Take Me To The River

Trip Start Aug 23, 2007
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Trip End Jul 17, 2008


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Flag of Lao Peoples Dem Rep  ,
Wednesday, December 5, 2007

On our private slow boat, we headed down the Mighty Mekong River towards Luang Prubang.  I don't have words to describe the next two days poignantly enough.  They changed me.  The scenery was like nothing I could imagine.  Mountains on either side of the banks, tumbling over each other at their peaks.  Different shades of light changed each slope as it was further in the distance.  By the water's edge, a mangle of rocks confusing the currents so that each manoever from the driver was a complicated issue.  A few times I thought we were surely capsizing.
  But these are the natural features.
  The moment that I will never forget was when we arrived at a village along the banks of the river and were tentatively welcomed by a group of shy and standoffish children.  They accompanied us up the hilllside and into their school.  They gathered all around us.  From four year olds to older kids of 15 or 16.  The all pushed together to get a better look as Somedy made a presentation in Lao to one of the four teachers at that school.  He talked about how important education is for all of the children and the future of the village.  Then, he gave them exercise books, pencils, markers, and balls.  One for each child in the school.  The teacher was speechless.  He asked her how she felt and she had no words.  I stood in the hot sun with a lump in my throat and hoped I would never complain about not having the things I need at school again.
  Later that night I talked to Somedy about raising money for this school.  He said that this would be simple to arrange, but to wait until I had seen the other things that were left to see on the tour before making this commitment.  I can't imagine anything more incredible than what I saw today.  One day, I will learn how to download the pictures.  But until then,  imagine a classroom with a very old desk and a stool for some of the students.  That's all there was.  No paper, pencils, nothing.  But, the whole community showed up for that presentation.  The parents stood in the background with hope all over their faces.
  We returned to our boat and quietly continued down the Mekong.
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