 12 hours delayed, tens of degrees cooler, several shades less vibrant, with rules to the road, and (as yet) no Lao language to be heard, no sinhs to be seen (the traditional Lao skirt), and no sticky rice to be eaten.

Not to say that I don't appreciate cars that stay in their lanes, Life cereal and French toast for breakfast, blueberries and cherries for snacktime, and conversations in English. All these things and the anticipation of seeing friends and family after leaving this re-entry retreat at MCC's offices in Pennsylvania make my heart glad. The cool breeze last night was enough to make me laugh happily... but it is always hard to leave a place where you've gotten to know new people, new things, and a new side of yourself.

A friend ended their blog after leaving Laos. I don't think I'll follow suit. I imagine there might be a few adventures yet ahead even though I no longer live in a foreign country, so when there are stories or insights that come along and ask to be shared, I'll honor their requests. I imagine that as I hear from the other fifty people who are coming back from their years in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, there might be some remarkable tales of how God has been working and how we've been trying to see and participate in that work. I've already heard of health lost and regained (more or less, some bodies are still fighting off their parasites...), of cultural mishaps and lessons, language limitations and acquisitions, the adventures and mundane moments of living overseas. I'm looking forward to more.

Peace,
Renee

What I'll Miss (Abbreviated)

I had grand plans to make a list of the many things I will miss and won't miss when I'm back in America, but now I've run out of time and have to run off to do trivial things like pack my bags. Maybe once I'm home, I'll reflect more, but for now I'll say what comes most quickly to mind...

-- small surprises, like buying yogurt in un-American flavors like coconut and grape

-- never being far from a repair shop so that when the chain drops on my motorbike or my tire goes flat, I don't have to push it far to a kind man who'll tighten this or patch that, usually for 50 cents

-- the joy of coolness when you are really hot, whether from stepping into air-conditioning, from being blown by the wind as you drive your motorbike, the cold water of your shower or (better yet) from a river or swimming pool

-- my students, who claim to love me despite lessons that are a stone's throw from smooth and polished and especially those at Nita who loved me despite my inability to communicate in the classroom or out of it

-- the Lao language, which sounded like noise to me for the first month, but in which I can now hear some music (and of which I can now make some sense)

-- my co-workers at Nita who helped teach me Lao and take me to Lao festivals, who shared with me their favorite foods, sometimes sacrificing a chile or two for my sake, who knew how hard it was to teach 60 students in one class but did it gracefully

-- Lao food and the way that you eat it with your hands and never eat it alone but all gather together and share from one or two plates, one or two sticky rice baskets; all that is worth the fact that you're never entirely sure what animal or what part of it you are eating or where the plant life was gathered from

-- my fellow volunteers at MCC and ARDA who are lovely, in a word, and from whom I learned to love coffee and to trust more faithfully in God and to know Laos more deeply; who I also had a lot of fun times and good talks with

-- my motorbike

Winding Down

It is hard to believe but I have less than two weeks left. You'd think that that would inspire me to do all those things that I've been meaning to do but happily I think that that list is relatively small. And I'll get to those few things next week...
In the meantime, I'm filling my time with lessons and lesson planning-- a morning and evening class give me only an awkward midday break. My three morning students are quite brilliant and we've enjoyed most of the classic language learning games out there. My five regular evening students (adults) act as though they appreciate my rambling attempts to explain English grammar and business writing, even though I lack a bit of expertise in both of those areas. I love to read their compositions and see what funny phrases pop into their writing and I'm glad that I can chat with them in English before and after class.
I've also been saying a lot of good-byes. Most of the MCC volunteers have left the country, either for brief visits to family at home or, in the case of Ben and Alisa, to resettle themselves in Canada. Many other expats have also headed home for the summer, so I've been more than busy with final outings (a lovely weekend visiting caves in Vong Vieng) and farewell meals. Happily, there's a good community at the school where I work now and the dorm where I live now, so I'll not feel too lonely. Plus there's relationships in Thong Pong, where I taught all year. It was a hard year working and living there, but it is a lot of fun visiting at this point.
If I sound happy, it's because I am. I can look back on my year with peace that the hard parts are over, with gratefulness for all the goodnesses, and with joy at what lies ahead.