Merry Christmas From Laos!

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was unique...one we'll always remember.

There was none of the hustle and bustle we're accustomed to in America. We woke up and everyone around us did everything as usual....the adults were going to work, the children were going to school, nothing seemed special about the day. It was a little disappointing, but at the same time it was refreshing because it reminded us that Christmas isn't about all the warm fuzzies, it's about reflecting on and rejoicing in our Savior.

 We did get to enjoy some of our traditions from the States:

we decorated a tiny Christmas tree,

 made lots of yummy candies,

gave gifts to friends,

ate lots of good food,

.

and even got to sing Christmas songs in front of a lot of people!

Baan Muan Na

     We have finally gotten settled into our new house!! Baan Muan Na is the name of our neighborhood. It's very exciting to have our own place to call home after visiting many guest houses. We have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big kitchen, a living room, and a dining area.

  Here's our living room (it came with that TV:).

This is our dining area.

Here's one of our guest bedrooms, for any of you who want to come visit!

Here's the kitchen.  ITS A WORK IN PROGRESS!

Bread Baking and Inom Stories

  I had the chance to go to our friend's bakery and "help" bake bread.  I thought it'd be good practice for me to go work with her and her helper and listen to their Lao. It was a blast. I slowed down the process a good bit, but they were exceptionally gracious.
   The process includes making dough, rolling it into loaves, letting it rise, putting it in the oven, letting it cool, slicing it, and finally packaging it for sale. They have an incredibly efficient system, which I slowed considerably. You should have seen me trying to throw the dough up and roll it into a perfect little ball...it was quite humorous. They had to show me countless times. I got to make my own loaf. It was not quite as pretty as theirs, but it tasted just as delicious.
   It was a great time of laughter, talking, learning, and getting to know each other better. I look forward to going back tomorrow.
  After class, we got a call from our dear friend Mina. She invited us to dinner at what she called KFC. The place served incredible fried chicken. We took careful note of the location! We love to visit with Mina and the boys. There's always a good story to hear of what Inom, her three year old, has been up to. Last time he had taken his offering and bought cooked corn and sweet potatoes for lunch. This time he decided he didn't want to go to school. Mina left him with her cousin before school, only to come to find him still with her in the afternoon. He had the tiniest booboo on his knee, which he told his cousin disabled him from walking. A miracle occurred in the afternoon, however, when the time came for dinner at the KFC. He could walk! Amazing! We get such a kick out of him.

Halloween

  Last week, we had our first experience bargaining with the taxi, or tuk tuk, drivers. We think we got a pretty good deal for foreigners:) The prices vary considerably for foreigners. In order to ride through the streets near our hotel, we have to cover our faces because of all the dust. We're hardly recognizable.

 On Halloween, Michael and I searched nearly all of the foreigner minimarts for the ingredients to make pizza. One of our new friends, Ta, is a baker and she's interested in learning to make pizza, so Michael agreed to teach her. The most difficult thing for us to find was the mozzarella cheese for a reasonable price. We finally found all we needed and used Ta's bakery to cook. We had a great time and the pizza was delicious, or "saap"(pronounced with an elongated short a sound).

That Luang

   Yesterday we went to the That Luang Festival with our friend Mina and her two boys. The That Luang festival is celebrated among monks and laypeople all over Laos. It is a time when the Buddhists burn incense and give alms to gain merit for the afterlife. It lasts for several days. It was similar to a fair in the states. There was lots of food and other vendors selling all different kinds of things.
  When we first arrived, everyone was making a big fuss over something we couldn't understand, but it turned out that the president of Laos was passing a few meters away from us. How exciting:) 
  We walked around, Inom on Michael's shoulders, checking it all out. Then the boys rode bumper cars - which Michael compared to an actual head-on collision, and he has the bruises to prove it. We ate dinner together, which consisted of lots of sticky rice, grilled chicken, and some other dishes I can't say. Mina and the boys ate one of the foods we read about before we came that we said we'd rather not partake of. It is an egg with a somehow cooked baby chicken inside of it. Isaac seemed to enjoy it. Mina ordered one for us, but she sent them back when she correctly read our body language and facial expressions.
  It was a fun night to top off a pretty hectic day. We relocated to a hotel yesterday, which involved repacking and unpacking a lot of stuff. Baw pen yang..... Lao for no problem:) The place is very nice, but we already miss our surrogate family.

Our first week

     We've gotten settled in to our temporary home for language study. Our host family has been very welcoming and hospitable. We're learning to do things the Lao way:) One new thing we're learning to do is take dip bathes. You use a scoop and a barrel of water to take your shower. We're also learning to eat the Lao way, which is to use your fingers and dip in community bowls.
     Our language study has been great. We have class every day from 1:30 to 4:45. We've learned all of the consonants and next week we'll study the vowels. We've also learned to introduce ourselves and say some basic conversation phrases. It's still difficult for us to order food or ask for things at the store. Yesterday, Michael thought he was asking for water and they offered him milk.
    Last night, Michael made chocolate covered pecans and we took them to our neighbors. The kids loved them. The little boy had chocolate all over his face. The children there are helping us with our Lao. They get a real kick out of us. The man of the house gave us Lao names. Michael is Sai and I am Duan. Sai means winner and Duan means moon.
   Michael has gotten pretty good as driving the motorbike. The traffic near our house has been crazy!! We're making it in one piece from home to school to the one coffee place we know how to get to. It has been a real adventure.

We've just arrived in Laos. We've reunited with our good friends Jason and Beth in this warm and welcoming country. It has been a dream come true thus far! We'll get some pictures on here in a day or two.