Sunset over the Mekong- 6:27pm.
Sunset over the Mekong- 6:41pm.
Sunset over the Mekong- 6:54pm.
My return from July travels with my mom marked the beginning of a new era of my life here in Vientiane. When I came back, the two new Vientiane College fellows, Mike and Charlotte, had arrived, making me officially a second-year (although I haven’t actually been here for a full year yet). Over the course of the past few months, friends have been moving out of the city one by one, starting with Nanny in June, Alex in July, and Alex-girl this week. In the last few weeks the final Lao fellows for the year–Anna, Kyle, and Ilse–have all arrived, rounding out the Laos group at eight. While I’ve been sad to see good friends go, it’s also been exciting to meet new fellows, and it has caused me to reflect on my time here. It’s shaken up my routine a lot, which has certainly made me sad at times, but is a positive thing overall. Showing new people around has gotten me to revisit favorite places and good memories. Their enthusiasm and fresh eyes have encouraged me to branch out and notice things in the city that had previously gone overlooked. I’m almost jealous of all the new arrivals for getting to experience everything for the first time, as I remember my own excitement when I first arrived. But where was I one year ago now? I still had no idea there was even a possibility of me moving to Laos. So I certainly have so many unknowns to look forward to in the coming year.
Vientiane College
In addition to adjusting to many changes around here (including a move in the next few weeks), I’ve been kept busier than ever with Term 3 at Vientiane College. On the advanced level, I’m teaching Core 3 (Alex’s class, which deserves its own post at some point) again, as well as another Professional Writing class, this time about writing business letters, resumes, and memos. My two young learners classes are wildly entertaining. I have a young learners elementary-level class who I have now taught three terms since arriving. As a result, we are so comfortable with each other that planning is a breeze and the students are not shy at all to ask me, rather than the TAs, questions or definitions of new vocabulary, which is quite an accomplishment for many. My second YL class is at the pre-elementary level and is about space and dinosaurs–two topics that most kids (myself included) couldn’t be more excited about. My daytime classes from last term having ended (with several of my students earning AusAID scholarships!), I’m now teaching writing to the Army during the day. The class is a group of Lao military officers, many of them teachers at the military academies here, who are studying at VC for four terms to improve their English skills. The variety of classes I’m teaching this term, along with my other responsibilities at work, ensure that I haven’t been bored once during this transitional period.