Lucky

Recent events:
- I got my kitten stolen by Vietnamese people
-I got new kittens
-Bringing my new kittens home I got a dog bite
-My new kittens are crazy
-I told my mom I got a dog bite
-My mom freaked out
- Chaos rained down
- My dog bite started turning green and got a little swolen
-I deduced I should go to the doctor
-I freaked out that I might have rabies
-I went to the doctor
-I don't have rabies.


  But the thing is that here in Laos if you do get bite by a dog it's no little thing and rabies are something that people here can die from.
  I could have died too, but I had medical attention and good medical attention.
  One day a ARDA one of the girls had a stomach ache. She had eaten payapa salad (which is pretty hard on your digestion, I would know I've gotten sick from it) and also pepsi. All the forgieners instanly thought oh it's just heartburn, but to the girls it was way more. She was rushed to the hospital and many of the girls were so worried that they cried. Going to the hospital is very serious here, due to the fact that the medical care for patients is not very good. For example my Lao grandmother. When I first came to Laos she was talking and walking and healthy, about two months later she was very ill she couldn't walk and talk and she was taken to the hospital multiple times. They ran tests and found that she had cancer. Then a couple weeks later she went back to the hospital and they said it was actually just an upset stomach. An upset stomach was highly unplausible due to the fact that she was close to death. And that is when I realized that the hospitals are trying but have now idea. Now to my point. I am truely so lucky to have health care and not be afraid when something happens because I have doctor and knowledgable people all around me. Where here the reality of getting sick might cause death. It again reminds me off how lucky we are in America.
This past week I read a book called Conflict by Nelson Rand, which talked about his experiences in south east asia as a journalist and seeing all the conflicts it holds. I hadn't even realized in the place I traveled to that there was so much conflict. Where we learn about World War 2 and all the horrors that happened there we don't even know of the horrible holocaust in Cambodia and the millions killed by the Khmer Rouge. In Laos hundreds of Hmong men were still fighting a war that was supposed to be finished almost fourty years before. In Thailand many were killed just for their race. It just amazes me the things we don't know and what we take for granted. While I was eating mac and cheese, Hmong families were eating tree pulp to stay alive. I am so lucky. I am also so thankful that I have a home and a family and a safe place to live with food and water. Where many families have no homes, no families and are never in a safe place and have to fight for their lives and even the food they eat. I recommend you read that book. It just shows how much we have to be thankful for. But also something to strive for to give back to others.
   The reality that I have a comfortable life back in America just keeps me accountable to what I am meant to do here. Millions of people don't have that reality. And it just reminds me that those millions of people are happy anyway. In the book it talks about how even in all their turmoil they still smiled and continued to strive for their freedom. The reality that we can be happy anywhere is something to also remember.
Things to remember: You are lucky, you can be happy anywhere and watch out for rabid dogs.

ARDA Skills

ARDA Skills 

Though I haven't talked about them very much I should because they are wonderful people and it is a wonderful place. Being there for about four months I have found wonderful friends and it has been a joy working there. Let me introduce the staff to you:

Anna and their youngest Simon

Kipp

Kipp and Anna:

Kipp is the director of skills and we have found that we are similar in many ways. He is from Colorado! And we have the same birthday! He and his wife share the same love of coffee as me. Anna is Kipp's wife and she went to North Park University the same place I am going! They have five children: Josiah, Asia, Levi, Kian and Simon. It has been wonderful to get to know their family and they have taken me under the wing.

Jaime teaching her business class 

 Jaime:

Jaime teaches business class and we teach English together this semester. It has been nice to have someone that is learning about Lao together and we can both struggle with language together. She has become a great friend this semester and been quite helpful.

 Heuang:

Heuang taught the cooking class last semester and she as well has become a good friend. Heuang has a loud laugh and she always makes me laugh. This semester she is helping around the office and so she has been helping me finish the skills cookbook to later give to the students as well as sell.

 Joy:

Joy is the administrative staff and as well teaches childcare and cleaning. She is also quite funny and her most recognizable quality is her fast speaking.

 Justin:

Justin teaches computers and auto shop as well he helps in the electricity class. Justin is also spirited and when with Subin it becomes chaos.

 Subin:

Subin is the translator and teaches the computer class with Justin. He has had a lot of work on his hands because of all of the American staff need lots of translating. The best way to describe Subin would be to call him blonde. He is quite gullible and that makes him all the more funny.

Pem and Tian:

Pem helps me in my sewing class and is wonderful at sewing as well as helping translate. In the future I will hand over the class to her and she will then teach sewing. She is also quite funny and makes me laugh with her learning English. She has been a joy to work with and it is good spending time with her. Tian is Pem's husband and he teaches the electricity class and helps in auto among other things.

English class

Some of the students

The students:

I teach all twelve of the girls for sewing. The girls names are Mee, Pha, Noy, Thoy, Boua, Sara, Souk hieng, Da, Nang, Pou, Melia and Yai. For English I teach the student leaders we call them the four. Which is Mee, Long, Tola and Se. In the class we have six students Ja, Koua, Pou, Noy, Boua and Thoy.

On Thursdays I teach sewing from 8-12

On Fridays I teach sewing from 8-10 and English from 10:10- 12

Hope that gives you more insight to my enjoyable time at ARDA Skills.  

We had a watermelon eating contest and Kipp though it would be funny to add some chicken on top. It surprised me.

Mee and Pha asking questions about the sewing machine

Watermelon eating contest next to me is Pem 

Me and Yai we had a game night at the Mekong