Sweet home Vientiane

Ed writes:

Returning back to Vientiane form Cambodia was like going home.  Vientiane is really a small community.  The other night we in the center city walking to dinner, and twice ran into people we knew.  After dinner we walked thru the town, and felt as safe and comfortable as if we were walking through Old Saybrook.  We have learned to get around the city, and even know the best short cuts to cut out traffic. 

Just two months ago we came to Vientiane.  It was strange and different, and at first we approached things with a certain level of caution.  Now, it seems like we have lived here for years, and everything is familiar and comfortable.  We know which restaurants to go to and what entrées to order.  I commented to Charlene when we were walking the other day how odd it is that Vientiane feels like home.

I came with a large agenda including coaching managers, developing project management software to organize and automate their processes and generally walking around and getting involved with what ever we thought we could help with.

The software development turned out to be much more than anticipated, but I am happy to say it is completed and implemented.  We were told that folks would resist change, and on the contrary, we found people who opened their minds and their hearts to us, and have bought in and embraced the opportunity to improve their processes.  I involved everyone in the development and included great suggestions from their entire project management team.  In the end, the result has been a collaborative success for which everyone on the team can feel that have had a part.  I was given their friendship and trust, and together we have done some very exciting things.

We worked closely with many of the managers, and I feel we were able to do just what we came for. 
I just finished two Team Building PowerPoint presentations to help the young trainees and computer operators to learn to speak up and share their ideas.  The Lao culture puts such great emphasis on politeness that most will avoid confrontation to the extreme that they will say that they agree when they do not, so as not offend..  Teaching them that the courtesies that they value at home are different than the behaviors that they need in business is a great challenge, but these are bright young folk that we are preparing for successful employment in real world and they will learn.

Charlene chose to spend her time teaching English to the students and operators. At work, Charlene is loved by the students, who are learning all about the United States; and English in the bargain.  They crowd into her class day after day to be with her, and have formed a strong attachment.

It doesn’t seem possible, but one by one, we have check off as successfully completed the long list of objectives that we came with, and it is now time to return to our other home.

Fairwell luncheon after the Basi ceremony

This morning the staff held a BASI ceremony, a Buddhist ceremony to thank us and wish us a safe trip home.  We came together with there beautiful, gentle and loving people that we have worked with over the past two month to share a very touching moment.  They took us into their lives and have become our friend and we theirs.

Charlene writes:

Today we said good bye to the Parkview Executive Suites and packed our gear into the DDD van.  We drove our motor bikes to the bike shop to drop them off after using them for seven weeks.  Yesterday and today there is rain, the first real rain in the two months we have been here.  As the rainy seasons in the past few years have been far below normal, the rain is welcomed.

Yesterday, the office staff and my students honored us with a touching ceremony, called Basi.  Basi, is a traditional Buddhist ceremony performed in honor of an important event in a family or home.  The pictures show the magnificent basket centerpiece with a lit candle standing on top.  There are numerous strings attached to the large basket/centerpiece.  A religious man with a scarf draped around his shoulder chanted budist prayers for forty minutes.  As he chanted, he was holding a string attached to the centerpiece; and we were also asked to hold strings, as were a few others.  At times duing the chanting everyone reached forward to touch the basket; which was filled with fruit, rice, bananas, cookies, water, etc.  When the last chant was finished, he graciously came to Ed and tied a string around his wrist wishing him safe travels, good health, all things good.  He then repeated the same chant and blessing to me.  It was very touching. 

When the ceremony ended, everyone came up to thank us, wish us well and a safe journey as they tied strings to our wrists.  My students were so sweet as, one by one, they each came up with strings to tie on my wrist.  I will miss them.

This morning we say good-by to all our friends in Vientiane and travel to the airport to board a plane at 1.50 pm to Bangkok, and thence to home.