Larb is Thai for death.....at least it should be.  Actually, larb (larp, laab) is a spicy lao salad dish  served with chichken, duck, fish, or beef.  In all my years of spice I have never come across anything this hot, or with so much heat.  For those unaware of Asian heat, it isn't like the chincy Frank's Red Hot, it isn't a front heat at all.  It is a total oral meltdown reminiscent of watching an H-bomb mushroom cloud in your tasting orifice!  leah, who is well-versed in heat thanks to her father, was quick to say, between gulps of milk, bread, and tears, that it had the same heat as the hottest of her father's Thai dishes ... which says a lot.  Needless to say, we have eaten like the locals and suffered like no other.  Aside from the two attempts at eating like the locals, life has been good.

 

I start teaching on Tuesday.  The process of preparation has been made easier in my case because I had great predecessors who left behind wonderfully detailed yearly and monthly planners.  For Leah this is not so much the case.  However, she is sharp enough to make it work and has already impressed those around her with her personable demeanour and energetic teaching style.  The institution itself, Lertlah (Thai for 'the best') is riddled with the typical bureaucratic backwardness of a new school, but it does have great potential.  The people are nice, helpful, and decent.  In a few years I can see the bugs being ironed out and the whole place really coming in to its own.

 

I am heading out to Cambodia on Monday to renew my tourist stamp for 30 more days.  After that I should be able to get my working permit and non-immigrant B visa that allows me to stay in the country for a year.  The headache I went through trying to determine how to get the proper paperwork was tedious but I won't go in to detail here.  Suffice to say it was not a good few days in Daveland :(

 

I feel ready to teach.  I have set up all my lesson plans, determined my format, added and addended, and now just have to meet the kids and hope I don't frighten them to the point of insomnia :)  I am sure it will be fine, but I of course worry.  I think its natural to worry about how efficient one will be in this setting.  If anything it keeps us on our toes.  I just hope these pointy shoes I brought can support my weight!

 

D.A.E.