Changing Laos, Changing Myself

by Erin Pedersen

This March, I was fortunate enough to take the trip of a lifetime thanks to North by North East Tours. Along with 21 fellow students, four teachers, five dentists and our amazing tour guides, I traveled to Ban Sopjam, a remote village in Northern Laos. Our purpose in going there? To learn about Lao culture, form relationships with the villagers, and work with them on a project beneficial to the village.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. The only way to do this experience justice is to start at the very beginning. I've always been interested in volunteering and traveling, and I've always wanted to make a difference in the world. So when I found out about the Global Perspectives Program at my school in Richmond, BC, Canada, I knew it was the program for me. Our teacher, Ken Lorenz, selects a different group of Grade 12 students each year to learn about Global Citizenship and participate in a two-week long humanitarian trip, which takes place in a different country each year. This year's country was Laos, and Mr. Lorenz spent many long months corresponding with Jason from North by North East Tours in order to set up our work project in March 2006.

After months of fundraising, learning, and excited anticipation, our group finally landed in Laos on March 6, 2006. I knew from the moment that I stepped out of the airplane at Luang Prabang airport that I would end up falling in love with Laos. I just didn't know how right I would be.

After a bus ride and boat ride, we finally arrived at Muang Ngoi, where we would stay in guest houses during our six-day work project in Ban Sopjam. Although most of the class had arrived in the early evening, my group didn't arrive until almost 10 at night, so the first thing we did was go straight to bed. The next day began a week of very early mornings!

I'm not really sure what I expected before I got to Laos. I'd traveled to Guatemala two years prior, so I'm pretty sure I basically pictured Guatemala, even though I knew it would be completely different. What we experienced in Laos was so much more real, so much more fun, so much more inspirational and touching than anything I had ever imagined. I don't think anyone in our class could have predicted how much we grew to love the village of Ban Sopjam in the short six days we spent there. Nobody could have foreseen the bonds we would make with the villagers despite language and cultural barriers, which were easily overcome.

We arrived on the beach at Ban Sopjam early the next day, after a 30-minute boat ride along the Ou River. Now, before I continue, let me tell you something about Northern Laos: it is honestly one of the most gorgeous places on Earth. Ban Sopjam was absolutely beautiful, from the river up the sandy beach to the main street of the village. I've never been anywhere with more natural beauty, and I'm sure I'll have to spend many more years traveling before I find another place that compares.

When we arrived, the village schoolchildren walked down a set of concrete steps to the beach. We later learned that our fundraising money had helped create those steps. After a short speech was read, we were presented with beaded necklaces that the children had made for us. It was an amazing welcome, and it brought tears to the eyes of many. It was hard to believe that after so much waiting we were finally in Ban Sopjam, the village we had been hearing about for months!

Soon after being welcomed, we began working alongside the village men to build a new one-room school for Grades 3 and 4. The work was hot, hard, and tiring, but nobody complained or slacked off. We all felt that we had a responsibility to work as hard as possible to get the school built for these amazing people who had welcomed us into their village. I don't think I have ever been more motivated in my life. It also helped that the villagers, even the children, were far stronger than us, so we really had to push ourselves to keep up!

Before I continue, let me say that Sopjam School isn't going to collapse because a bunch of untrained Canadian students built it. Our jobs mostly included gathering rocks and sand from the beach, mixing cement, and making the foundation for the school. Other jobs included carrying wooden planks, shoveling, painting, and mortaring bricks. The villagers did most of the actual construction of the school, although we did raise the rafters as a group.

After the first day, we began to make bonds with the villagers. We were terrible at making cement, but they never got angry or exasperated. Instead they would just help us out and correct our mistakes, and everyone would end up happy and laughing. As well, spontaneous English lessons would break out every few minutes, with our students teaching the workers English and the workers teaching us Lao in return.

