![\"bvong_pix_laos_lathsene_school.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/bvong_pix_laos_lathsene_school.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis was the site for a new preschool in Lathsene Village in Xieng Khouang province, part of a \u201cSchools Not Bombs\u201d campaign.\u00a0 The village is somewhat remote, past the plains of jars site one, and nestled in farmland and cornfields.\u00a0 The village has no electricity and the earthy pastureland smell hits you as you step out of the car.\u00a0 This area of the province had only about 70% of the land cleared by UXO Lao.\u00a0 Last week the team destroyed 30 bombies alone.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This whole time I’ve been back in Laos, I can’t help but grin when I see little Laotian kids speak Lao.\u00a0 Back in America, most of them of course speak English by default, and you just never know what kind of piercing comment is going to come out of their mouths.\u00a0 Here it’s just funny for me to see little people speak the same way as older people.\u00a0 When they address you in such polite and cute ways, you can’t help but smile.\u00a0 We were greeted by the little ones, and some even performed a dance or two.<\/p>\n
ST and PU handed out gifts to the children, writing books and reading books.\u00a0 Everyone also got some bubbles (yay!).\u00a0 The elders received used clothes to distribute amongst the villagers and also writing material.\u00a0 It was sweltering in that one room, but was an uplifting experience to see the kids.\u00a0 PU also did a fine Lao translation of, \u201cIf you’re happy and you know it…\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"bvong_pix_laos_lathsene_kids1.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/bvong_pix_laos_lathsene_kids1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The village was kind enough to hold a baci ceremony for us, which is a Lao blessing used for many occasions, like a wedding, birth, or just to wish travelers safety on their journey.\u00a0 The children gave us all bouquets, with fresh flowers picked from the nearby fields and wrapped in paper they’d written their homework on.\u00a0 All the elders chanted and then began to tie the white strings around our wrists.<\/p>\n
In customary Lao fashion, we ate together, while the village leader passed around\u00a0laow Lao rice whiskey, which is about as strong as gasoline mixed with turpentine.<\/p>\n
![\"bvong_pix_laos_lathsene_kids2.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/bvong_pix_laos_lathsene_kids2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This was the site for a new preschool in Lathsene Village in Xieng Khouang province, part of a \u201cSchools Not Bombs\u201d campaign.\u00a0 The village is somewhat remote, past the plains of jars site one, and nestled in farmland and cornfields.\u00a0 The village has no electricity and the earthy pastureland smell hits you as you step […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,59,7],"tags":[58,62],"class_list":{"0":"post-1061","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-lao-culture","8":"category-laos-trip","9":"category-photos","10":"tag-laos","11":"tag-xieng-khouang","13":"post-with-thumbnail","14":"post-with-thumbnail-large"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/00021.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pelE0-h7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1096,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/ban-pahn-bomb-crater-village\/","url_meta":{"origin":1061,"position":0},"title":"Ban Pahn, Bomb Crater Village","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 27, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"This was another village in Xieng Khouang that the group visited, in hopes of finding another place needing a preschool.\u00a0 The \"road\" from Phonsavanh to Ban Panh made the road to Samneau seem like a pleasure cruise, and I had to\u00a0walk around to clear my head.\u00a0 It was crazy how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0007.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1242,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/lathsene-village-schoolkids\/","url_meta":{"origin":1061,"position":1},"title":"Lathsene Village Schoolkids","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"October 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"From our trip to Laos.\u00a0 The preschool location was in Xieng Khouang Province, one of the most bombed areas in Laos, and one of the poorest.\u00a0 The region also has the sad honor of being first in bombie farming accidents.\u00a0 Lathsene village lacked running water and even electricity, but the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/0005.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1093,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/uxo-lao\/","url_meta":{"origin":1061,"position":2},"title":"UXO Lao","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 27, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao 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area is so pretty, with rolling hills and cool weather.\u00a0 Even in August, the mornings are cool and so vastly different from the swamp like weather in Vientiane.\u00a0 It was a slight struggle though, climbing up the steps on the small mountain that housed Tham Pui cave,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/00015.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1054,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/the-plain-of-jars\/","url_meta":{"origin":1061,"position":5},"title":"The Plain of Jars: Xieng Khouang, Laos","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 22, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Looking back at the photos, I realized that the best images were the ones that didn't focus solely on the jars, they were the ones of us.\u00a0 Most had never been to the plain of jars, only read about it.\u00a0 To this day archaeologists have no clue as to who\u00a0made\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao 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