Waiting

The second snow is finally here
another semester is almost gone
another group of students
will be faded away
like the first snow
Yet, another one
will soon be here
bringing a new sunrise
waiting for a new sunset
waiting for a new rainbow
hiding away in this pill hill
waiting for another chance
to claim an old fame
waiting....and waiting....
forever waiting....

B. John
St. Johnsbury, VT
December 13, 2011 @ 6:27pm

To live forever

When the sky is dark
the trees are naked
the birds are gone
the flowers no more
the deers walk slowly
behind my wife's shed
sneeking into her black lab's pen
taking his food without his permission
Tonight the moon is bright
the gentle wind comes through the basement window
Even the mices are gone
They have not been here for days
the sticky rice left for them
has not been touched
the furnace keeps on humming
like the birds...oh, the robins
In the Spring time
Just a few more seconds,
a few more hours,
a few more days,
a few more months,
and a few more darkness
Life will come alive again
As if all will have no end

B. John
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
December 1, 2011 @ 8:32pm

What can you do, a Harvard man?

What can you do, a Harvard man
Your life is only $138,696.26
It is across the river
Where the water current is high
and the sky is blue
Underneath this window pane
The fire that keeps on flaming
burning inside your soul
Nothing can stop it
But, you're a Harvard man
You can do it
They have trained you
to find a way
to seek for a day
to liberate this fire
to pay off this debt of yours
Go ahead you Harvard man
See if you can come up with $138,696.26
to buy your soul, your life
and your happiness
to create much success
to discover a new life
to study the USMLEs
to do your residency program
no long will you be alarmed
of a starnger coming to your house
in the middle of the night
to invade your spirit
to take over your dignity
You can live happily
You can really be a Harvard man
you are today, yesterday and tomorrow
See what you can do?
To pay back some of the money
the Keybank paid for you
to become the first Kmhmu-Lao-American
medical doctor in the USA
See what you Harvard man can do?

B. John
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
December 1, 2011 @ 8:18pm

Another Thanksgiving

It seems so long ago
When I had my first thanksgiving
in my new country
in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
With David, his parents,
sisters, brothers and friends
The last Thursday of November in 1976
seems so long ago like a dream almost
When David brought me to the USA
Everyone was alive then
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, Brian, Martha and her family,
Cornelia, Mark and Sheila
Martha's husband, Albert;
her children, Ricky, Rosanne and Andrew
Martha had passed away before her children grew up
I, too, last saw them since 1983
Soon after Mr. Thompson passed away
We said, "Our father" together with David,
Sheila, her family and other family members in the hospital
Life goes on without any opportunity to plan
27 more thanksgivings
Today I celebrate my 28th
with my wife, two children and parents-in-law
In this winter wonder Vermont
How lucky I am to be here
To look back through this memory lane
Happy thanksgiving
Another thanksgiving
Thank you God...
Thank you for everything...
Happy another thanksgiving

St. Johnsbury, Vermont
11/24/2011 @ 7:29pm

Close your eyes

Close your eyes
Have no fear
God is here always

The sun is finally shinning

It has been raining for a whole week
it is good to finally see the sun shinning
the neighbors out walking
the middle aged men on our riding lawn mowers --
me included!
our dogs are running free
our grasses are growing wild
we made the best of what we had
we didn't complete our hike
it was still a good memory
it was chill and windy
the best is yet to come
the one has just passed us by....

www.sea2011.org

Mr. Josh Seamon has created this wonderful site for our SEA trip: www.sea2011.org. Please feel free to visit.

Winter

I can hardly hear the birds singing
this Saturday morning
I can hardly see the sunrise
this muster like cloud
invading the horizon

Going back to my birthcountry

After 36 years, I will go back to my birthcountry
To see where I once was a little jungle boy
To learn what I was once part of this world
Along with 23 students and two other teachers
How exciting it is to be alive?
At this age......

