Half Cultured: Lao and American Culture Short Film

Yazan: CanCan | 18 May 2011 | 5 Comments
Categories: CanCan, Laos, Links, Teaching kids different cultures, Videos

Last weekend was the second ever Vientianale Film Festival, an event in Vientiane, Laos that showcases local film makers.
I created the short film Half Cultured, which is a relatively objective contrast of Lao culture vs. American culture.

Like all of the aspiring film makers that entered a short film to Vientianale, I hoped to win a [...]

Lao Experiences Cooking School, Vientiane, Laos

Yazan: CanCan | 14 May 2011 | 2 Comments
Categories: Eating, Jojo, Laos, Teaching kids different cultures, Travel with children, Videos

Laos is a fantastic place to visit. Places like Bangkok or Chiang Mai, Thailand, Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam have their charms but are undeniably saturated with western influence.
Even after 9 years in Laos, I can still say that it is relatively “off the map”. In Luang Prabang, in Pakse, and yes, even [...]

Wat Phousi Temple, Luang Prabang Laos With Kids

Yazan: CanCan | 02 May 2011 | 2 Comments
Categories: CanCan, Deaky Deke, Jojo, Laos, Luang Prabang, Pictures, Teaching kids different cultures, Travel with children

I first went to Luang Prabang, Laos in 2004. I think I went twice, once in December 2004 and again in April 2005. Both times, Jojo was a teeny tiny baby.
Last weekend I went back, now as a mother of two rowdy boys, and I think I can chalk it up as one of the [...]

Dolls For Changing The World

Yazan: CanCan | 14 December 2010 | No Comments
Categories: Laos, Reviews, Teaching kids different cultures, Toys

Sabaidee! That means hello in Lao, the language spoken in Laos. I know quite a lot of Lao language, actually, and that is one of the reasons I am so excited to tell you about Hearts for Hearts Girls.
Hearts for Hearts Girls are a multicultural line of dolls; a portion of each doll sold [...]

The Organic Farm in Vang Vieng, Laos

Yazan: CanCan | 07 November 2010 | 5 Comments
Categories: Laos, Teaching kids different cultures, Travel with children

On the last weekend in October, 2010, I took the kids for an overnight visit to the Organic Farm in Vang Vieng, Laos.
Jojo (age 6) had been saying things about how he wished we lived on a farm (I think he read a book or something that inspired him), and Deeds (age 3) is a [...]

Aria Italian Culinary Arts in Vientiane, Laos

Yazan: CanCan | 20 October 2010 | 4 Comments
Categories: Eating, Laos

Aria Italian Culinary Arts
8 Rue Francois Nginn, Vientiane 00000, Laos
00-856-021-222589

Good food equals good mood.
If you have never been to Vientiane, Laos, you would be surprised to learn that it is a fabulous town for eating.
Restaurants of every caliber and specialty (*except Mexican) can be found in Vientiane, this “last provincial [...]

House Roasted Coffee, Vientiane, Laos

Yazan: CanCan | 11 October 2010 | 3 Comments
Categories: Eating, Jojo, Laos

In downtown Vientiane, Laos, on Rue Manthatourat (one of the side roads that connects Sethathirath to Fa Ngum, one-way starting from Sethathirat) is a wee little coffee oasis with a sign that reads “House Roasted Coffee.
It has interior seating for about seven people, and a table on the terrace also.
You can order from a basic [...]

Long Dirt Road

Yazan: CanCan | 15 June 2010 | 3 Comments
Categories: CanCan, Laos, Videos

Easter On the Mekong 2010

Yazan: CanCan | 04 April 2010 | 10 Comments
Categories: CanCan, Deaky Deke, Jojo, Laos

I have been an expat for 8 years now, all of them in Asia.
When I first moved abroad, I felt homesick most keenly during the holidays.
However, now I actually am thankful to not be faced by the stresses that holidays bring in the country of my birth.
For Easter, I didn’t give a thought to [...]

Passports With Purpose: Bonus Round

Yazan: CanCan | 14 December 2009 | No Comments
Categories: Green, Laos, Uncategorized

Passports With Purpose has surpassed the fund raising goal for building a school in rural Cambodia.
A NEW and improved goal has been set, and the additional $7,500 will provide a victory garden, gardener and cook who will provide a nutritious free meal each day to the children attending the school. Something else exciting?
It ain’t [...]