For the remainder of our working days in Ban Sopjam, we followed a relatively set schedule. We would arrive around seven every morning and begin working. We would work until about noon, which was lunchtime. Lao food is amazing; I can't believe how much I crave it now that I'm back in Canada. After lunch we would relax for a while and play with the village kids. Everyone seemed to have a favorite kid or group of kids, and all the kids absolutely loved playing with us. We brought along lots of gifts such as bouncy balls and bracelets. Some people also brought bubbles, which were an instant hit with the children.

We would generally go back to work in the afternoon for a couple more hours. The heat was brutal. Sunscreen was a definite necessity; the temperature got up to 45 degrees Celsius on the hottest day! After we'd finished work for the day came the time we all looked forward to: free time on the beach! After the first day or so, it seemed like every child in the village came down to the beach to play with us. We had water fights, we swam, we played volleyball, and we drew pictures in the sand. We even challenged some of the workers to a game of soccer! I definitely think the times we spent at the beach were some of the best times of the whole trip. We really made lifelong friends in the village, despite our short stay there.

As I mentioned earlier, we brought a team of four dentists and a dental assistant along with us to the village. It turned out that the village headman had gone to several other villages to spread the news that the dentists would be visiting. Therefore, the dentists had a lot of business! Unfortunately, I never had the chance to help out with the dental work, but my classmates told me it was a phenomenal experience. I heard many stories of lives being improved due to relief from tooth pain.

On our last day in Ban Sopjam, we didn't do any work, because we had finished the basic structure of the school as well as the two washrooms. It was to be a day of celebrations! First, we laid out all of the school supplies and gifts that we had brought for Sopjam School and for the villagers, and then we visited one of the village homes. Why? We had been invited to a traditional Lao wedding! It was definitely quite different from a western wedding, and I really enjoyed being invited into the Lao culture. Rather than a large, elaborate ceremony, the couple sat side by side in their house, which I was a bit afraid might collapse from the weight of everyone inside! We took turns tying string bracelets around the wrists of the couple, which was a type of blessing. A speech was read, and the couple moved off to a corner for photos. Then the wedding feast was served!

After the wedding, we came back to the school, where we got the chance to participate in a thousand-year-old Lao ceremony. It was very similar to what happened at the wedding; the villagers gave us chocolate and sweets, then a blessing was said by a village elder, and we had many white strings tied around our wrists as well. It was an amazing feeling; I truly felt blessed and grateful that these wonderful people had allowed us into their lives and culture so freely. Although we left them with a school and some washrooms, they left us with so much more in our hearts. I could not believe that these wonderful people were thanking me; I felt as though I should be thanking them for everything they'd given me.

It was our turn next, as the official closing ceremony commenced. We gave many gift baskets to the cooks, the workers, the village women, the village headman, the schoolteacher, our tour guides, the boat drivers, and many more. We also distributed culture booklets to the village children. These were made by students from Elementary Schools all over Richmond as gifts to the Lao children. At the end of the closing ceremony, we turned the school over to the community, presenting a plaque to the village headman and teacher on behalf of the Richmond Secondary students. I felt so proud to be able to give them such a wonderful gift.

The rest of the day passed far too quickly. We ate lunch and spent the rest of the day talking with our friends, taking photos, writing messages, exchanging gifts, playing, singing, learning, and laughing. Soon enough, we were heading down the steps to the beach for the last time. One of the girls I had made friends with, Jan, walked with me down the stairs, and it was a real struggle to keep from crying. On the beach, we all broke down. All I remember is hugging Jan, who was also crying, and being pulled into a huge huddle of Sopjam girls and Richmond girls. Later I learned that even grown men started crying! Finally my teacher had to take me down to the boats to leave. Since I had nothing else, I gave Jan my “Colts to Laos ” hat as a memory. It was hard to part with such a great souvenir, but I think she will treasure it more than I ever would.

