comes a time when the blind man takes your hand, says 'don't you see?'

     My last blog post was about my difficulties in adjusting to living in another culture. Things have gotten a lot tougher since that writing, just two weeks ago. Lately, when I sit on my porch in the morning, waking up with a fresh cup of Lao coffee, the neighbors begin gathering next door and start to bicker. Sure, I don’t speak much Lao, but I can tell when people are upset with me. Much finger pointing and angry words are shared, and I just watch, listen, and drink my coffee. This goes on for days, and I always notice the elder Lao man sitting in the back, listening, but saying nothing. He is a blind gentleman, and we have shared hello’s the past few months. I got my local interpreter to come over one morning to find out what the neighbors, mostly women, were talking about. After a long discussion with them, he told me that they do not understand foreigners and the way they live. He left out a lot, which we will get to later. I had him tell them that I do not understand the Lao people at all, and that I won’t if they continue being so angry. Things settled down and the women left. The elder blind man came to my fence and handed me an onion. Through my interpreter, I was told to look at the onion, at the fine outer layer, unblemished, and indicating an excellent onion. He said that Lao people are like this onion, the outer layer looks great and there is every indication that all is well on the inside. He had me begin peeling layer after layer from this onion and said that when you peel off layer after layer, you find this not always the case. Things on the inside are not always what they appear to be. Sure enough, the inside of this onion was rotten in the middle! WOW, this is one intelligent, profound blind man, and I thus learned a great deal about Lao people and even about myself!


THERE ARE NO PIX FOR THIS BLOG POST - BUT, EVERYONE LOVES ELEPHANTS - MORNING BATHTIME

     My prior experiences in Lao have shown me a happy and contented people. This is the mask they put on to hide their feelings and their thoughts. So many travelers comment on the joyous, always smiling Lao people. But, underneath that smile, lies another person. I do the same thing, always putting on a happy face. People ask me how I am and I say ‘great’ even though I may be miserable inside. However, the Lao life is much different than mine. My experience is with the Lao villagers in this small community, things may be different in the cities. I have had lengthy conversations with other foreigners living in the area, and I have come to some conclusions. The local Lao people are struggling to feed themselves. There are few jobs in this part of the country, and the locals look for anything to do for the least amount of money. I did not realize this simple fact. While I have been sweeping my floors, doing my laundry, watering the plants, cutting the grass, trimming the trees, burning the debris, etc., the neighbors have seen me doing this and want to do these chores for me, for a little bit of money. They know i paid six month’s rent in advance, and bought a new Honda moto with registration. They think I am super rich, and they want part of this. Ok, I have a few problems with this situation. One, I am not rich and need to spend as little as possible to make this living experiment work. Two, why would I allow neighbors into my home to clean up, when I have already experienced the high theft rate around here (we’ll save that for another blog post). Three, if they are so poor, why do they buy motos, refrigerators, televisions, and stereos on credit and pay 25% interest? They lived without these things for generations. Go back to riding a bicycle, there is no need to hop on your moto to drive to the neighbors two doors down. I’m told that Lao people are a proud people and they need to show that they have what everyone else has.

A SNACK BEFORE BREAKFAST

     WHAT??? THAT”S BULLSHIT!!! Here is my biggest issue with the Lao lifestyle. I was under the misguided belief that the Lao people follow Theravada Buddhism and practice Vipassana Meditation. This is not true at all, they don’t follow anything that Buddha taught. SHIT, this was the biggest reason I moved here, to experience a culture steeped in 2500 year old customs. Nope, not the Lao people. They steal from their neighbors, the men go to the local brothel and cheat on their wives, they beat their children, and they kill animals. All these things are against basic Buddhist beliefs. I’ve watched neighbors do these things, and I have followed them to the temple to have the monks say a few words and pour water over their heads. Then they just go back to doing whatever they like. Greed, pride, and ego are not part of the Buddhist basic principles. This is a HUGE discovery for me, and now the foundation of why I came here in the first place, is gone. Hmmm . . .

GETTING DRESSED FOR WORK

     Which brings me back to the layers on an onion and the layers on a Lao person. They all want to ‘save face’. This is the outer layer, the continual smile. There are 100’s of Lao smiles. They will smile at you when they have just stolen from you, they will smile at you when they are beating their child, and they will smile at you when they lie and cheat. I have seen this happen and it makes me sick! The inner layers involve family, work, love, dreams, etc. I don’t know much about this, but from what my blind, elder Lao neighbor said, sometimes, the Lao core is rotten. To balance out these thoughts, I want to let you know that there are kind, thoughtful, and generous Lao people. The family who took me in, in Champasak, are an excellent example! They have welcomed me into their lives and are some of the kindest people I have ever met! Let’s finish this blog post with that thought.

