Monthly Archives: April 2011

On the Road

Happy in Hoi An

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I simply can’t overstate how happy I am at the beach. Any beach, really. Today’s bliss is brought to you by Cua Dai beach outside of Hoi An, Vietnam.

Here’s where we are:

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As soon as we arrived at our resort last night, I dashed into the darkness and waded in the East China Sea. I let the water splash over my Chacos for a few minutes before heading back to our room to unpack. What is it about the salty air, the pounding surf, the spongy wet sand that trumps all the frustrations and little annoyances in life?

This morning, Tony and I enjoyed an early breakfast outside, overlooking the ridiculously long pool and the crashing waves of the sea, followed by a walk up the beach. We sauntered for about an hour, trying to decide which sand we preferred: the hard wet sand where the cold water doused our feet and legs, the mushy aerated sand that gave way under each step, or the dry powdery sand that worked our toes and calves. Mmmm … can’t decide. I love every inch of the beach.

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During our walk, we encountered these round basket-boats. We watched two fishermen drag their basket-boats down the beach and into the water, where they each stood precariously on a little platform inside the boat and used an oar to paddle. They bobbed on the waves for a bit, eventually anchoring and tossing their nets.

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“We totally need one of those for our lake house,” Tony said. Then we had a good laugh picturing ourselves paddling around Lake Orion, Michigan, in our basket-boat. We figured we’d be too stupid to work the thing, so it would just spin around like the teacup ride at Disney.

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It’s a little overcast, but the temperature is perfect.
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The water here is colder than Thailand but warmer than New Jersey. Nice on your legs, but I’m not sure I’ll immerse my whole body. That’s why God made swimming pools. We stepped off the beach and right up to our hotel’s pool. They even have a little coconut-shell scoop for washing sand off your feet.

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Daily Life, Laos

Cleansing my chakras

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I can’t believe I forgot to blog about this recent energy workshop! It took place on the same day that our high school girls won the basketball championship and my Lao friend Johnny got married. So I guess my brain was full. Anyway, here it is.

The workshop took place in my village at Healing Mudras and was led by visiting energy guru, Guy, who lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It alternated between uber-cheesy and nice. We did an awkward group dance to get the energy flowing, and the owner of Healing Mudras offered some fluffy words about our power to transform the world with energy.

But then we made an energy ball, which I loved. I’ve done this before in yoga. You sit on the floor and inhale your arms up with your hands facing each other. Visualize a big ball of energy pulsating against your hands. It really works! Sometimes I like to squeeze the energy ball and imagine all the energy dripping down over my whole body.

We also participated in a group meditation: First, some of us sat in a circle while people took turns hovering their hands above our heads. I really tried to absorb their energy, but the only person who really zapped me was my friend Whetu. I honestly felt a heavy warm vibe when she energized me. Cool. Next, I joined the standing circle and returned the favor to those sitting down. I hope I didn’t kill the collective buzz when I paused to snap some photos.

Here’s a link to Guy’s website – Lanna Yoga, where he posted a video from the energy workshop.

Energy duck duck goose.
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I skipped out of the workshop early to watch the girls’ basketball championship game. I gave the team my energy ball, which clearly gave them to boost they needed to win the game!

Daily Life, Laos

Happy Lao New Year! Sabaidee Pii Mai!

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Floral shirts, silver pots of perfumed water, marigold garlands, mounds of sand, wet hair and a general spirit of excitement can only mean one thing here in Vientiane: Pii Mai Lao!

Lao New Year takes places April 14-16, and the celebrations are just getting started. Friday was our last day of school before a two-week vacation, so we held a special Pii Mai assembly. First, children strung garlands of marigolds and frangipani, the Lao national flower. Primary and secondary kids worked together with the assistance of Lao staff members.

That’s Tony in the blue shirt helping them thread needles.
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Then secondary students explained the legend behind some of the Pii Mai traditions, followed by a skit about the annual Miss Pii Mai contest and a water blessing ceremony.

The flower-clad crowd.
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The Miss Pii Mai skit.
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One of the “contestants” played this beautiful Lao xylophone.
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The water blessing.
We sat in a row, and a group of students knelt in front of us, taking turns pouring perfumed water full of flower petals on our hands. We poured a little water back on their shoulders to return the blessing. Beautiful!
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I was honored to be one of the teachers chosen for the blessing ceremony. My friend Eric and I commiserated about how we must be pretty special to get selected. Ha! Turns out they picked us to represent the departing staff. (Unfortunately I hadn’t told my students yet that Tony and I are moving to India, so some of the kids were quite confused and thought I was leaving that day.)

After the water blessing demonstration, classes met to bless their teachers. This is one of my favorite experiences of the school year in Laos. The children offer such heartfelt appreciation for their teachers. Very touching.

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Water plays a big role in the Pii Mai holiday, so people inevitably get wet (whether they want to or not). In that spirit, our assembly wrapped up with water games on the soccer field.
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Other random shots from the day…
Earlier in the day, the Early Years classes (3- and 4-years-old) had made these sand stupas.
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Detail from the flower arrangement hanging over the entrance to the assembly.
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Tony and me. Yes, he got a new shirt so we didn’t have to look like twinkies in orange again. (See last year’s blog post for a good laugh.)
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Carol prepares for her advisory class blessings. (The secondary kids were not nearly as respectful and gentle with the water as the little kids were.)
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Pa is a lovely guy who works in the PE department.
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I don’t know this little girl, but she’s stinkin’ cute.
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Nikki, Carol and me.
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Want to know more?
The Lao American Coalition in San Diego has a nice website with a summary of the Pii Mai legend. My blog post from last year’s assembly also includes details about the Pii Mai traditions.