Saturn Returns

At a family reunion I talk to my cousin Becca and her boyfriend Luke about school, work, love and living out of a van. Luke is an introvert who dropped out of engineering school to become a digital nomad living out of a van and building Web sites. Becca is an extrovert with a wildlife degree but hasn't been able to find work in her field. She met Luke and decided to join him on the open road.

Becca and Luke inside Rusty.

Becca and Luke outside of Luke's van, Rusty.

I take my new roommates (Corey and Amy, also American teachers abroad) on a long bike ride to Xieng Khuan, colloquially known as Buddha Park. We take in the sculptures, climb inside and on top of tall structures and debate the feasibility of a similar attraction for other religions with surprising outcomes. 

Amy, Corey and I made a pit stop at the BeerLao factory on our way our of Vientiane.

Amy poses by one of the sculptures in the park.

I visit a bar in Lakewood, Ohio specializing in mead (alcohol made by fermenting honey) with my little sister Marah, friend from Chicago Cynthia, friend from grade school Deborah and Deborah's sister Allison. We try a sampler of mead, sour beer and cider and chat up our bar tender about his experience fermenting cabbage, breaking up, starting fresh and moving. 

Marah (right) and I on the patio before we try sour beer, mead and ciders.

Deborah and Cynthia and our array of drinks at BottleHouse Brewery and Mead Hall.

This choice takes the cake. I've never done something so crazy as moving to Laos for a year.