Village Life: Lost in Translation

I know I've said it before, but traveling can be exhausting.  After what turned out to be over a nine hour drive up to Xieng Khoung, we couldn't wait to check in to our guest house.  Although the drive offered spectacular views of steep rice fields and overgrown mountains, the roads varied from questionably paved to muddy pits.  At one point we had to drive the truck onto a ferry boat which brought us across the river because the bridge is under construction (Last December they sunk a car driving across after being told that the water wasn't that deep.  Mark still gets grief about yelling "Save the iPads!").

On our way, we stopped for lunch and I got to experience my first bowl of pho.  While it's not that popular in the city, lowland Lao crave this stuff.  And, it was pretty good.  I went for the vegetarian over the duck option after hearing Barbara tell us in the car that what she once thought were black tofu cubes ended up being the Lao delicacy of congealed blood.  I didn't want anything mysterious...

After checking into the Numchai Guest House, we got settled into our rooms and Mark and I left to tour the area.  As I'll be spending time up here alone he wanted to make sure I got the lay of the land.  Many of the buildings that he saw being built in May are now deserted and crumbling, being replaced by new concrete eyesores.  Unfortunately, thats the way of much Lao construction.  It looks good for a couple months then falls into complete disrepair.  For dinner we found ourselves at an Indian restaurant that was actually very good.  For a total of $4 we ate garlic naan, channa masala, aloo gobi and chicken tikka masala.  It was so much we didn't even finish it--- now that I know the owner, I will surely be returning.  Back in my room last night I indulged myself in two seasons of Downton Abbey before passing out around 9.  I guess I'll adjust to the time change soon enough.

This morning I was up with the roosters and out the door by 6:45 to wander into town for breakfast.  One of the main restaurants, Craters, which boasts the "American breakfast," is decorated with flowering plants potted in empty mortar casings.  In fact, these shells permeate the landscape up here, being used as fence posts, steps and overheads signs.  There is a lot of controversy about whether to use the UXO remnants for art but you can still walk through the Hmong market (which is only a block from where I am staying) and buy aluminum spoons and cow bells made from the scrap.  After enjoying my breakfast of porridge and mango juice ($2), I made my way to the market to pick up some apples for the drive.  Although I don't speak Lao (I've learned hello and thank you), I was able to pay the merchant and make my way back to the car.

The drive to our first village, PaKhom, took about 45 minutes.  We were greeted by 2 WE staff members and the entire community health committee.  They were gathered for a full-day training session which we sat in on.  The first order of business was to complete a pretest.  Among the group of Hmong villagers, the written Lao test was ridiculous and even Barbara couldn't figure out some of the answers.  I don't think it was oversight, but that surely needs to be corrected for future trainings.

Hmong Child; PaKhom, Laos

Unlike a meeting in the US, the group spent the first half hour discussing the rules for the day:
1. There will be mandatory breaks for 15 minutes every hour.
2. If your cell phone goes off (yes it was shocking how many Hmong farmers had cell phones), you must sing a song in front of the room.
3. If you fall asleep, we have the right to take your picture then wake you up.  Then you must dance in front of the room.

Raised Houses and Grain Storage; PaKhom, Laos

Although the training was conducted in Lao (Hmong can understand spoken but not written Lao) and I could not understand it, Barbara was able to translate most of the proceedings and it was all very interesting.  They discussed the importance of clean water, water resources, community health care worker roles their duties as committee members.  After an hour, Mark and I went to go survey some of the town and see where the water faucets were.  Engineers Without Borders was in the village a couple months ago and installed a water system with 11 faucets. Our current goal is to analyze the water usage and determine how cultural norms, such as hand washing and latrine usage, are related to illness such as childhood diarrhea.  In fact, the project I will most likely be working on, Reducing Childhood Diarrhea (RCD), utilizes GPS to pinpoint where outbreaks occur and SMS to alert local authorities of the cases.

Woman Carrying Corn; PaKhom, Laos

When the meeting broke for lunch we joined up with the rest of the group and walked to the Community Healthcare Chair's house for lunch.  On the way there we saw a snake cross the road!!! It was big and black and I didn't like it.  Luckily it was about 10 feet away.  Anyways, we all sat on little benches on the mud floor and were served communally around a big dish.  I stuck to the sticky rice, avoiding the canned fish, pork rind and bamboo fish.  When I reached to taste the other side dish, I picked up a fish eye and, with it looking at me, I just couldn't swallow it.  We finished up lunch and hopped back into the truck for our afternoon visit in Phou San, a village about 45 minutes away.

Hmong Child Observing Water Collection; Phou San, Laos

While PaKhom seemed relatively organized, the Hmong village of Phou San was not.  We arrived as if unexpected and waited for the committee to gather.  Once everyone was settled, they were able to discuss the needs for latrines, a fresh water source, more faucets and increased SMS training.  They told us that there was one know UXO by the school and then took us to see it.  Although it had been detonated by government crews, I did not want to get close.  The juxtaposition, a bomb at the entrance to a school, was all too much.  From there, they took us to see their facilities, a grassy piece of land with knee high bushes, overlooking one of the only bodies of water!!!! I guess thats where the training comes in.

My First UXO; Phou San, Laos

Trudging back to the truck, we said our goodbyes and headed home.  Back in Phonsavan I am enjoying the quiet outside before karaoke begins at the restaurant next door in a couple hours.  Eventually I'll venture out for some dinner and probably settle in with a couple more episode of Downton Abbey... I just love Maggie Smith! It will be an early day tomorrow as we are heading to a village about 2 hours away for another meeting of sorts.

Sending love from Laos!