I request three machines...

So we have a new addition to our little household here in Vientiane. We went out for dinner last night and came home with a malnourished, tiny, ugly, flea-infested kitten (katherine doesn't think it's ugly). We gave it a bath and some milk, and it seems to be doing okay.

It's about 3-4 weeks old, far too young to be weaned, but its mother abandoned it (and its sibling, which is now resident at a friend's house) at the restaurant, so I think by taking it home we are at least giving it a fighting chance.

The english translation of the name we gave it is roughly "I request three machines." There is some background to why... we were talking earlier in the night about babies, and I basically said that I thought all newborn babies looked a little bit like an uglier version of Kojak (no offense to those with newborns...they do usually get cuter as time goes on). Anyway, because this kitten is a bit ugly and rough around the edges from a short, but I'm sure eventful, life on the mean streets of VTE, I started calling him Kojak.

But little Kojak has 3 black spots on his back, so Katherine wanted to call him Saam (like bomb), it means 3 in Lao. So we compromised. Kojak Saam Jak is his name. Really, it's pronounced more like Khoe Jock Saam Jock, which means 'I request 3 machines.' So now everyone is happy, except Kojak of course, who will get teased in school because of his funny name.

We're hoping he's strong enough to survive, but we just don't know. However, he's eating milk, purring like a mo'fo', pooping, cleaning himself, and has even climbed up onto our bed from the floor, so he's pretty strong.