Is the sky spinning or is it just my entire world? Vientiane is amazing. The people are so wonderful and welcoming that it’s hard not to immediately fall in love. It’s like any other bustling city where the tourism has started to take its toll on that welcoming spirit, but it’s still there if you show the Lao people that you are trying.

The first week has come and gone, and yet I feel as though I’ve been here much longer. It’s such a bizarre feeling to become so familiar with a town and its people, and not even be able to speak the language. I feel so at home, and yet I am called Fa Lang (foreigner in Lao) almost everywhere I go.

We are spending the first two weeks at the Douang Deuane Hotel, before learning which school and city we will be placed in. We are required to go to Lao language class each day, which has become one of my favorite parts of the day. Aside from class, we attend orientation at the American Center each morning to discuss specific topics such as housing, safety, appropriate dress, transportation, and even life as a monk.

Aside from the overflow of information, we have some activities scheduled as part of our orientation. Friday night being one of the first, we were invited to Amelia’s (a Deputy Foreign Affairs Officer) house for a baci ceremony. And if you have the time, you should read this quick summary of what a baci ceremony is: https://www.laos-guide-999.com/baci-ceremony.html.

The ceremony was to welcome us and bless us as we move forward with the coming year in Laos. We were welcomed to sit around a Pha Khuan (a beautiful pot filled with marigolds and many offerings/candies) while a Mor Phon (elder or monk) chanted and prayed, calling for the 32 spirits of each guests’ body to come back together in harmony. There was a lot of smiling and laughing as we tied white string around each other’s wrists, blessing each other. There were also many community members and employees from the U.S. embassy there who participated as well.

The Pha Khuan

The Mor Phon calling our spirits back together

Tying white string around our wrists to bless one another

I feel so blessed that we were invited to be the recipients of such a beautiful and meaningful ceremony. I hope that this is the first of many.

Some housekeeping notes: I’ve included more pictures and captions from my first week on the page above titled, “Wanderlaos”. I apologize for not being quicker to post – it’s a little overwhelming to move from one continent to another! Also, I now have a Laotian SIM card, so I am not getting any messages to my US phone number – if you need to contact me, please use Facebook messenger!

ດ້ວຍ​ຮັກ (With love),

Claire