MontanaRon » Nai

Happy Holidays

montanaron — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:42:19 +0000

To all my readers, friends, colleagues and family–may you have a very enjoyable holiday season and a prosperous and happy New Year.

I’m in Nongkhai, Thailand at the moment and I’ll be heading over the border into Laos tomorrow, Christmas Day. Even though Thailand and Laos are Buddhist countries, many of their people celebrate [...] Related posts:

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Vacation Time

montanaron — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:01:45 +0000

It’s the end of the fall semester, so, as usual, I’ve been busy with final assessments, grading, paperwork, meetings and other duties. But soon, however, I’ll be vacationing in Laos (mainly) to visit with my friend Nai and his family. Korea’s weather is starting to turn wintry cold, so spending some time in a more [...] Related posts:

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Two Sides of the Mekong

montanaron — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:23:39 +0000

I stayed a few short days in both Nong Khai, Thailand, and Vientiane, Laos. I mainly hung out along the Mekong River, and both cities have built up their respective riverbanks.

Nong Khai hasn’t changed all that much in the year since I’d last been there. It’s a pleasant walk along the river, where [...] Related posts:

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Another Year in Yeosu, June Vacation

montanaron — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:57:57 +0000

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention in my previous post that I’ll be signing on for another year here. Lots of reasons for doing that–familiarity with the job, pleasant people to work with, friendliness of the students and the people of the area, the beauty of the countryside, and, the biggest reason, the upcoming 2012 [...] Related posts:

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A Death in the Family

montanaron — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:27:55 +0000

After a year-long struggle, my friend Nai’s mother succumbed to an illness last Friday night. I posted last May that the doctor had given her just a few months to live, but she held on this long, although she was often in great pain.

I still don’t know what took her life, but I suspect [...] Related posts:

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Dancing House

montanaron — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:57:53 +0000

I just finished phoning my friend Nai in Laos and he breathlessly reported that Vientiane experienced an earthquake last night. I had trouble understanding him at first, but he told me, with his sometimes-bad pronunciation and his humorous, but creative, fracturing of English, that:

Last night we have same-same NieuwZhelind (it took a few [...] Related posts:

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In Memory Of

montanaron — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:44:27 +0000

I’d be completely remiss if I didn’t write about the loss of one of our good friends in Bangkok. When Nai and I go to the Big Mango, we always look up our friends Git and Goh. We can usually find out where they’re hanging out by checking in at a hole-in-the-wall (HITW) restaurant/bar/karaoke where [...] Related posts:

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Buddhist Lent and Merit Making

montanaron — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:59:39 +0000

Today marks the beginning of the 3-month long Buddhist Lent period, known as Khao Pansa (or Phansa or Vassa). It occurs at the start of the rainy season, and it’s the time when Buddhist monks return to their home monasteries, there to remain for the remainder of Lent. It’s also a time when ordinary folks [...] Related posts:

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Drops of Rain and Tears

montanaron — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:59:31 +0000

We’ve been getting a lot of rain today, about two inches since midnight according to the Korean Meteorological Administration. I wish I could send some of that to Laos, which is still in a drought, although Nai tells me that they’ve finally been getting a bit of rain lately. Unfortunately, teardrops are more prevalent in [...] Related posts:

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. . . Crazy Too Much

montanaron — Sat, 15 May 2010 07:55:14 +0000

My Lao friend Nai, whose mother was born in Thailand and who dearly loves the country, comments on the latest turmoil there by saying “some Thai people crazy too much.” Indeed. The Land of Smiles (what a misnomer these days) seems to be on the verge of all-out civil war, at least in Bangkok, though [...] Related posts:

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