I promised to tell you more about yesterday

Just a little information about this district. It is called Savannakhet, (correct spelling... pronounced... sa wan a get... it is difficult to give pronunciation, because they have sounds here that we don't make in english) The district is called Savannakhet, and the city I am living in is called Savannakhet. When I first came here, I flew from Bangkok to some city that I don't know the name of, and then I rode bus to a city directly across the river frm Savannakhet, and then I rode a little ferry across to Savannakhet. Yesterday we left Savannakhet (the city) to visit some of the villages that Jay works with. In these villages, he helps them improve life there. I think he said he works with 25 villages, and will be workign with 13 more soon. (that is a lot of villages.) He helps them with agriculture, getting jobs, getting water, toilets, etc. most of the villages are small... only a couple hundred people. The first village we went to there was a meeting or convention of some kind. Jay and Milka were there, but they just sat at a head table. Other peple did the talking. I was informed that they are educating farmers about use of compost and bacteria and use of natural fertilizer. We left after the meeting got started a little.

We went to three other villages. In these villages, Jay and Milka have already helped them by putting up these message boards where the cheif can leave messages for the people. They also helped introduce toilets to these people. Jay also showed me how he has helped them get new jobs, for example he taught them how to grow these mushroms in straw huts. The villagers collect these mushrooms and sell them for income. Now they can pay for things like electricity.
Now Jay and Milka are helping with water... the visits that we made were checking to see how the wells that were dug are working. In another village I saw women weaving cotton. It was really interesting to see it done, and to have the process explained to me. The villagers buy the cotton. They fluff it up or something, and then they take a little wooden dowl rod thing and roll the cotton into pencil shaped sticks or cotton. That is spun on a spining wheel into thread. Then it can be dyed different colors. Then the thread is used to make the woven cotton. The woven cotton is really neat stuff. I might buy a shirt or two made out of the stuff. My mom has some of this matterial. She made a shirt out of it I think. The matterial only costs about $2 a meter.

We ate food in the third village we visited. The served us sticky rice. It is a completly different variety than the stuff you eat in America. IT is very sticky and you eat it with your hands and dip it in different types of sauce. (I think I mentioned that in the blog yesterday) On the drive home, I learned to drive manual transmition. (I also mentioned that yesterday.) WE stopped at a little market by the side of the road and Jay bought some fried banannas and fried bugs. HE bought these little flat yellow "stink bugs" some queen ants, and crickets. Jay, Milka, Sky, and Miku all enjoy them quite a lot. Jay has been trying to convince me to try them for the last couple days. They are a little expensive here, because they are quite a special food. He says it is no different than eatting a shrimp... shrimp are little bug things. It made my skin crawl to think about eatting them. I have enough trouble just touching bugs, let alone eatting them. I am making a web page for this whole experience. http://members.lycos.co.uk/lopuke/ Oh by the way, the fried bananna was good.

It is interesting, which is more technologically advanced, Laos or North Dakota. In the villages, people live in elevated houses with straw roofs. They have just recently gotten Electricity and a well, and toilets (which are not inside houses... instead they are built in little sheds outside.) Yet, There are SELDOM villiages where you do not get a signal for your cell phone... In North Dakota it is very common for you not to have a singnal for your cell phone. The only places where you are almost guaranteed cell phone service are the bigger cities of North Dakota: Bismark, Mandan, Grand Forks, Fargo, etc. Which place is more technologically advanced?
Last night, I showed Sky and Miku how to make a t-shirt by folding a Lao Kip (pronounced Keep). After I showed them, Sky made a paper crane, and Miku made a paper airplane. we made three more airplanes, and throwing our planes to test how far they can fly turned into a paper airplane war. it was a lot of fun. I hope I never grow up so much that I can't do silly things like that.

Random piece of information: The Electricity is down at the house today, but it is working fine over here at the office. Another random piece of information: during the vietnam war, lots of bombs were secretly dropped on Laos. Laos has the most amount of bombs dropped per capita: about 1 ton per person!

People do not wear shoes in houses here. They take them off at the door. It is inconvienent and hot to wear shoes, but the flip flops I brought are not very good. I tried to wear them the other day and I got a blister. (in the past I have only used them for the shower, so I didn't know they were bad) so today I went to the market and bought new flip flops. They cost me a little over three dollars. If sticky rice is the staple food here, flip flops are the staple shoe... nearly everyone wheres them in this hot climate.

I have learned very little of the Lao language, for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing. I know how to greet somone, and I am mostly larning how to pronounce names of people and places. Their language has different sounds than ours, and so that is difficult enough.

If you would like to know more about Laos, check out this web page:http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/la.html It was updated only one week ago, so the numbers on this page shouold be very accurate.

Yesterday I mentioned how America is so very different from the rest of the world. Talking with my uncle and his family, we came up with something that America does that same as nearly everyone else (except places like Thailand and Britain) It may have even originated in America... driving on the Right side of the road.

One last thing before I finish this post... I have a question for all my friends who pay attention to American Idol. (aka, Elise, Heather, Craig, and anyone else who pays attnetion to that show) How is it going? has anyone won? what is your opinion of the outcome. leave a comment on this page, or email me with your answer

Ok, maybe one more thing. I do not pay very good attention to the news when I am home, and even less when I am in another country. If anyone out there hears any important or interesting news, please tell me about it. both now, and throughout the summer. Thank you.

-Luke