Monday, September 19, 2005
NEWSLETTER IV FOR FRIENDS OF BOOKS FOR LAOS
Hello all,
I have to get this off early as I’m leaving for the States in a couple of days.
TOYS
On my latest trip to Vientiane I was able to collect several reasons why our little toy project might not work – lack of soft wood, lack of equipment and expertise, lack of funding and motivation. But I was also able to meet enough enthusiastic people to believe these aren’t insurmountable problems. Don Koi, the training center, is keen to host a woodwork shop. CUSO may have a carpenter in-country who can help us out. Some old-timers offered suggestions for getting decent wood. So, I’m going ahead with it. We can start small and see how it goes. I’ll be begging, stealing and borrowing money on this trip for Toys for Laos. Let’s see what comes of it. I am quite a miserable little beggar.
PICTURE BOOKS
Yes. I know I said the Bangkok books would be in Vientiane by now but in fact they’ll be going over this month sometime. You can’t rush these things. I’ve left off money with ALC to make stickers and print the translations and I’ll be adding the list of English language books to the bottom of the BFL doc. on the website. This might help if anyone has single copies of books we’ve already got. Haven’t had any more books from the blog.
\n \nTEXT BOOKS\nI’ve just sent off two more crates of books to the TTC in the south. \n \nSCHOLARSHIPS\nWell, we do have two more pledges to sponsor teaching-students but we’re having a bit of bank jiggery pokery to contend with. Although sending a Thai baht cashier’s cheque from a Thai bank to a Thai baht account in Laos would seem like quite a simple transaction, the Lao have announced that we have to convert the cheque to US dollars so they can convert it back to baht when it gets there. You work it out. So I have no choice but to carry cash over the border in a basket and pay it in by hand. Banks are hilarious, aren’t they?
TEXT BOOKS
I’ve just sent off two more crates of books to the TTC in the south.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Well, we do have two more pledges to sponsor teaching-students but we’re having a bit of bank jiggery pokery to contend with. Although sending a Thai baht cashier’s cheque from a Thai bank to a Thai baht account in Laos would seem like quite a simple transaction, the Lao have announced that we have to convert the cheque to US dollars so they can convert it back to baht when it gets there. You work it out. So I have no choice but to carry cash over the border in a basket and pay it in by hand. Banks are hilarious, aren’t they?
The next newsletter should be a week late and there may not be anything in it. I’ll be Thelma and Louising around America (but without the careening over a cliff part)
cc ¶ 12:22 am
I have to get this off early as I’m leaving for the States in a couple of days.
TOYS
On my latest trip to Vientiane I was able to collect several reasons why our little toy project might not work – lack of soft wood, lack of equipment and expertise, lack of funding and motivation. But I was also able to meet enough enthusiastic people to believe these aren’t insurmountable problems. Don Koi, the training center, is keen to host a woodwork shop. CUSO may have a carpenter in-country who can help us out. Some old-timers offered suggestions for getting decent wood. So, I’m going ahead with it. We can start small and see how it goes. I’ll be begging, stealing and borrowing money on this trip for Toys for Laos. Let’s see what comes of it. I am quite a miserable little beggar.
PICTURE BOOKS
Yes. I know I said the Bangkok books would be in Vientiane by now but in fact they’ll be going over this month sometime. You can’t rush these things. I’ve left off money with ALC to make stickers and print the translations and I’ll be adding the list of English language books to the bottom of the BFL doc. on the website. This might help if anyone has single copies of books we’ve already got. Haven’t had any more books from the blog.
\n \nTEXT BOOKS\nI’ve just sent off two more crates of books to the TTC in the south. \n \nSCHOLARSHIPS\nWell, we do have two more pledges to sponsor teaching-students but we’re having a bit of bank jiggery pokery to contend with. Although sending a Thai baht cashier’s cheque from a Thai bank to a Thai baht account in Laos would seem like quite a simple transaction, the Lao have announced that we have to convert the cheque to US dollars so they can convert it back to baht when it gets there. You work it out. So I have no choice but to carry cash over the border in a basket and pay it in by hand. Banks are hilarious, aren’t they?
TEXT BOOKS
I’ve just sent off two more crates of books to the TTC in the south.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Well, we do have two more pledges to sponsor teaching-students but we’re having a bit of bank jiggery pokery to contend with. Although sending a Thai baht cashier’s cheque from a Thai bank to a Thai baht account in Laos would seem like quite a simple transaction, the Lao have announced that we have to convert the cheque to US dollars so they can convert it back to baht when it gets there. You work it out. So I have no choice but to carry cash over the border in a basket and pay it in by hand. Banks are hilarious, aren’t they?
The next newsletter should be a week late and there may not be anything in it. I’ll be Thelma and Louising around America (but without the careening over a cliff part)
cc ¶ 12:22 am
