Day 2 at work and my first long lunch

I've started work. It's going OK. I don't know what I'm doing really. Not yet. I'm working it out. Slowly. Slowly is the Lao way. Everything works slowly. So it's OK that I sat at my desk today for pushing around bits of paper and not doing much. I wasn't at my desk for long anyway.

I'm working in a large building on the outskirts of Vientiane. It's around 7kms from the centre of town (but it seems like 20kms from anywhere) They refer to it as the "5 km mark" (maybe I'm measuring from a different point?)

The Office

My shared office is a large room with about ten desks and some computers, a pile of old newspapers, curtains hanging awkwardly, air conditioners on full bore and at various times one, three or up to eight people working. Or is it ten? Not sure.

My desk and my boss and, in the corner, my computer

My colleagues and, in the corner, newspapers



 

Day 1 was fairly uneventful. I met some people, had a meeting with the guy from APHEDA, smiled a lot, tested my computer's ability to send emails.

Day 2 was a little different.  Donning my sinh, a shirt and some scuffs I bought for $10 in Thailand, I was collected at 8am by my driver. For the first fortnight I am being driven to and from the office from my shoe box temporary accommodation. They are worried I can't find my way on the bus. I'm not complaining!  I kind of feel a little like Miss Daisy as I am collected and silently chauffeured through traffic. I arrived first at the office at 8.15. I waited in the corridor. (This afternoon they gave me my own key).

The morning was taken up with a couple of quite formal meetings with the men in charge. I was welcomed with formal speeches in Lao. These were translated by my colleague Noy and at various times were interrupted as people answered their mobiles mid sentence. As you do.

Waiting for about 15 minutes for the top bloke in his PAs office I was entertained by the shelves full of mementos, pictures, trophies, banners, dust collectors, things I have no idea what they are, from China and Vietnam. I saw a petanque trophy and a badminton trophy, some glass paperweights from China, some paintings, a statue from Vietnam, a 3D picture of ponies running through a stream, a photo of the Laos President, a poster of all current government ministers.

The president of Laos. I think.

 

After the formal aspects of the day were done, I barely had time to send a personal email before I was whisked away for a long lunch break at the big market in town. My colleague, like me, is concerned that I don't have appropriately formal shirts to wear with my sinhs. (I wore the grey sinh today with a white shirt. But what about tomorrow?)  The excursion was also about teaching me to catch a bus. I could have worked it out myself but who am I to turn down a junket? So off we went.

The bus was cool and calm and cheap (3000k = 50c).

Here's a sign I liked in the bus

 

First stop - the food hall at the top floor of the not-so-new building at Talat Sao. I hadn't been there yet. Noy bought coupons. We wandered around looking at all the food, I chose a couple of options out of a bain marie and wow it was fabulous. 15000K ($2).

This isn't what I ate today. I don't have a picture of today's lunch.

We then walked aimlessly until Noy decided to find a shirt for me. We found one eventually. I think it's the largest item of clothing in the whole market. It's pretty dreadful but she was so pleased to have helped me find a shirt that she believes is acceptable for the office (it has a collar) that I bought it anyway. It was around $8 and I will actually wear it (it's not like anyone I know will see it!). We then bought fabric for another shirt to be made up. Noy was horrified that I was interested in the red fabric. Red!! I thought it would have been quite appropriate. Obviously not.

We also visited one of the zillion gold shops in the fancy, upstairs, air conditioned section of the new market building. On a Tuesday lunchtime there was no one around.

Empty floor of gold shops

 

We went to a mini mart to buy some slimming tea for Noy's mother. (If it works I'll get onto it myself - but I'm waiting for the evidence). It was hot and sticky and whenever we were in the sun Noy had her brolly up shielding her from that tanning sun.  I asked a couple of times about whether we should get back to work yet but was told not to worry, the boss was fine about such things.

 

At the mini mart I saw a CASK of GIN!! 3 litres for 200,000K. I've worked it out - that's around $5.70 AUD for 750ml. Even Aldi can't beat that. I wonder what it's like...

 

$9 per litre!

 

I have a bit of a cold so decided I needed a night in. I am halfway through my second movie on cable TV. The shoe box I live in has good air con and cable TV (and free laundry.)  When I got home just after 4 I found my washing neatly folded and sitting in my room. Last night when I saw that the plastic bag of dirty washing I'd left on my bed was missing I thought "I've been robbed!". It turned out that I'd been laundered instead. I think it's the house-elf who does it.

 

So, as attractive as the bickies I bought at the market today are, I had better head out to find a decent meal somewhere nearby. I'm hoping it's not raining.

 





Ovaltine in my Melbourne mug and chocolate granola bickies. Geez it's a hard life.