Back Home

I safely returned back to Georgia yesterday afternoon. It's good to be back, but there are many things from Laos and Thailand that I already miss. While there are some aspects of our western society and culture that are shared with Laos and Thailand, much of what I experienced over the past few months will be hard to recreate or experience here in Georgia. I no longer look at the way things are done in southeast Asia as being weird or foreign; they're just different from how we do things.

One of the hardest things for me to do while in Laos for the summer was to try and get myself to quit thinking like a westerner. This was not completely possible, but I tried as much as possible to not see things through American lenses. Not to say that the way Americans or westerners view the world is wrong, but at times I feel like we view the way things are done in the west as being the correct way of doing things, or the best way to do things. Many times, for many reasons, the way we do things in our hemisphere would never work in the East. Our hubris is great and has lead to many wonderful advances in science, politics, the arts, etc., but some humility and understanding of other cultural traditions I think is at times lacking from our western psyche.

All of last week I stayed with our housekeeper's family in Vientiane. They lived in a large home, but one which would be considered very sparse by our standards. The house was down a dirt road off the street where I lived during the summer. Many of Pik's family lived in houses immediately adjacent to her home. Pik and Siht's house featured a large living room, a big kitchen, 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. The floor was concrete and was covered with linoleum in the bedrooms and living room. There was 1 couch in the house, 2 tables in the kitchen for storage and 2 bamboo eating tables that were moved into the living room when it was meal time. There was no air conditioning, but the bedrooms did have table fans to help combat the heat. While there was a water pump for the house, and a proper toilet, there was no shower in the bathroom. Instead, there was a large plastic barrel under a water spicket and a plastic bowl. To take a shower, I would scoop out water, cold water, from the barrel and rinse myself off. Outside, the yard was scattered with chickens and ducks, and smelled like chickens and ducks.

The first day I was a bit shocked by the situation I found myself in. But, after reminding myself that I was not in the US, or even Thailand, I really enjoyed spending a week living like a Lao person. The family didn't see anything weird or lacking in the way they lived, so who was I to find the situation odd. As I experienced their hospitality over the week, it was also impossible to be anything but grateful for what they shared with me.

Just like the first time, it was hard to say goodbye when I had to go. My last night there, Siht came home from work with a bottle of whiskey and some soda water. We sat around drinking and talking about football (soccer) while Boum and Pik made dinner. I can't describe the warmth that filled me as I enjoyed the family's company for one last night. A few months ago I was a complete stranger to them, and as we ate, laughed and drank I realized how close we had become. It was sad to say goodbye to people I had come to love and who had taken me in.

If you've been reading my posts, it goes without saying that I had an amazing summer. What I did not learn about the black and white letter of the law was certainly made up for by the cultural experiences I had and the interactions I had with the people of Laos.

Back in Thailand

After an amazing 2 months in Laos, I returned to Thailand yesterday. My last day at work was busy wrapping everything up, but we had time for the whole team to go out to lunch. The people I worked with were great and very smart. They have a real vision for the future of Laos and I hope they are able to succeed in their work sooner rather than later. I was sad to be leaving a project that I only recently began to understand and feel a part of. I also knew I was going to miss my new friends from work. We had a party planned for Friday night, so I knew I would get to spend some more time with them before I took off.

After work I ran around town getting ready to leave and preparing for our party. After the khao niaw was placed on the stove, Boum and I headed to the market for fish and veggies to make laap paa. Our house looked more like a restaurant than a home. Sarah and Dena were hard at work making a salad, spring rolls and garlic bread, Pik, Boum, Pown and Pim were busy preparing the laap and I was willingly playing the role of taster. The food they made was awesome and it took some self will to not eat my fill before we took it to the party.

We had the party at a place called the Juke Box that is near our house. The owner is a fellow hasher and a fellow American. He graciously allowed us, and our friends to bring as much food as we wanted and he let me take control of the music. We had about 40 friends show up for what was a great time. Friends from work were there, our neighbors were there, fellow hashers were there, guys we had played football were there and the woman who worked at our favorite noodle shop was there with her sister. In addition to all our friends being there, we had a huge spread of delicious food. There was laap, sushi, spring rolls, KFC (Khouviang Fried Chicken) and several items that were meant for our journey. It was a wonderful way to spend our last night in town. I can't explain how good it felt to be surrounded by our new friends who were also sad to see us go.

Saturday I packed up my room and ran a few more errands. I printed some photos for Pik and Boum, took one last trip to Wat Saladay with Boum for a blessing from the monk and turned in my motorbike.
The blessing was really special because the monk who performed it helped to raise Boum and her father, Siit. I felt honored to share in one more aspect of the family's life. I spent the day trying not to think about leaving, but around 3:30 our van came to usher us to the bus station. Our farewell was happy, but a bit teary. Knowing that I would start crying if I spoke too much, I kept my words short. As we pulled away, Pik and Boum had tears rolling down their cheeks and we all remained pretty quiet. It was weird leaving a place not knowing when, or if, I would be back.

Around 4:00pm Saturday we left the bus station and arrived in Chiang Mai Sunday at about 10am. The trip took a little longer than expected as a result of the bus breaking down at about 4am. Unlike my trip to Laos, where I hardly slept, I was able to nod off fairly easily. The bus we were on was a double-decker and I unfortunately was placed in the front row on the bottom level. Much like sitting in the bulkhead on a plane, this was not the ideal spot to spend 12+ hours. But, since I slept, it was not too bad. I was sleeping pretty good when the bus pulled to the side of the road so the driver could check out whatever problem we were having.

I was not sure why we were stopped, but was content to keep sleeping. Even though the door was open, the air outside was not too warm yet and the air conditioning was still on to keep the bus a comfortable temperature. All was fine until I woke to an intense irritation in my hands. It felt like when you've been outside in cold weather and then put your hands under hot water. At first I had no idea what was causing this terrible sensation, but quickly saw the culprit. In the faint light, I made out the shadow of a mosquito buzzing by. I turned on the overhead light to find about 12 mosquitoes perched on the wall in front of me. While I had been enjoying a nice sleep, my hands and neck had been turned into a buffet by one of southeast Asia's most pesky pests. Along with the other lower level passengers, I killed mosquitoes from about 3-4am. The wall in front of me, as well as my hands, was covered in blood and bits of mosquitoes. Like anyone who has been terrorized by a silent, small antagonist, I could not sleep and was wide eyed and alert to make more kills. Thanks to the protest of my fellow passengers the door to bus was shut, and after our mosquito genocide, we were all able t relax and get a bit of sleep before a new bus arrived to continue the journey.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. The bus was a bit smaller and did not have as much leg room, but did feature Thai karaoke. Karaoke on the buses, no matter how ling the trip, is ubiquitous in southeast Asia. It's usually not too bad and a little entertaining, but not what you want to hear at 6am after being eaten alive by mosquitoes and wanting to sleep. The music was eventually shut off until a more decent hour rolled around.

It was nice to get back to Chiang Mai, but I do miss Vientiane. The pace here, while still somewhat laid back, is faster than Vientiane and the commercialism is more prevalent. Chain stores are frequent and shopping can be done in malls and stores as opposed to markets. Vientiane left a great impression on me and I hope to go back again to be a part of helping the people as they progress.