Another night in the Barn

The heavy snow has been pouring down like the 4th of July's firework
Here I am sitting in the Barn proctoring the boys
It is Saturday night, my duty will not end until mid-night
By the time I leave, the snow would have covered my plowing truck
Life is this second, while I listen to Amadeus Mozart
Who wrote his C-Symphony years ago, yet, here it is
Like the first day Mozart discovered its meladies
The crystal piano sounds and the summer sky violins
I see Mozart sliding pass the street covered with snow like tonight
Back to his home where his wife is quietly sleeping
Back to his room where he rolled his white ball over the pool table
Once the ball reached the end of the pool, it returns to Mozart's left hand
With his right hand writing, composing these meladies
I could just see and feel the fire that was burning inside of him
Yet, the burning flame can never escape even out of his soul
The heavy snow is still pouring down while I am typing these words
Soon some of the boys will return from the winter dance
While some insists in staying in the dorm
Their parents are far away
They're here to learn and to be adults
I am one of their science teachers
I shall stop myself at least for a while to go out
to see and watch the snow, another mysterious substance
Farewell........

SEA 2011 Service Work

SEA2011 Service work
(All names spell and pronounce in French!)

Day 1: Friday Feb 18, 2011
1. Visiting the Kmhmu-Lao-American Community in Santa Ana, California. We will be hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Bouasy Tempraseuth at 1906 West Meriday Lane, Santa Ana, California. Mr. Bouasy is the president of the Kmhmu Family Association of Santa Ana, California. He is also a Kmhmu-Lao-American star with his own band and multiple records. He and his brother in-law Boutha Koutsavanh and Dr. Sayarath grew up together in an orphanage in Wat Sokpalouang (La Maison Des garçons, Vientiane, Laos.
Day 8: Friday February 25, 2011
1. Vang Viang Junior School for the hill tribe students (?) Dr. Balichit Thalongsaengchanh recommends us to visit this school since we’ll in the city on Friday when the school is operating.
Day 9: Saturday February 26, 2011
1. Vang Viang Hospital, Dr. Balichit Thalongsaengchanh is the medical staff. His telephone #: 0118562055721225.
2. Dr. Thalongsaengchanh said any donation will be appreciated. They need to purchase the large medical equipments for the hospital.
3. Tour/Site scene. If possible, we’ll find Dr. Sayarath’s mother’s home. The geomorphology of Vang Viang is amazing as I recall.
Day 10: Sunday February 27, 2011
1. Meet with a government officer, Mr. Bounlap (Tel #: 5599-2789) and Chandy Tempraeuth’s brother, who will take us to Hin Herb District Hospital, to meet Dr. Khampuoi (a Kmhmu) and Dr. Thongkhoun (a chief of medical staffs, who is a Laotian).
2. Mr. Bounlap and Chandy’s brother will take us to have late lunch in a restaurant across the bridge. Then, they will lead us in our own bus (preferable) to Ban (Village) Viang Kham. We should be arriving in the village around 3-4pm.
3. In Viang Kham village, we will be visiting the forest farm and the place where the village would to drill for a well for water supply. We can help with this project (Donation and labor work!)
4. We will split in groups of 7, 6, 6 and 6 to the homes of Chandy’s parents, young sister, young brother, and Dr. Sayarath’s sister-in-law’s parents respectively. Each household with each chaperon except one with any—thus, we need to have a mature student in charge!
Day 11: Monday February 28, 2011
1. We’ll gather in Chandy’s parents for breakfast.
2. The first service work is in Ban Viang Kham Elementary School, 5 classrooms, 190 students and 7 teachers. Mr. Kaisone is the principal. Mr. Khammoui, one of the teachers, is Chandy’s uncle son.
3. We can work in classrooms, play games, and teach mathematics and English. Gifts from US would be very special to the student. We can give a laptop to Khammoui, who is the IT guy for the school. He can teach others afterward.
