flags and posters near Patuxi
One unexpected thing that I’ve been missing from the States is fall (or autumn, as my Australian friends here would say). I’ve been missing the leaves changing colors, the crisp air, scarves, sweaters, boots, football games. But the seasons have notably changed here in the past two weeks, and fall is Laos is underway. The rain seems long gone, and the mornings and evenings are actually chilly, especially when riding on a motorbike. Though the daytime temperatures are still in the 70s and 80s, and the palm trees will never be changing colors, the change in seasons has made running errands and other parts of day to day life much more pleasant. Some of the heavy coats that I see Lao women driving with (usually worn backwards for whatever reason) still seem excessive, but I’ve been happily wearing pants some of the time.
November has brought other excitement to town as well. All this week there has been a Lao handicraft festival going on in a large shopping center not far from where we live. All sorts of crafts from the provinces are for sale there: homemade soaps, Hmong quilts, silk, silver jewelry, rattan, baskets, and wooden bowls, just to name a few things. I spent a good part of Monday afternoon wandering through the stalls and trying to not to spend all of my first paycheck. Also, preparations have been underway all over town for the celebration of the city’s 450th anniversary as the Lao capital, as I mentioned before. There are signs and banners around town, and Christmas lights lining the main boulevard. Lao and communist flags are at every street corner. When I first arrived, I was slightly taken aback to see so many red hammer and sickle flags. It seemed to me like some archaic Cold War symbol that I didn’t realize was still in use, but now I’ve gotten accustomed to seeing the banners outside every palatial government building.