None of us wanted to leave that day, but we all knew it was time. Everyone waved until the village was out of sight, and spent the boat ride lost in silent thoughts. It seemed as though our lives had become engulfed by the project and the village; it was hard to believe that we had ever done anything else or lived anywhere else. It was even harder to believe that we might never go back there in our lives; that we might never again see the people we made such strong bonds with. That night, our guide Sak hosted a wonderful Lao dinner for us all. It was the perfect way to end our work project and our stay in Muang Ngoi.

However, the sad goodbyes weren't over yet. Two boys from Muang Ngoi, Hom and Jay, had become really good friends with most of us Richmond Secondary kids. After loading the boats, they came down to say goodbye to us, and it was really difficult to leave. Personally, I was most touched to see Hom crying. He was one of the funniest kids I'd ever met, and we'd really become good friends. Every night he would come and sit with my friends and I as we ate dinner, and the conversation was never dull. I'm sure he meets a lot of tourists, so the fact that he cried when we left showed that we really made a strong impact on him. Fifteen-year-old boys don't cry easily in any country.

The rest of the trip was spent touring. We arrived in Luang Prabang that night, after a long bus ride and a stop at Pak Ou Buddha Caves. Shopping at the Night Market, getting traditional Lao massages, swimming at Kuang Si falls and visiting several temples were just a few of the highlights of our stay in Luang Prabang, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. One of the most rewarding experiences I had in Luang Prabang was waking up early to observe the alms-giving. It was remarkable to see hundreds of orange-robed monks walking the streets in the early morning twilight. Although we still missed Ban Sopjam and Muang Ngoi, I think we all truly enjoyed Luang Prabang.

Our last stop in Laos was Vientiane, the capital. We arrived in Vientiane after an eight hour bus ride with one stop at Vang Vieng to see the caves. In Vientiane we visited a few more temples as well as Victory Gate, the huge monument reminiscent of France's Arc de Triomphe. Shopping at Vientiane's Morning Market and a visit to the fascinating Xieng Khouan Buddha Park rounded out our stay in Vientiane.

On the morning of our last day in Laos, we were faced with yet more goodbyes. We had to say goodbye to our fantastic tour guides Jason, Sak and Touy, who had accompanied us from our arrival at Luang Prabang airport all the way to Ban Sopjam and back, and who had helped us out, laughed with us, and made the trip as fun and rewarding as possible. There were definitely tears in our eyes as we said goodbye to our friends and also goodbye to Laos, a country we are all undoubtedly in love with. I'm sure we all hope to be able to return in our lifetime. The last two days of our trip were spent in Chiang Mai, Thailand, shopping and riding elephants. Although we enjoyed Chiang Mai, many of us would have given our teeth to spend those last two days in Laos instead.

This trip is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I can honestly say that I have changed so much as a person since coming back to Canada. I try to live in the moment as much as possible, or at least I do that when I'm not busy reminiscing about Laos with my classmates! For weeks after, the trip was all we could talk about, and it is still a constant topic of discussion. It's amazing how two weeks can seem like a lifetime. When I was in Ban Sopjam, it seemed like I had never been anywhere else and I never would be anywhere else. Why would I want to be anywhere else? Yet now, looking back, it seems like those two weeks flew by so quickly. Sometimes it even seems as though the trip was a pleasant dream, completely separate from “real life” here in Canada.

When I first got back, I was a bit worried that I would become absorbed in my daily routine and forget the emotions I felt and lessons I learned while in Laos. Although it is true that I've slipped back into my day-to-day patterns, there are a few changes. I am more confident, less worried, and I just seem to have a deeper understanding of what really matters. This trip changed my life. Previous to the trip, I was not quite sure what I wanted to do with my future, but now I am certain that I want to pursue a career in International Development.

I can't say enough about the wonderful experience I had in Laos. I would encourage anyone and everyone to seriously look into volunteering abroad. I doubt there is any experience more rewarding, touching, inspiring, interesting or worthwhile. Happy volunteering!