I can see Thailand from my backyard!

As I am learning, in Laos nothing quite works the way that I am accustomed to it working. Welcome to life lived in a developing country. I so often find myself comparing Laos to Japan- the hot weather is just as brutal and there seem to be a similar number of squat toilets. However, there are many more differences, as I am quickly realizing. I have been sitting here for nearly 40 minutes trying to upload photos to this blog post. While internet in Vientiane is prevalent, it is also slow and spotty. I managed to upload these shots and I will try for some more later.


The Mekong River winds its way through Southeast Asia from Tibet down through Cambodia and, of course, directly through Laos. It is a source of food, transportation and power for the region and contributes to some of Vientiane's tourist "mystique." At Vientiane, it separates Laos from Thailand so one can literally Thailand from one's backyard (Sarah Palin reference, anyone?). We are just now entering rainy season so the river is low. The air is hazy (and hot and humid, as you would guess) so it lends a mysterious quality to the river.

Patuxai means Victory Gate and it is a looming monument in Vientiane center built in the 1960s and is quite reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Interestingly, tt is dedicated to those who lost their lives struggling for independence from the French. The surrounding park is a popular place for jogging and relaxing.

L(a)ost!

Arrived safely in Vientiane after about 30 hours of travel. My coworker, Mr. Joy, picked me up and took me to the office and then to my apartment. My apartment is right across the street from the office and has all the amenities a girl could want- air conditioning, a tv playing ESPN (including all the baseball games I try to avoid in the US), a pool and a lovely lady who does my laundry daily, washes my dishes and even changes the toilet paper roll each day so that there is always a fresh one. Work seems great so far- there are finger scanners to get into each door; very James Bond! I took a little walk around the city center on Wednesday but other than that I have mostly been sleeping. I imagine I will get out and about this weekend and will certainly post some photos when I can.

Dad's Retirement Party

I write this post from the Bangkok airport, my home for the next several hours as I wait for my flight to Vientiane. I bit the bullet and purchased some internet so it seems the perfect opportunity to post some photos of the lovely retirement party that my Dad had on Sunday. My Dad has worked at CorpCare, an occupational health center in Connecticut for 15 years and this year he retired. We had a wonderful party on Sunday and many of his coworkers and colleagues came out to celebrate him, his work and his retirement. Congratulations, Dad!
Group Photo
People had some lovely things to say about my Dad and some funny stories to share as well!
Matt and Me
Me and Dad
My Dad and some of his lovely coworkers and friends
My handsome date for the evening
Dad and Cindy and Cindy's wonderful and thoughtful flower arrangements

Back!

I am off to Laos on Monday! The Alexis Blog is back in business!

Some favorite photos from the last few months!
Tahoe, August 2010
Shannon and David's Wedding August 2010
Rob and Karen's Wedding January 2011
PEI Gamauf Cousins August 2010
Northeastern School of Law Commencement May 2010
Heidi & Brian's Wedding August 2010
Angela & Josh's Wedding August 2010
Eva and Leah in Arnold Arboretum

Rachel's Bridal Shower
Chihuly Exhibit at the MFA, Boston
Kanazawa Reunion
Cherry Blossoms in DC
Prince Edward Island cliffs at sunrise

Caroline in NYC!

Dad and me in front of the MFA

Picture dump!

Northeastern has a quarter system which means that a normal semester is compressed into an 11 week quarter. This makes for some pretty busy times when I am in school. Still, I have had some fun!
Tufts Alumni Event on Homecoming: Thad, Liz, Me and Matt
Tufts Alumni Event: Tufts Alumni Boston Board members!
Lacie and her friend, Stacy, came to visit! Lacie was very impressed with the Freedom Trail.
Out and about near Fenway!
Apple picking! We made it to the middle of the maze!
Me and Kelly in a tree.
:)

Transitional whirlwind!

Classes have begun and the last month or so has been a whirlwind. Since my last post, "Dublin with my Dad and Cindy", I have visited with Fiona in Galway, packed up my Irish apartment, flown to the US, spent 3 days in CT, driven 13 hours to Prince Edward Island. visited with family, driven 13 hours back, moved into my Boston apartment and started classes.... and that was just the first week! I have also had a lovely reunion weekend with Leah, Alex, Eva and Louise (we all lived together in an apartment that we dubbed "Emiglio's Palace" after college) and went to NYC for Chris and Liz's wedding. And, I am now on week three of classes at Northeastern. Here are some highlights:

Fiona and Me in Galway

Fish, chips and mushy peas at McDonagh's in Galway

My coworkers at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at NUI, Galway, a lovely group of people!

Katie, Professor Q (our boss), and me on Katie's last day

And now back to the USA!

Dad and me with Tulmeadow Farms black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream

And now off to Canada:

Me and Matt on PEI

And now back to Boston!

Reunion weekend! Louise, Eva, Alex and Leah at the Neighborhood Restaurant in Union Square

In front of our old apartment!

Dinner on my new rooftop deck!

The view from my new rooftop deck!

And then off to New York!

Chris and Liz's Wedding: boat cruise rehearsal dinner

Karen, Rob, Matt and Me under the Brooklyn Bridge

Rob, Karen, Chris, Matt and Me at the wedding

Us and the happy couple

The day after the wedding, Matt and I finally went to Les Halles :) We are true Anthony Bourdain fans!

Dublin with Dad and Cindy

Guinness


National Botanical Garden


Malahide Castle

Dublin Bay