As the president, secretary and – ok, in the interest of full disclosure – the ONLY member of the Grass is Always Greener Club, I hereby call this meeting to order.

First, we will review the minutes from our June 13 meeting.
Location: Vientiane, Laos
In Attendance: Me
Agenda:
(1) Bitch about Laos.
* For the last 4 (FOUR!) Sundays we haven’t had electricity at our house. While we can count on power-free Sundays, we’ve found Saturdays to be more of a mystery. Sometimes we have power; sometimes not. In case you haven’t heard, our shippers are coming in a week to pack up our house for the move to India. Electricity sure would be useful right now. We’re not just talking about lights. We’re talking about air conditioning (it’s sweltering in this house-cum-sauna), the water pump (can’t flush the toilets!), and the fridge (can’t keep any food over the weekend).
* The school is making us pay back about $1,200 they gave us to attend professional development classes this year. Never mind that Tony was REQUIRED to attend his class and that I offered FOUR staff workshops to share my learning. I think they got their money’s worth. But apparently they didn’t think so. Not cool.
* Rain. Rain. Rain. Seriously? More rain?

(2) Look forward to getting back to the U.S.
* Michigan 4-berry pie
* Nephews
* Clothes dryer and a dishwasher
* Good wine
* Semi-retired dad and entertaining mom
* Pool and lake
* Wooded bike trails
* Fourth of July
* Electricity!
* the Apple Store
* and so on and so on, ad infinitum.

And now let’s review the minutes from our June 24 meeting.
Location: Lake Orion, Michigan, USA
In attendance: Me
Agenda:
(1) Wax nostalgic about Laos
* After eating a foot-long banana that tasted like a banana-scented sports sock, I found myself wistfully longing for Lao fruit. Those tiny bananas were packed with rich sweetness, and the juicy rambutans with their wacky spiky red jackets were in season when we left. Our mango tree underproduced this spring, but the ladies at the market just outside my gate were happy to oblige. Right up until my last days in Laos, I was discovering fruit I had never sampled before. Although all dragonfruit has fuchsia skin, did you know some have equally hot pink fruit? I only just learned that! Some kindergarten kids showed me a marble-sized fruit that I hadn’t yet tried, but they didn’t know the English word for it, and I never did figure it out. Despite my tendency to take all good things for granted, I do believe that I fully appreciated the fruit in Laos to the point of boring the pants off anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby when I bought/ate/thought about it.
* My Lao friends at school gave me the most heartfelt going-away gift: a photo album with funny little poems, stories and memories from our time together. When they presented it to me on the second-to-the-last day of school, I had a serious emotional meltdown. In this international teaching world, we often cross paths with our expat friends again and again, but the local staff generally stays put. Unless I visit Laos, I’m unlikely to see them again. And they really are some of the kindest, cleverest, funniest, most selfless people I’ve met. I miss them already.
* For two years, my Chinese knock-off Giant bicycle served me well as both my sole method of transportation and my main form of exercise. While rainy seasons literally put a damper on my cycling pursuits, and hot seasons forced me to carry a change of clothes for the 5-minute ride to school, I learned a great deal about myself and my host country while pedaling along the Mekong, around the dusty roads of Vientiane, and through the villages with Team Dai on our three-day trip to Phonsavanh.

(2) Rag on America
* After reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, I had every intention of being a “locavore” this summer. I wanted to eat only food produced in Michigan, especially closer to home. But that’s easier said than done! At our local grocery store, the strawberries were trucked in from California and the blueberries made the trek from North Carolina. All of the salad fixin’s had road tripped to Lake Orion from everywhere BUT Michigan. On Wednesday, we visited the local farmer’s market, which boasted five booths. Only one sold locally grown produce. I bought some organic eggs, a couple red peppers and a few tomatoes. That took care of Thursday’s breakfast. Now what?
* I forgot how fun it is to drive! Unfortunately, road rules in America are actual RULES and not merely suggestions like they are in other parts of the world. There is easily enough room to make another lane on the highway, but god forbid someone tries to wedge her way between the regular lanes of traffic in her altruistic attempt to ease the unbearable rush-hour congestion.
* This is the land of the free, but you know what’s not free? Mobile phone service. In fact, it’s freakin’ expensive. And if you only reside in this country for five weeks out of the year, you’ll pay out the wazoo for some top-it-up disposable phone. Which is what we’re doing.
* Last August, I called AT&T and explained that we were leaving the country and wanted to disconnect our internet. No problem, they said. We’ll just switch it right back on when you get back, they said. Liars. An AT&T workman spent four hours at our house yesterday, alternately messing with the router inside, poking wires around in the outdoor utility box, and – I kid you not – hoisted up in a cherry picker to do something with the overhead lines. Sigh.
* My parents lent us their PT Cruiser for the summer, which is such a blessing (even if it triggers creepy bedroom eyes in the octogenarian crowd at the local CVS drugstore). Having a vehicle seemed like such a treat after two years of commuting by bicycle … that is, until I had to pump gas. We’ve been in the States for about five days, and we’ve put almost $90 worth of gas into that car.

Hmmm… I see a pattern here. Let’s shift gears for today’s meeting.
Location: Lake Orion, Michigan, USA (on the deck, overlooking the lake)
In attendance: Me, a few ducks and the swan family
Agenda:
(1) Express Gratitude for the Past
Every place has pros and cons. Living in a developing country and working at a school that wasn’t the best fit for us posed a new set of challenges, some of which we met successfully head-on and some of which inspired unparalleled whining until the moment we boarded the plane to leave Laos. As someone who obviously doesn’t know what I’ve got till it’s gone, I can now appreciate how much I grew and learned. Looking back over my blog posts from the last two years, I can’t believe how much I saw and did in a place where there’s really not that much to see and do. I will always have a spot in my heart for the sunshine, landscape, culture and friendships that blessed my life in Laos.

(2) Express Gratitude for the Present
After spending two years in a third-world country, I’m struck by the commercialism, materialism and waste here in the United States. At the same time, I love the ease of life that comes with all that. So while I try to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible during my month in America, I’ll treasure the comfort of being home.
This week I’m surrounded by family, including my beloved little nephews, and nothing makes me happier!

(3) Express Gratitude for the Future
On July 24, we’ll head off for a new adventure in India. We’re moving to New Delhi, where we’ll teach at the American Embassy School. I’m nervous about the pollution and congestion of a big city and the lack of diversity of our new staff, but I’m super excited about our school’s excellent reputation and the return to a curriculum and teaching methodology that jibes with my own style. Tony and I look forward to getting involved in a vibrant school community, exploring our new city, learning about the local food and culture, and traveling in India.

As of today, the Grass is Always Greener Club is hereby disbanded. I’m thinking of starting the Gratitude is the Best Attitude Club. Any joiners?

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