Countdown: 1 Day

I am armed with my teaching materials, ukelele, red plastic jump rope and yoga mat...plus a few other things; more than Johnny Appleseed but less, I think, than Marco Polo.

Countdown: 3 Days

It is all taking shape now. Suitcases are pretty much packed (hopefully I won't get any flak about the weight limits!) and loved ones have been informed about the blog. Taking anti-malaria pills begins tomorrow. I'm trying to look at it all as a wide-ranging conversation with family and friends, old and new, on both sides of the seas. I'm hoping I will be equal to the tasks at hand. I feel undergirded by each of you and very much led by One so much greater than myself. Thank Goodness. Po Vang, my host, assures me I will be met at the Vientiane airport Thursday afternoon by two trusted women from his village. Let the intensive Lao learning adventure begin!

Countdown: 10 Days

It is impossible to stop the brain from clickety-clacking away at this point. It has its own agenda and even when it seems like other things are being attended to, Laos is on my mind. Copying, filing, what to keep, what to throw, packing, essentials, optionals, survival gear, what will I wish I had that I will forget that I will hopefully be able to live without. Is it possible to pretend I'm leaving a week before I go so I can get the craziness over early? I think maybe getting on the airplane and taking flight will be a relief. Hopefully the people of Laos are a compassionate, forgiving lot!