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Published: April 6th 2008
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Sabadiee (Hello) everyone!!!
Dan and I are in beautiful Laos. Originally when we were planning our travel route through SE Asia we did not intend to come to Laos but after speaking with other travelers about their experiences we decided to change our route and so far our time in Laos has far exceeded our expectations. Can you believe that Dan is actually enjoying traveling through a country without an ocean or beaches??? OH MY GOSH!!!
Laos is small (less then 6 million people in comparison in Thailand’s population of 62 million) but very beautiful country... the landscape is very lush and unspoiled … dramatic limestone karsts, dense jungle and split by banks of the mighty Mekong River. The people are very open and kind and life ticks by at a more relaxed pace and in a more traditional style in comparison to the other countries we have visited in SE Asia. I can honestly say that the calm and relaxed atmosphere is a welcome change!!!
Currently, we are in the UNESCO World Heritage listed town of Luang Prabang. The city is an interesting mix of French colonial architecture and traditional Laos and Buddhist culture. We have been
here for 4 days and yesterday Dan and I had a wonderful opportunity to "sponsor" a book party for about 100 village children ranging from the ages of 3 years to 13 years old. We arranged it though and organization called "Big Brother Mouse" and it was such a beautiful and rewarding experience. Our donation of $250 USD provided all the children with 1 pencil, writing paper and 1 paperback book of their choice (which are all written and published by the Big Brother Mouse organization!!!). Story books are unheard of in Laos (really only text books and reference books exist) so for almost all of the children this was their first opportunity to read and own a book of their own!!! The concept of reading for “pleasure” is a new a developing idea in Laos and actually attaining a story book can be virtually impossible as few books exist and there is no system for distribution within Laos. It was truly incredible to see the transformation in the eyes of all the children over something a small as a paperback book.
We arrived to the small traditional village of Ban Huag Lek, (which is 3 hours North of
Luang Prang- heading towards the Chinese border) at around 1:30pm after a very bumpy ride through the Laos country side. As we walked down the dirt road towards the four-room school house we could hear all the children singing… welcoming our arrival!!! Even though it was a Saturday afternoon and not mandatory to attend over 100 students came to our “book party”. Dan and I were there as the “guest sponsors” however, the Big Brother Mouse staff (which I should mention are all young, passionate and dedicated local Laotians) had arrived earlier in the morning to set up and prepare for the day.
A “book party” consists of more then just handing out books to the children… it is an interactive day of educational activities through reading, drawing, singing, theatre and games which is provided and lead by the Big Brother Mouse staff. The games and activities are based on topics that range from the importance of personal hygiene to respecting the local flora and fauna. After an hour of all sorts of activities we had break time (consisting of juice and cookies) before we brought out the books. Before the children were allowed to choose their books the
Big Brother Mouse staff explained the importance of caring for books and the benefits of sharing- the Big Brother Mouse staff even set up a “book swap basket” for each of the classrooms. It was very cute to see all the children wide eyed at the concept of exchanging and trading books once they we finished with their own!!!
The books published by Big Brother Mouse range from basic alphabet picture books to stories in English and Lao that describe the “7 Wonders of the World” or the “Animals of Australia”. All the books are written and illustrated by local teachers and edited by volunteers (mostly travelers) from all over the world. They are printed in the capital city of Vientiane and currently they are in the process of printing 7 new stories which will bring their total library to over 30 original books for all ages and reading levels!!!
After all the children came up one by one and chose their books Dan and I had an opportunity to sit down with them and listen to them read. Although we couldn’t understand what they were saying it was still heart warming to see the effect the books
we having on them individually and as a group. Some of the children were off in their own little corner of the classroom completely immersed in their own stories where as other we sitting in groups reading to each other, comparing books, pictures and stories. The book on the history of dinosaurs was a big hit with the young boys!!! The whole experience was truly incredible and I can not say enough good things about this organization. For anyone who is interested in more information about the incredible and tireless work this organization does (they host on average 4 books parties a WEEK in rural communities!!!) ensure to check out their web page at www.bigbrothermouse.com. A small donation of even $10 can buy a bundle of books for a classroom to share and enjoy!!!
With full hearts from Laos… until next time…
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Mamma sal
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Thank you for this blog, the pictures and the wonderful idea. We will do this when we go to Laos next year.