The last few weeks have been a whirlwind.. Where do I begin?
Well, a few friends have actually told me that they have no idea what I’m
actually doing here in Laos, so I guess I could start with that. My job.
I’m here with an NGO called Pencils of Promise (PoP for
short). PoP works in the developing world - namely Laos, Nicaragua, and
Guatemala - to build schools and support education. The company has been working in Laos for 3 years, I think…
and has built around 40 schools throughout northern Laos.
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| 2-Room Preschool built by PoP in a village called Pak Pa |
What I actually do is work with the Lao construction team
here and attempt to better their organizational skills. The fun part is that I
get to go out to the field to different villages that we’ve worked in or are
planning to work in. It’s great to get out of the city and see the remote
places that most travelers don’t get to see.
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| A 3-room school we started shortly after I arrived in a village called Sa Nouk. |
A few weeks back we took a 3-day trip to the north to see a
few different build sites and check out some potential build sites as well. I
have to say, there were times that I felt like I was the first white person
some of these villagers had seen. They would stare at me like I was a ghost. I
remember one time in particular a little boy was sizing me up and I noticed him
and stared back at him smiling. He was frozen in terror by our eye contact.
After a few seconds of shock he snapped out of it and ran for cover.
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| Lao house in Sa Nouk - village about 30 minutes from Luang Prabang. |
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| Lao home in Phayong - village about 6 hours from LPB. |
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| One benefit of going to the villages is getting to try some authentic Lao cuisine. |
The villagers that I’ve encountered have all been incredibly
kind and welcoming. They’re quick to offer us bananas or coconuts – whatever they
have to give. They’re also quick to share a beer. Oh, right. beer…
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| Just a few crates of 'Beer Lao' |
Beer is a HUGE part of the culture here. Offering someone a
beer is like shaking hands. The second you finish your glass it’s already
filled again. I must say, at first I enjoyed it. It was fun to have a beer with
new friends and relax a bit. But I underestimated just how much they drink. I
soon found that I’m far out of my beer-drinking league here. The Lao people I
know (mostly women, mind you) drink more than ANYONE I know back home.
Ever since I got absolutely slammered in a little village called Nambo about 3 days after arriving, I’ve had to come up with excuses
to politely refuse beer to ensure that I don’t die of alcohol consumption here. We went to Nambo to celebrate International Women's Day and spent the whole day there drinking, feasting, and playing petang (bocce ball).. Since I didn't speak Lao, and I hadn't really gotten to know any of the Americans yet.. I just figured I'd let loose a bit, have a couple beers, and socialize. Little did I know, that you can't just have a couple beers. Like I said, the second you're done with 1 beer, your glass is full.. and you really don't have a choice in the matter. About 3 hours into the festivities I was toast. Finished. Stick a fork in me. Unfortunately for me we still had 2 hours of beer drinking left to do; not to mention a 2 hour ride back home in the back of a truck with 20 other people (not exaggerating). Needless to say, when I finally made it back home in one piece I passed out immediately. In the morning I took one look at myself and thought, "Never again..." I don't think I've ever looked so haggard.
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| Probably shouldn't have shared this photo... The truck ride back. I do not appear to be sober.. nor clean. |
That was my blunt introduction to Lao drinking. Fortunately I've learned since then and can manage myself in the midst of these beer drinking olympians.
Any who… where was I? Ah yes, the last few weeks. A few
weekends ago was Phi Mai, the Lao New Year celebration. There’s really no other
word to describe it other than ‘crazy.’ The festivities kick off on Friday and
last till Monday. Throughout that time, the city basically turns into a giant
water fight arena. Supposedly getting someone wet is a sort of good luck wish
to them, but in reality, it’s really just a big water fight. People line the
streets with buckets of water, squirt guns and hoses and douse any who come
within range. Everyone is drenched from head to toe, drinking beer and having
fun. I armed myself with a 3-dollar squirt gun that looked like a sword and met
up with some friends to enjoy the craziness. Within 2 minutes I was soaked. I didn't take many pictures because I didn't want to get my camera wet but luckily my co-worker, Megan, was able to get some and kindly let me use them.
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| Megan getting a good luck wish |
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| Megan's husband, Tad, battling a monk on the street. He's got the same sword gun I had. Good weapon. |
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| Throwing me some good luck as I passed. |
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| Cameras aren't safe. Nothing is safe. |
Some Lao people also get flour or dye and throw it on you,
namely your face/head region - so I also had flour baking in my hair as the hot
sun beat down upon it. We spent
about 2 hours watering passersby and then relocated to get some lunch and
continue the watering elsewhere. After an hour more of drinking beer and
dodging sprays of water, we took a boat to an island in the middle of the
Mekong where more water and partying was being done. By this point, I probably
looked like a ghoul with flour caked on my face and hair and red dye handprints
spread violently on my white shirt.
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| Megan with some fresh red good luck on her face. Me in the background prior to my coloring. |
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| Elizabeth, who I also work with, was rocking the flour face all day |
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| Phi Mai festivities |
We headed back from the island and I decided I had had
enough for one day. My stomach was starting to feel like death so I headed
home. Just before reaching my bike, a lovely Lao girl decided to spread thick
green dye all over my face and I was suddenly the Wicked Witch from the west. I
had to ride the whole way home on my bicycle with green skin and couldn’t help
but think of the scene from Wizard of Oz. However, unfortunately for me, all
the water festivities drain the city’s water supply and my house had no water
for showers. So, there I was, exhausted, wet, dehydrated and green, with no way
of cleaning my haggard self. I eventually gathered my strength and made it to a
friend’s house to shower.
Over the next few days it was impossible to leave the house without getting drenched. One day, we took the PoP truck out to the city with a giant bucket of water in the back. We rode through the streets unleashing our watery weapons upon all who dare stand within range. In the end we probably got more wet than anyone. It was a blast.
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| Two different truck crews going at it |
I remember right when I got home that afternoon I dried off, changed my clothes, got comfy, and prepared to watch a movie. Right as the movie was starting Bay, one of the PoP staff here, came to the house and asked me for a ride to his house. I couldn't refuse and we set out on a motorbike. I was determined not to get wet. I cut through back roads, used passing cars as shields, sped past groups of kids with buckets of water before they could get us.. anything I had to do to stay dry. I made it to Bay's house completely dry. I thought for sure I could make it back. I almost did too. Just before the last turn to my house, I got stuck behind a truck who had stopped for no apparent reason. I made eye contact with a group of kids 30 feet away. I couldn't pass the truck because there was a line of traffic coming our way.. by this point, the kids were running at me, buckets overflowing, evil smiles on their faces. I literally couldn't go anywhere. I was trapped. They surrounded me like hyenas surrounding a wounded prey. I was helpless. They politely wished me a happy new year as they gently dumped every drop of water from their buckets on me with glee. Feeling like a defeated boxer and looking like a wet cat, I trudged back home and repeated the drying off/changing clothes process. That's pretty much the norm during Phi Mai.. Overall, it was awesome to be here and experience it.
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| Phi Mai Parade |
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| Phi Mai is full of traditional Lao clothing |
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| Some wet monks making an appearance |
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| Pretty Lao girl |
I just realized this blog post is ridiculously long. I'll try to do shorter/more frequent posts from now on. Until next time!
