Amazing thing for Saturday

Of course I had great plans for getting out of the house early, going for a bike ride, cleaning, shopping, reading, doing some school assignments (I'm in a distance learning public health program). Stayed up too late last night, woke up at 9:30 am and dawdled. Read some more of Mortals but haven't gotten out of the house yet. Though I did get grossed out by the carelessness of kittens so spent a few hours cleaning.

My landlady's daughter in law came over. I don't know her real name but everyone knows her as Mae Waew or "Waew's Mother." My landlady's other daughter, Keo, who went to the US as a refugee now works in a casino in Atlanta City (I don't know her job position and have never asked) either comes over here or sends money with other relatives every year. Mae Waew just told me that she had come in person during the time that I was in Xieng Khouang. But she thought of me and had brought a Christmas gift - a one cup coffee maker in a bright red. 

I'm still smiling.

Amazing things for the day - Thursday and Friday

Someone asked me why I've stayed in Laos for eleven years. I answered that my work is meaningful and fascinating and something amazing happens every day. So I decided I should keep track of the amazing things that happen.

Thursday's thing

I spend all my time in the provinces and when I come to Vientiane, it's for meetings. I don't often get a chance to look up from what I'm doing to meet up with friends. So on Thursday, I walked to a restaurant for lunch. I ran into my boss who told me that a friend of ours was at that restaurant. Along the way, I met up with another friend who had, I thought, left Laos for good - and now he's back. In front of the restaurant, I bumped into another friend and we were joined by a third. By the time I got into the restaurant, the person I wanted to meet was gone but I was happy to have met the other folks.

So today's amazing thing was:
I had to get some information about inclusive education and called someone I had never met. We talked about her program and how my project could help kids with disabilities get into the schools supported by her project. Then we talked about general things. At the end of an hour, we finally hung up and I felt happy to have made a new contact - and a new friend.