A new name, a new life

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“Nam Peung!”

My first day here and I already knew two words. First was Sabaidee. Hello! But the Lao women sitting across the table from me at Pencil of Promise’s school opening ceremony took one look at little round-faced me, and declared me a Nam Peung. Sweet honey.

Since arriving here, that is the only name my Lao friends know me by – and I love it that way.

After a marathon of flights to get here, I arrived at about 1pm on Monday and dove head-first into getting to know my work and my people. Daak Fai, the Laos country coordinator for Pencils of Promise, picked me up at the Luang Prabang airport and brought me to a preschool opening ceremony – the thirteenth school we’ve opened, with many more to come – where I learned to love sharing food out of strangers’ bowls, dance a very slow yet festive Lao circle dance, and drink Beer Lao like a local (actually, not – I doubt I’ll ever master this last point). My first few days were a flurry of getting me set up in my new life. I had a couple Lao skirts commissioned so I could dress ‘in style’ for the next school openings. I bought a notebook and pens. Unfortunately, the fates are determined to have everyone in Luang Prabang laugh and point as I pass, as the only helmet that fits my abnormally petite head is child-sized (and actually, it still moves around too much. So, really, I should buy a toddler’s helmet).

To add insult to injury, I also bought a bike my first day. The only one at the shop in my price range ended up being a classy little yellow number… again, with a soccer theme (in this case, the decals on the side are soccer balls, and the ding ding ding bell on my handlebars is a little cleat kicking a ball).

Let’s just say I look like a real falang (foreigner) as I sway back and forth down the streets of Luang Prabang, trying not to get hit by a passing tuk tuk or motorbike.

A million impressions of this place, but the number one most important (to me, at least)… I’m going to love my five months here. I have everything I need, from modern amenities (like hot water and flushing toilets) to luxurious treatment (why sure, I’d love to have another $4 massage!), along with an incredible group of people to spend my time with (both from work and outside it – more on them in future posts).

Nam Peung out!

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Photos

Keeping safe in Laos... kiddy style
Only a child's helmet fit me. *Le sigh*

My little sunshine, in bicycle form
Yae, one of the staff members at Pencils of Promise, is such a sweetheart - he helped my buy the best bike on the block "this is just like what lao people ride!", but insisted on testing out every bike of every color to ensure the alignment was up to par. We settled on this yellow beauty.