My mom and I always say, “The human heart is universal.” It works as an international language all over the world. A sweet heart with a big smile can easily cross over any national borders. We also believe that sport can work as an international language on this earth.

My mom is in Laos now. She cannot speak Lao at all, but she communicates with Laotian people in a few “international” languages. The other day, she played Pétanque with her Laotian colleagues. Pétanque is a sport which originated in France. Since Laos used to be a French colony, I guess that Pétanque was introduced by the French.

Pétanque is an easy game that anybody can enjoy. Look at the photo on the right. Can you see a small ball in the middle of the photo. A player throws two metal balls toward the small one. The person who throws the ball the closest to the small one wins the game. It is not difficult at all, is it? My mom enjoyed Pétanque “beary” much.