Dear SJD members, First of all, I would like to join many others who have attended the Second Annual Satjadham Conference in formally thanking Alisack and the entire Sanavongsay family. Without them, the conference would not have been as successful, complete and as uplifting. By that I mean besides Learning About Our Stories, we have also rediscovered what being Lao is all about: gentle character, genuine caring and unquestionable hospitality. I will always remember Alisack's mother's words when looking at about twenty of us around the dinner table: "I wonder what it would be like to have this many children?", she commented with a smile. We were IN! part of the family! Most of Satjadham members arrived in Elgin, Illinois, on Friday night (8-8-97), greeted and welcomed by Ai Troy's profound, peaceful and worries free snoring!!! Those who met during last year's conference were happy to see one another again, catching up on the latest news. The new and later additions were excited to finally be able to put faces on names and voices to writings. It was from the start a family reunion. After getting acquainted and the latest gossips exchanged , Kag introduced all of us to his favorite game "Taboo". Women vs. Men: it was a gender war, buzzing the night away. :) (By the way, the women's team won!!!) :) Saturday, August 9, 1997 After the bathroom line cleared, though still very much asleep, we made it to the Conference site, where guests from the neighboring Wisconsin state have already been waiting. Because of the low turn out in the morning, we have decided to wait after lunch to follow our agenda. However, Chaosinh Saysanom did not waste the opportunity to share his knowledge of Lao history with our participants. In the middle of an enthusiastic group eager to learn more about its heritage, Chaosinh pointed to maps to locate geographical citing , pictures to illustrate examples, and books for references. He guided discussions, answered some questions, and shared anecdotes. When Guy and Alisack returned with the food for lunch, many heads turned, not because of their presence, but following the trail of the wonderful smell of the so-well recognizable Lao food: "larb, tam mark hoong, ping gai, sin haeng, khao neeow...". And I guess the trail had also led some Elgin community members to join us for lunch, during which each participant had a chance to introduce themselves and share some of their thoughts and concerns. The Conference Agenda I won't go into detail. I think that each presenter will be more suited to give a comprehensive outline. I. Alisack' s welcoming remarks II. Chaosinh' s presentation on "History: How the French Gained Control Over Laos" III. Kag' s presentation of the "Lao Vision Magazine" featuring an article by Steve IV. Ai Troy' s presentation on "Lao and Computer" V. Guy and Sonny' s presentation of "Satjadham T-Shirts and Books" VI. Ai Kongkeo' s presentation of the "Blue Print for Laos" All six segments of the conference were very inspirational, shedding some light on many obscure corners, and most of all, not in any book to be found. Each analysis of the three main topics of discussion was unique and special in its own way. Much has been gained. At the end of the session, after recognition was attributed to key players in the success of the Conference, it did not seem that anyone wanted to leave. The librarians were waiting to close and lock doors behind us... But the Satjadham spirit was high... We only parted after clapping along Chaosinh' s songs... The low turn out has been many times mentioned... The quantity did definitely not hinder the high quality of the Conference as well as the active participation of the attendees. It was memorable. Even more so when Satjadham decided to tour down town Chicago that very same evening; five cars with a majority of out of state drivers, following one another in the middle of the night in a city that never sleeps... I will let you wonder... or you can also convince Kag and Ai Troy to rap it for you... Saturday, August 10, 1997 Satjadham Internal Conference Of course everything needs to be voted on and discussed with those who could not attend the conference. And if anyone would like to add their name to any group, please feel free to do so. This is only a preliminary report on what happened at this Second Annual Satjadham Conference. I. Evaluation of the Conference: members and non-members surveys I am positive that Euay Ketmani will give a more detailed report on this matter II. Registration of Satjadham as a Non-Profit Organization *Purpose: be able to write out donations' receipts for tax claims and deduction and Fund raising *Discussion: Ai Troy' s suggestion-register under LaoNet umbrella but still maintaining a separate funding and account, only using the same tax ID. Ai Kongkeo referred to the current not-so-ready situation of Laonet. Satjadham is ready. Register in Minnesota with Euay Ketmani as president and Darivone as treasurer The reason being that to set that up, we need to have two members in the same city and state to be able to write out checks We need to submit in, along with the application, by-laws and charter for SJD *Membership fees: to fund future SJD activities -- $25/professional and $15/student per year What is included? Give "concrete/tangible" samples of future projects and what the money is going to be used for. Create brochures/pamphlets (Nor Sanavongsay for the design and Ai Kongkeo for the content) III. To encourage active participation *Suggestion for future topics: -Parents' perspective on Generation Gap -Interracial marriage -Views on the situation in Laos -Sexuality and social views on homosexuality -Social issues: teen pregnancy and abortion -Money, success -The trend of moving out and living together before getting married -Most embarrassing moments "Coming to America" -How do the Lao in Laos think about the Lao abroad -INS and illegal immigrations *Critique Group: responsible in reading, commenting, giving feedback to articles, and editing Ketmani, Maly, Guy, Alisack, Troy, Pom *Next posting schedule: "Coming to America": your most embarrassing moments Starting September 16, 1997, every Tuesday VI. Recruit new Members Target for recruit: 50 by next conference Guy will post SJD charter on Soc.Culture.Lao once a month Maly guarantees 15 new members V. Financial report Donations $300 Chaosinh Saysanom $85 Guy Phiaxay $50 Pom Outama $50 Ai Kongkeo Saycocie $180 Ai Troy Prasouvo $50 Sonelay Boualouang $5 Euay Ketmani Kouanchao (for ice) $5 Sonny (from hat proceeds) $3 Khone $20 Sim Inthavong ----- $758 Total $70 Left over from book project ----- $828 Grand total for Donations T-shirts sale $200 from Pom $70 Alisack's mom $160 Conference participants ----- $430 Total Expenses $200 Conference luncheon $60 Conference refreshment $35 Printing (agenda, programs, posters…) $5 Ice ----- $300 Total To account (Euay Ketmani): $958 (828+430) -300=958 VI. Next year's conference Sites: New York, North Carolina, Portland, OR Title to be determined Suggested theme: -Economy -Celebrating Lao authors -Lao culture -Lao and technology That's all I can think of! If anyone has anything to add, please don't hesitate do so. I don't think I took note on everything that was discussed… :)