First Day in Luang Prabang

Hello from Luang Prabang!

I arrived in Laos after roughly 20 hours of flying and 10 hours of layovers/customs/immigration lines. This was my first time traveling a long distance by myself, and I could not have asked for a smoother, more hassle-free trip!  I did get a little bored with no one to talk to, but I ate a lot of ChexMix and Sour Patch Kids, wrote in my new journal (thanks Kelly!), and read Harry Potter (a comfort book for me) to help pass the time.

Upon arrival in the Luang Prabang airport, which is super duper tiny, my new manager Ya and the Pencils of Promise driver met me at the airport entrance.  It was easy to match the three of us up since we were all wearing our PoP t-shirts!  The city is a lengthy 5 minute drive from the airport, so we quickly jumped in the car.  I am staying at the same guest house that another PoP employee (the Accounting Fellow Pavath) is staying at, and many PoP employees visiting from NY stay here as well. My room wasn't quite ready, so Pavath took me out for coffee at a popular western coffee house. They have croissants, panini's, ice cream, and of course, coffee.  The coffee is very much like Vietnam's, aka saturated with condensed milk so its more like a milkshake. Tasty but you get a crazy sugar high/low.

My bedroom was finally ready! Just a bed, with a separate rooms for the sink, toilet, and shower. Wish one of those rooms was a closet/dresser! 

Once my room was ready and I took a very needed shower, Pavath took me on a tour of Luang Prabang, showing me the PoP office and the downtown area.  I will definitely need help getting to the office again tomorrow, as there were way too many turns to remember, and there are no street signs and all the corners look the same, but it was helpful to get acquainted with the area.

By the time we had finished my tour it was getting close to dinner time and Pavath invited me to dinner with Bai (another PoP employee) and Bai's brother-in-law.  They were going to one of their favorite places which is known for their goat and duck.  I had never had goat before last night, and I have to say, it is extremely tough and chewy.  The duck was pretty good, but similar to how other meats are prepared here, the entire duck appears to be cut with a butcher knife into big chunks so there is bone and cartilage and fat with every piece.  I've never been a fan of eating meat on the bone because it reminds me too much of what I'm actually eating, so this will either a rude awakening, or I'll become a vegetarian.  In my conversations with Bai and his brother-in-law, I found out that they both value education so highly, that they take in about 8 kids in secondary school to live with them and their families so they can attend school in Luang Prabang.  I was so impressed since I found it hard to have one extra person living in our apartment for a few weeks in Somerville! Since they have both benefitted so much from education and now have strong jobs in Luang Prabang, they are dedicated to making sure that others from their villages have the same opportunities.  The people that make up Pencils of Promise are obviously a reason that it is so successful!

Overall, the night was very fun and I could not have asked for better hosts, welcoming me into their boys night for beer and goat/duck.  And I got to ride a motor bike for my first time (I was not driving - thank god).

This morning, I went for my first run along the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. It was so hot and humid that I think I have to reassess what I wear for future runs.  I was told I can go running as long as I cover up, so I wore capri length spandex and a white Haynes t-shirt, which I thought would be conservative enough.  Good idea until I started sweating and the Haynes t-shirt turned translucent.  Oops - darker shirts from now on.

Mekong River

After my run on the balcony. I have a door from my bedroom that leads out to this balcony. Its awesome!

Tomorrow starts my first day officially working for PoP in their office! Wish me luck!