Lao

There is just a special something about Lao that my heart surrenders to. ....maybe the Buddhist culture (once again I am seeing monks sitting by me in the internet! and walking the streets in saffron robes) ... or maybe the imposing presence of Buddhist temples with a promise of peacefulness that is a part of daily life here... or maybe the Mekong River, ebbed back from its mighty, wet season shores to a smaller flow, yet remaining untouched with no bridge across its span...or maybe my familiarness with this city because it is my third visit and those memories float into the mind like the smoke of the incense....or maybe the frangipani flowers that are in bloom with the sweet soft scent...or maybe the pace of life with "Lao time" being the rule and the hands of the clock not... or maybe the aromatic smell of "laap", the traditional dish of Lao, with its steamy mixture of chopped meat, peppers, mint, garlic, and lime juice with a side of sticky rice (made even better with the view of the sunset with a riverside table)... but mostly I know it is the Lao people... it is Thong, the student I sponsor, who gives me a lesson in generosity as he gives a poor woman some small money who has stopped by our table (even though I am hardened by the many street people of Chicago on my visits)... ... and it is Mon, who gave me a Lao name and wrote "from your good friend" even though we have only met this evening... and it is the night clerk at the hotel who asks me "Are you teacher?" with a soft, kind Lao smile... and it is a group a just out of school young girls in their pressed uniforms smiling at me as I pass saying all their English--"Hello How are you? I am fine." in one breath and then laughing softly with each other.

It all melts together and makes a place called Lao that I love with the heart.