4. After school, we will visit a retired teacher, who is deaf as a result of the war. We need to bring him a little gift/donation.
5. Two hours away by foot, less than 30 minutes by bus, we will visit Ban Na-vay Junior High School. This is a Kmhmu school in a Kmhmu village where Mr. Khamly Phommanivong is the principal and Mr. Sayphone is the Assistant Principal. Both are Chandy’s friends. Mr. Khamly Phommanivong’s tel #: 5603-5800. This junior high school starts from Mathayom 1 to 5 with 500 students and 13 classrooms.
6. After Ban Na-vay Jr High, one hour away by foot, or less than 15 minutes by bus, we will do service work in Hong Suk-sa-la Ban Non (Medical Clinic of Non Village). This is a Khmu-Laotian village. Mr. Bounsoy, a Physician Assistant, is the medical staff with 6 nurses. Mr. Bounsoy’s tel #: 0118562056537009.
7. This would be an ideal health center where Ms. Helen Wilbur can give a gift under her grandfather’s name. Mr. Bounlap, the government officer, agrees that this medical clinic can use this generosity. We should create a plaque with Ms. Wilbur’s grandfather’s name and photo, to hang in the clinic.
8. After Hong Suk-sa-la Ban Non (Medical Clinic of Non Village), we’ll return to Ban Viang Kham. We’ll use the river to clean up and spend time with the locals. Around 5pm, we’ll gather in Chandy’s parents’ house for a Baci (Welcome/farewell/best wishes) ceremony. They would already have prepared a water buffalo for our feast with the locals. We’ll sing, dance and party under the night stars. We’ll split to our household to sleep around 11:30pm.
Day 12: Tuesday March 1, 2011
1. We will gather in Chandy’s parents for breakfast and say “Thanks you and so long…adieu.”
2. We’ll stop to do service work in Ban Boua, where Dr. Sayarath’s elder sister is living. We’ll visit and have lunch with her for about 2 hours before heading down to the capital city Vientiane.
Day 13: Wednesday March 2, 2011
1. This is our tourist day, but we’ll find time to visit the Mahosot Hospital and the only Laotian medical school. Chandy’s niece, Nurse Mai Khanthali, works in Diabetes Units. She is arranging for us to visit the medical center. Nurse Mai’s tel #: 1185620567-94338
2. Rachel may be able to present her senior capstone of malaria to the medical students and professors!
3. If time permits, we’ll visit an orphanage which is run by a Catholic nun. (I need to get more detail of this!). We can also visit the orphanage site where Dr. Sayarath and his friends in Santa Ana, California grew up in Wat Sokpalouang, or La Maison Des Garcons, and Fa-nGum Comprehension High School of Vientiane.
4. Nurse Mai Khanthali needs diabetes kits for her patients! She would like to have a laptop to improve her nursing skills, knowledge and English.
Day 14: Thursday March 3, 2011
1. Service work in Ban Don Elementary School and Medical Clinic. Mr. Khanthaly is the principal (Tel. #: 99807034), and Mr. Vath, P.A. is the medical staff. Ban Don Primary or Elementary School is in Ban Don, Park Ngeum City, Vientiane Province. This school is from first to fifth grade. There are 5 classrooms, 115 students and 5 teachers.
2. Mr. Khanthaly would like to have a laptop, camera, badminton, soccer balls, Frisbee, etc.
3. Any medical supplies and/or any donation will be appreciated for the medical clinic.
4. They’re trying to renovate and enlarge the clinic.

A new day

It has been a long over due date that I have visited my daily inner voice. Many things have changed since I was here last. Still, I feel as if I have never left this place. I am still the person I was. It is good to be alive.

Driving home from work late at night, I saw so many ton trucks, snowplowers and working men's smaller truck--like mine. They boys in the Barn had finally came home just on time for the curfews. The classical music my daughter, Maya and I bought from a dollar store in Littleton kept reminding life is worth living. The fireworks, melodies and fee spirits all lumped together. The international festival at the Academy, one of my capstone students proposed was shut down by a local professional teacher. A cross culture day.....Good night, "I have promise to keep before I sleep."