Chains

A year ago I was standing on a field in a purple robe and  throwing a graduation cap. Yesterday I was in a sihn and a flower pinned to my skirt. A year exactly has passed from graduating high school. Yesterday was a day for nostalgia not only because I graduated but also because my students graduated. That is funny to say because just a year ago I was a student and now I am teaching them. I have been in Laos for nine months and have gotten to know these wonderful people and now it is time to part. These  wonderful students have taught me so much, are such joys to teach and have made my time here is Laos the best it could be and I will miss them immensely.

Mee and Pha

Yai and Noy

Pou

Soukieng

Boua and Thoy

 I have recently been reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, I felt a necessity to start reading all the classics. There was this quote that has really been sticking with me:

"Imagine one selected day struck out of it, but think how different its course would have been. Pause and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."

It really did make me pause and think about the chains that we create in our lives. The faithful day I decided to come to Laos and graduation and coming to Laos and the day I left my family. These chains have linked to so many things in my life. And thinking about graduation and how many chains this will cause in my students lives, the things that they have learned at ARDA have created links for their future already. Think about how different life would be if I went to school, if I chose a different chain? I am glad I chose this chain because I wouldn't change this experience for the world. Getting to know and love these students has truly made my year here. The experience I have had here hopefully in the future will create chains to come back to Laos. This  year I though would just be a nice time away to learn and grow and serve these people but in reality God is making chains for the future. When I first came I thought that I would be the one teaching but I have learnt so much for these students. So here is to the chains we create and to the future!

Things I will miss

It seems crazy to think that I only have about two more months in Laos! I am happy to be going home but also sad to say goodbye to this beautiful place. Here are my top ten things I will miss:

1. ARDA Skills.
My students, the staff, sewing class, dinner at skills, bible studies, English class, puppy, the Lor's. All of it I will miss so much.

2. Green Mangos
Green mangoes are my favorite snack. They are unripe and sometimes they can be sweet and sometimes sour. You dip them in jeo which is sauce and the sauce to the left is chili with sugar ( MSG too but I try to not admit that I eat it) and to the right is 'nam pha' which means fish water but it has squid juice, red peppers and other spices. Sounds kinda gross but it's actually good. At ARDA we have a mango tree so in April we had mangoes almost every day! The sad thing is there are no green mangoes in America so I will miss them quite a lot.




3. Jeo.
These are my two favorite foods in Laos. Jeo means sauce in Lao. To the left is eggplant and to the right is tomato. You dip these in sticky rice. We tend to have jeo everyday or maybe three times a week. There are many other types of jeo too but these are my favorite. I have even tried frog jeo and cricket jeo!




4. Kinley, Rachel, Crystal.
The girls that have become my family here. I will miss each one dearly.




5. Motorbike
I have actually gotten to enjoy going on my motorbike, though at first I was scared now it is nice to have freedom and explore the streets of Vientiane.



6. Nita students.
So cute and sometimes naughty I have enjoyed spending time with them and now that it's coming to the end I know that I will miss them. They keep asking me lately " Can I come back home with you?" It's so cute and breaks my heart.


7. MCC Staff.
Working and spending time with them has been so fun. I will miss staff meetings and all the time that I have gotten to spend time with them.



8. Host family
 All my cousins and aunts and uncles and especially Patty.



9. Vientiane/ all I have visited
I will miss the great city of Vientiane and all of Laos and it's beautiful countryside.





10.Friends
I have had the pleasure of meeting lots of friends in Laos and I will miss them quite a lot.





I read this quote that was talking about leaving a place and that it's true you that you will miss that place but you will also miss what you were doing and who you spent it with but you will also miss who you were at this time because another time like this will never happen again and the time you spend there is now a part of you. I have been thinking about this lately and finding it true that this is the only time in my life where this will be this and I can't come back here and it be all the same. It has seemed weird to me that life goes on in America and of course it does. I keep expecting life back in America to be the same but it won't be and so sometimes I get scared but in reality I shouldn't be scared. And plus I have already left there and have already moved on without even acknowledging it. So why would I have to worry? Why would I have to be scared when I have Jesus on my side and when I have already have done something much more scary. You see this is only the beginning of my life and I have so many adventures to live. So here is to one adventure ending and a new one starting. I'll miss you Laos!