OK, LET'S GIVE MARK A RIDE THROUGH THE JUNGLE - YAWN

 

well the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry anymore

     It has been 100 days since my departure from Seattle and the western life I experienced the past fifty years. Almost everything is different, living in the eastern world. Renting a house in Ban Wat Luang Kao, Champasak Province, Lao, has been both effortless and challenging. Learning the Lao language has been both easy and difficult. Understanding village life with the locals has been both enjoyable and frustrating. I knew the transition to Lao life would be difficult, and I did a lot of research before my move, and that all helped. But, life on the ground, living the daily life in a small Lao village, has been a challenge. This blog is a bit different from the others, in that I begin to share some of the ups and downs of my life in Lao.

BUDDHA FACING THE RIVER, HE WAS HERE BEFORE THE ROAD BEHIND

     Renting a house has been effortless yet challenging. It was relatively easy to rent this house, paying one month at a time, and finding that the house was furnished. This is in a previous blog post. However, it took two months to sign the actual lease papers, and I found that I had to now pay six months in advance, no longer month-to-month. During the first two months of my living here, the house was not painted (as I was told it would be), and the yard was not being cared for (as I was told it would be). I’ve been told to now do these things myself, and I don’t want to paint a house or take care of the huge yard. I chose this house partly because this was going to be done by others. Seems like the owner is getting a lot from my effort, and this inexpensive house is not looking so inexpensive anymore.

WAT PHONE PHENG, CHAMPASAK

     Learning the Lao language has been easy yet difficult. The major problem I have found is the various dialects being used. For example, I will learn a word in Pakse, the city 40 km north, and the pronunciation will be different in my village and nobody can understand what I say. Same thing in reverse, I will learn a word in my village and it is pronounced differently in Pakse. I am able to count, which helps a great deal in the market, and I am able to say the words of various vegetables, fruit, meat, and prepared dishes, which helps a great deal when buying food. I am slowly learning the language and have found a few people willing to help me speak Lao. The Lao people speak slowly and repeat themselves, which makes it easier for me to learn. Repetition is a big help to me!

DRY SEASON RICE HARVESTING NEAR MY HOUSE

     Understanding village life with the locals, has been enjoyable yet frustrating. This has been my biggest ‘issue’ living in this particular house. My rental house was empty for years, as the owner was living in France. Some of the neighbors had been using the house and yard during this time, and once I moved in, they were no longer able to use ‘their’ space. This has been a HUGE clash for me, especially with the landlord’s family across the street. Now that I rent and live in the house, and lock the gates for my own safety and security, some of the neighbors are upset. There are three families, all across the street, that will not look at me, or even say hello. However, all is not lost, as the neighbors on my side of the street are all friendly and welcoming. The neighbors on my side of the street have made me feel part of the community. We don’t speak the same language, yet, but we smile, say hello, and acknowledge each others existence. Life in Ban Wat Luang Kao is bearable because of these families!

TOP OF THE TEMPLE AT WAT LUANG KAO

     My other challenge concerns location. I now live 4 km south of the town of Champasak. This is the place I originally wanted to live, but was unable to find a rental house. Champasak is made up of eight villages, each full of friendly and personable villagers. This is the town where foreigners come and stay while visiting Wat Phou, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are numerous guesthouses and restaurants in Champasak and the local villagers are used to seeing, talking, and interacting with foreigners. The village where I live, is halfway between Champasak and Wat Phou, which means that foreigners pass through my village, and do not stop. My village neighbors have little, if any, experience with foreigners. And here I am!

RICE HARVEST NEAR MY HOUSE

     Knowing and experiencing are two different things. Before I moved, I knew people were the same everywhere. But, I didn’t realize it would be so obvious, living in a place where I don’t speak the language or know the customs. Just as in America, there are people here I can get along with, and others I can not. There are people that are friendly, and there are others that are not. There are happy people and sad people, there are joyful people and angry people. We are all doing what is necessary to survive, to be comfortable, to love, and to live. Here in Lao, people just have themselves, family, and friends, to keep them going. And that looks to be enough to be happy!

SUNSET OVER THE MEKONG, CHAMPASAK