Bi Mai from my Students

Each week my students have to write something in a notebook to practice writing. I give them topics that they can write about. They can use my topics or write about anything they want. They each must write 6 sentences. They can write more. Here is what one of my best students wrote this week. I told them to write about what they did for Bi Mai - Lao New Years - April 13-15. 

I know it's kinda long, but it gives a good idea of what Lao people do for Lao New Year. There are some mistakes - I just copied what she wrote.

Now, I'd like to tell you about many things that I did for Lao New Year.

For Lao New Year ago, I had many things that I had to do as the day before Lao New Year my aunt took me to her house and then we cleaned house all day. On the first day of The Lao New Year, my aunt and I had to get up very early. Because our cousins who lived in Bangkok of Thailand - came to visit us with their friends (11 people) and also other our cousins were from different provice, too. So we had to prepair many kinds of food for them as grilled about twenty chickens and ducks, made Lao noodles with its sauce, tata meat (mince - meat dish) that we all called as "larp" in Laos, soup. . . for them. In the afternoon, we made Baci (Lao ceremony) for our grand-mother. On the second day, I got up quite late around 6:00 a.m. Because that day I didn't have to many works. But in the afternoon, my younger sister and I made the special water and then we went to watering Buddha image (Pour water to Buddha). Every year we went to watering Buddha image for nine temples. I go to temple to give arm (alms). We went to nine temples because we believed that number 9 is the lucky number for Lao people. If you watering the Buddh 9 temples in my custumn believed you will have good luck and got many good things came in to your own and I believed that. After that, we brought the special water to pour water at our parents and elderly peopeo around our village. We did like this every year and after pour special water for them already - They will wish us to be a rich person in the future, to get a good luck good husband, good health. . . Finally, we came back home to took a bath and took a nap. On the third day or last day of Lao New Year, I got up very early at The same time as the first day. Because of that day, there were alt of our friends that came to visit us. So we made many kinds of food for them. Our friends came from different villages, some of them were from province and Some of Them were fom ThaiLand. But after 2:30 P.M, all of my aunt's family and their friends (all guests) went to see rockets at the festival that near the market of the village. Especially my aunt's husband - he made a rocket for this festival (Sometime he made ohly one or two rockets per year). He did like this every year because he believed that if he made the rocket for heaven or angels. He'll be a good luck person of the year (rich and rich). For me, but after, they went to see the rocket. I had to wash a lot of dishes, cleaned on the floor untill every were clean. Fortunately, my younger sister came to help me. At 7:30 p.m, we came back home for taking a bath and then I had dinner and went bed. And I slept until 7:00 am the next morning. I knew, I got up late - but it's because of I was so tired. However I was so tired, but I very happy, too.