Jun 2, 2010 | Houaphanh Province

Visited Houaphanh back in March and made a promise to a friend in Vieng Xai that I'd return for a month and volunteer at his school. Enrollment doubled when the kids found out a foreigner would be teaching English, and they often showed up 2 hours early for class. Unfortunately, some of the town's old-timers weren't as excited about me being there. After 3 weeks, the police decided I hadn't been properly authorized and therefore couldn't teach anymore. Stuck around for a student certificate ceremony and was toasted by the village chief, district vice-governor, and the same police official who deemed me unsuitable for teaching. I love Houaphanh, but it'll take longer than a month to fully understand it.