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Published: February 21st 2011
Kao Piak munch time
Bay took me to eat some noodles ("kao piak") to start our Christmas holidays off with a bang.As I spend more time here, people think I look more and more Lao. Or, maybe it’s just because now my Lao has improved enough that I can understand it when they point and me and chuckle, “You look like a Lao person.”
The team here at PoP has taught me all that I need to know to fill the shoes of my Lao family. Bay invited me to his home village to celebrate Christmas, and a few weeks later, Ya invited me to his village to celebrate Hmong New Year (a holiday that lasts several weeks to ensure that everyone is able to celebrate in all the neighboring villages).
The journey to Bay’s village was one of the rockiest, dustiest ones that I have been on since arriving, and was only exaggerated by the fact that we were riding two to a motorbike through massive potholes over dirt roads. After a jarring two-hour ride, we arrived in Bay’s village, ready to start the celebration, style-Lao. After meeting Bay’s incredible mother and family (and gifting her with a bag of apples, for which she now loves me forever), we kicked off by watching a day-long soccer match played by
Bumpy roads to Bay's village
Look! An entire soccer team in the truck in front of us! all the Christians in neighboring villages. Most memorably, Bay’s wife taught me how to shower. I thought it would be a little inappropriate for me to sneak a camera into the event… but if I could have, I would have! It was awesome. She gave me a sarong-type tube of cloth to wrap around myself, and brought me to a semi-private space behind someone’s house to start dunking myself in ice-cold water. I did my best not to suck in the river water every time I gasped when she poured the bucket on me.
That night, I watched a performance of local Lao singers and dancers perform to Lao-ified Christmas music. I was beat by midnight, so I crawled into my bed. Deep asleep, I did not wake until I heard giggles at the foot of my bed. I looked down, and two pre-teens were climbing into my bed. It was only my second weekend in Laos… how was I supposed to know that bed-sharing is a long-treasured tradition in Laos?! I rolled over and gave Bay’s cousins room to sleep, feeling very glad that I wasn’t the one who had to play the part of middle spoon in
Lao cheerleaders
Armed with signs, urging their favorite soccer teams to victory that bed arrangement.
A few weeks later, I ventured to Ya’s village, riding on public transportation (a “bus” that you might recognize as a somewhat elongated tuk tuk) for the first time. Nambo is a beautiful village, surrounded by mountains and lakes, and it is especially festive during Hmong New Year. I already knew some about the garb of Hmong New Year (since girls from my guesthouse had invited me to a celebration in Luang Prabang a few weeks prior), but it is such a pleasure seeing an entire town decked out in velvet and bright colors. Any pattern goes! Ya’s cousins and brothers were little trouble-makers, and I loved them dearly. After playing a traditional game of ‘catch’ (the favorite pastime during Hmong New Year) and drinking a few chugs of lao lao whiskey flavored with black hornets, we retired to Ya’s family’s manmade lake, where he showed us how real men fish. Decked out in his monotone red outfit, he showed how we could catch our dinner using just a net and weights. That night, we lit candles and scattered the deck with our experimental lanterns (made out of just about every material possible). The stars were
Bay's mom!!
Bay's mom was a wonderful woman - I love her to pieces because she's a hugger. (Also in the picture - my friend Ryan who used to be Bay's boss at Joma cafe) beautiful, and the air so clean. Sometimes, it’s nice to get out of “the city”.
Every day, I learn something new. In these outings, it really was learning how to be Lao. I’ve spent a lot of my time in villages – enough to know that 2-3 days is about all I need. After a while, I miss hot running water, consistent presence of soap, and a soft mattress. But getting to see where my friends grew up is incredibly valuable to me, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, not even a bar of soap (meh, that’s what scented antibac is for right??).
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Happy Yun
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Love
Loved the photos and writings! Much belated, but much appreciated. Isn't that amazing that you survived the ride! I hope they understand the structural engineering concept behind building houses so that they won't collapse. Above all, you look happy and I am happy for you. Much Love, M.