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!

Getting Going

I have never done this before; any of this. I am hoping my body will join them in this special venture while I search for a font and for pretty much everything else I will need as well. My family is apprehensive. I am apprehensive, too, but mostly excited. I feel called to this journey and I am not one to use poor language. Any tips? Is 99% DEET really more effective than 34%? Do the mosquitoes know the difference? Will all the preventive stuff I'm supposed to wear and take weigh me down? I want to travel light. Is this possible? Wise? Where do I find potable water? How does one survive a seventeen hour flight? Speaking Lao would be so wonderful, but if I wait to learn I'll probably never get there. I have a feeling the Laotians will be helpful--with everything. Good thoughts and determined work will have to be sufficient for the rest.