An Update on My Daily Life

Dear family, friends and readers,

It's hard to believe that six months have come and gone since I arrived in Laos! Sometimes I shake my head with astonishment at this realization and other times it seems that I have lived here for years and years. I realize that I have become so accostomed to my life here that I forget to share with all of you about the simple but beautiful things that fill my life here.

As the months pass, my days become fuller and fuller. At work in the MCC office, I am busy writing stories to be sent to the MCC communications department, working on the research concept paper for our conflict resolution project, as well as writing funding proposals for a new library and peace information center which will be built at the school where I teach English. In February I also got to assist in hosting an MCC group which was visiting from North America as well as doing some travelling to MCC project sites (as I mentioned in my past entry).

At Ponsinuane Primary School, in the afternoons, I am teaching English in full swing. After months of practice I'm finally beginning to feel confident and effective in my teaching. I fill my classes with games, songs and stories, in an effort to provide stimulation to children who have spent the day sitting on a hard wooden bench and staring straight ahead. In the past little while I have been teaching about colours, verbs in the present continuous tense and animals. After school, I've been enjoying playing a supportive role while the teachers lead games, storytelling, singing and traditional dance sessions. On Saturdays, young adult volunteers came to the school to help make mud bricks for the new library and peace information center that we are building. It's hard and dirty work but it's also lots of fun!

By the time I make the half hour commute home each day, it's after five and I'm generally exhausted. Luckily, a few hugs from my little brothers give me a fresh burst of energy for the evening. At 5 years old, Isaac is quite a mischievious little guy. He loves to play outside and ride his bike when he gets home from his English kindergarten. 1 year old Joshua is blurting out more words each day (in English and Lao). Recent phrases include "one, two, free, four, five kicks" and "Jedjee, love you!". I also love spending time with 15 year old foster girls Kai and Gai who are eager to learn as much English as possible. My host sister Mina has just opened a tiny new restaurant, so things around our house have gotten even busier. We now spend a lot of time and eat a lot of meals at the restaurant.

Somehow I keep finding the time to spend a few hours every week at Lao language school and I really love studying Lao! I'm far from fluent, but I'm beginning to feel confident in the language of daily life. My spelling is attrocious but learning to read and write in Lao has been really exciting and I can see the progress that I'm making each week. Studying Lao is also a good way to make friends, as children from my school, family and community love to help me with my homework.

To keep myself grounded and focused (and to have fun), it's wonderful to have a group of other young MCCers to spend time with, as well as spending time running, reading, writing and singing.

So, there is an overview of how my life is looking these days. If it sounds overly optimistic then I guess that reflects the way of been feeling lately. Yes there are times when I'm homesick or lonely, yes there are times when my English classes flop, yes there are times when the Lao language leaves me confused and bewildered or the baby won't stop crying, but for the most part, I am happy to be exactly where I am. I hope that this letter finds you all well and thanks to all of you for your continued prayers!

In Peace,

Jessica