We’re going to start with today because I want to write about it while the experience remains fresh in the mind. It was another day where I could not stop smiling, my face hurt by noon.
While in Pai back in Thailand I was reading about laos and randomly discovered a charitable organization by the name of Big Brother Mouse (www.bigbrothermouse.com). Basically they are an organization that print books in the Lao language intended for children and then try to spread them around the country. They reinvented a font for the lao language in printing presses and have worked very hard as a group to spread not just literacy, but a love of reading in this struggling but beautiful country. (To me struggling is a compliment)
At any rate there are a lot of ways you can help them. They run an english practice session twice a day in Luang Prabang and Vientiane in their bookstores where tourists are invited to drop in from 9-11 am or 5 to 7 m and converse with the young people of Laos seeking to improve their english. This is an incredible experience and a free way to help just a little bit while also getting an inside look at a very fascinating culture and people. I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve had delightful conversations with students studying to be teachers, and lots of young men and women looking to get work in the tourist industry. Sometimes in the morning there are novice monks looking to practice too.
That’s the first way to help, but there are lots more. You can drop by and purchase a small set of books which you can then donate to schools in any small villages you may visit, or even use as tips to friendly people who help you in your journey for their kids or themselves if the situation warrants.
You can also sponsor a book (a list is found on their website) which basically brings a story into existence and publication adding to their ever growing library of stories for the children of Laos. This is quite expensive, (800-2000 american dollars) for good reason though, as publishing a book is no small thing. That said for my teacher friends out there it could be a great school fundraising goal, something I definitely intend to use when I get back to teaching, which after today I actually miss dearly.
The last way to help, and the way I chose to help, is to fund a book party. (350 American Dollars) A book party funds a team to go to a small village in Laos (by van, boat, elephant, or two feet) and bring with them upwards of 400 books, as well as old board games, pens and pencils and activity books meant to develop reading skills. They then spend half the day singing songs about reading, playing games and just building enthusiasm for reading in general. Finally each student gets to choose a book that they get to own. (Usually their first book) and about 50 books are left behind for each class at the school to establish a daily reading program. Really, the money goes an incredibly long way.
Today I got the joy of attending one of these book parties which is why I couldn’t stop smiling despite a cold coming on. We set off early in the morning to a small village just over an hour away from Luang Prabang. The 5 person Laotian team accompanied by 5 donors all packed into a minivan. After getting lsot briefly we found the school which was very basic, although I’m told it’s quite a nice one by standards here. What followed was 3 hours of unadulterated joy.
We played games, sang songs, watched stories being read out loud to classes and finally the kids got to pick their books. In this moment the stampede was incredible as they all rushed forward wanting to pick the best one. (They will share and exchange all the books over time of course.) Honestly that single moment was the biggest testament to reading and the biggest explosion of childhood enthusiasm I have seen in a long time. I wish I had it on film to show classes of unengaged teenagers across the western world. The kids then settled into reading and sharing and lots of smiling.
Somehow I ended up getting pulled aside to give the wonderful staff of this small primary school a tutorial in the rules of Twister which was pretty damn funny for all of us. The Lao people continue to impress me and always seem so full of good natured laughter. I’m definitely hoping to come back to this country as a teacher one day.
The children were obedient yet full of joy, polite yet rambunctious all at once. It made me miss teaching immensely. We posed for some pictures at the end and gave all the teachers a few large print books with more complicated stories to read aloud to their classes. The reading we witnessed was full of emotion and character, basically just how a story should be read, even If I could not really understand more than a few words.
After the book party we visited another small town where we had lunch in the home of a new staff member of big brother mouse and talked about the country, a perfect way to bring an end to a perfect valentines day. Scary to think a lot of people spent more money on chocolates, flowers, and jewelry for today then I did on bringing almost 100 kids books and supplies. (Not getting on my high horse, I’ve done the exact same thing and likely will again if I do end up falling in love again, this is only meant as an observation of how far a dollar can go here.)
At any rate I highly encourage people to get involved with this well run and immensely needed charity in this amazing country that has captured a piece of my heart. And if you ever come to Laos drop in for the language practice and buy some books for a few dollars to give to smaller villages. Trust me, they’ll appreciate them. I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop smiling today, it went for most of the kids too. So yes, definitely my best single valentines day and quite likely my best ever. Here’s the pictures I could bring myself to take, it always feels strange and awkward so I kept it to a relative minimum.
Now let’s jump back for a quick waterfall story. Back in Nong Khiaw which is an incredible place I joined the 100 waterfall tour and along side five other Farang’s (Lao slang for white people which translates to just french) and we hopped on a boat heading away from civilization towards the jungle. First stop was a small village of 129 people and 3 different ethnic groups named Don Khoun. (My british friend told me to remember it by picturing a raccoon dressed as Don Corleane which is just a great image) The kids there rushed out to greet us, all showing off various tricks of balance and gymnastics and cackling with laughter. This village knows tourists but since only one agency runs this trek they might see an average of 4 people a day and are very welcoming. It was an amazing place but left me wishing I spoke more of the language than thank you and hello.
the village had electricity in small supplies and we saw how they got it as tiny hydro powered gizmos dotted the small river running down out of the mountains each one providing 2 or 3 homes with a little power. I wish I knew how they worked for more than anything.
From there we headed up with our guide from another village, a local teenage boy who wanted to practice english, and a trusty dog follower through the rice fields, past a rudimentary working forge and to the waterfalls. Now there likely were not a hundred of them, but I quickly lost count of how many as we quite literally climbed up through them. It was pretty damn incredible, and while a few of the bigger ones had paths beside them I managed to climb up all but the final waterfall which the guide just would not allow. (At least not all the way.)
It was another fantastic day in Lao and even though I’m trying to fight off a sickness I am adoring my time in Laos.
