Jao sabaidee boh?

In exactly three weeks, my feet will be planted in Vientiane soil and my hands touching the lazy Lao sky. Time has deftly carried me through Washington, DC, before I have even scratched its surface. But over these past three months, I've made loyal, everlasting friends and learned telling lessons, such that I can only look towards the next three months with wider eyes and a bigger heart for them.

This week was a rush of preparation for Laos, from figuring out travel/visa issues to discussing research protocols/logistics with the field team to sussing out the difference between "deh" and "deeh"...to even looking for a motorbike helmet that won't make me look terribly like a matchstick! Without a doubt, the fieldwork will be rewarding beyond my current imagination. And my housing situation, for which I can only thank my colleagues in Laos, will be phenomenal. You must come visit!!

Today was my third Lao language lesson with Bounchanh who works across the street from me and fills my head with Lao phrases and cultural tidbits in exchange for lunch. Shhh, I think I'm getting the better deal! I will have a translator, but I want to be able to communicate and build rapport with my Lao colleagues in their own language. I learned the importance of that as an English teacher in Japan. そうだね！

Lao is a tonal language with six tones, although so far I've only been able to hear five (still, one up on Chinese's four!). I won't bother with reading/writing, but the grammar is surprisingly simple, with similarities to both Chinese and Japanese. Bounchanh is a great teacher, and I look forward to showing you the difference between a chicken and a duck next week!