Starting to sound like a broken record...

So more than a year has passed since we have moved to this wonderful world called Laos. As such, some of our stories may become repetitive. So yesterday was Khaw Phan Saa (Beginning of Buddhist Lent.) Morning was going to the temples to give alms, as all good Buddhists do.

Then that night, we went to the candle ceremony, wherein people mill around for a long time while monks chant, then they mill around some more. Then they all light candles and walk in a circle around the temple a number of times.


How many times, I ask a young lady sitting next to us...

'...it depends,' she said, 'on how many times you want to go around.'

And THAT, my friends, is why I love Buddhism.

So we went around 1.3 times, as we needed to complete at least one revolution, so we wouldn't go to Buddhist hell, and then another .3 revolutions to get to our car. Ahh, Buddhism. A religion that caters to what is convenient to your car. I never remember Immanuel Lutheran Church traditions ending near our car.


Today was a lovely day at work. I ended the day feeling relatively stressed. A number of contributing factors. But I have found a wonderful stress reliever. It's a multi-step stystem, but I am in the process of patenting the procedure.

Step 1. Have a stressful day.

Many things contributed to my stress level, although one thing did make me laugh. Okay, Chinese is a hard language, right? When you speak no Chinese, and you think of what Chinese sounds like, what do you think in your head. Think of it in your head. You got it? Okay. So I interviewed a guy whose name was Chuechengchongcha today. That was his first name. No kidding. That was his first name. If I was to pretend to speak Chinese without knowing anything about the language, I might say Chuechengchongcha. Instead, it's a guy's first name. Maybe it's not THAT funny, but I was grasping for pretty much anything today. And I thought it was an interesting name.

Step 2. Yell at other drivers as you drive home.

Drivers in Laos (warning: gross generalization coming, but one that is relatively true across the board) never, EVER, look before changing lanes, turning, pulling out, or generally doing anything on any form of motorized conveyance. As such, one has ample opportunity to let off steam yelling at strange and dangerous things that people do in cars and on motorbikes while driving home after a stressful day of work. This helps to relieve some stress.

Step 3. Stop at the corner store and pick up some beer.

$0.80 per bottle, $0.70 if you promise to return the bottles to the store when empty. Much cheaper than stress/anger management therapy, and, if I'm not mistaken, from what I've read, most medical professionals recommend alcohol to deal with stress and myriad other problems.

Step 4. Drink it.

Step 5. Go for a massage.

You are already relatively relaxed before the massage starts, what with all the beer you have drunk. Now, in addition, you are getting a massage. It's like finding two prizes in your box of Lucky Charms.

You will leave feeling no stress at all.

In fact, you won't even care when the tuk-tuk drivers try to rip you off for the ride home.