July 27, 2014
I’ve officially been in Laos for a month today and honestly, a month has just flown by. I was a little homesick the first week and a half but it soon passed. Now I’m just excited to keep learning and practicing Lao and also to gain a deeper understanding of its history and culture.
I’d like to use this blog post to go over some of the things I’ve learned about and noticed while I’ve been here in Laos.
1. No separation between work & family
In America, the attitude around work and family always seems to be to keep them separate. Here in Laos, both are connected and I just don’t mean that in a figurative sense. People’s business are literary right in front of their houses. A shop keeper will set up his/her shop right in front of their porch. People who own hotels live within the hotel; I’ve also noticed that running a business is usually a family operation. In the hotel we are staying at, the grandma and cousins manage the service side (bringing water and food) and the couple who own the hotel sit at the front desk. At the J-mart convenience store I go to, the family members take turns being the cashiers and usually the grandma stocks the items and the grandpa is outside as the watch guard. I also love this wanton noodle stand that is operated by a woman and her two daughters. Usually, the woman makes the noodles, her daughters serve it, and the woman’s husband is preparing the ingredients inside their house. It’s a whole family operation.
I’ve officially been in Laos for a month today and honestly, a month has just flown by. I was a little homesick the first week and a half but it soon passed. Now I’m just excited to keep learning and practicing Lao and also to gain a deeper understanding of its history and culture.
I’d like to use this blog post to go over some of the things I’ve learned about and noticed while I’ve been here in Laos.
1. No separation between work & family
In America, the attitude around work and family always seems to be to keep them separate. Here in Laos, both are connected and I just don’t mean that in a figurative sense. People’s business are literary right in front of their houses. A shop keeper will set up his/her shop right in front of their porch. People who own hotels live within the hotel; I’ve also noticed that running a business is usually a family operation. In the hotel we are staying at, the grandma and cousins manage the service side (bringing water and food) and the couple who own the hotel sit at the front desk. At the J-mart convenience store I go to, the family members take turns being the cashiers and usually the grandma stocks the items and the grandpa is outside as the watch guard. I also love this wanton noodle stand that is operated by a woman and her two daughters. Usually, the woman makes the noodles, her daughters serve it, and the woman’s husband is preparing the ingredients inside their house. It’s a whole family operation.
This is my Aunty's store. Like many Lao people, the front of her house is a little store filled with some snack and food items that she sells. It's a total family operation. Her grandchildren help her to manage it. Her daughter buys all the food items in the morning and brings it to the store. Her grand-daughters help to arrange them and take the cash from customers.
There are some exceptions though because there are markets here where vendors just set up shop which brings me to the second thing I’ve noticed…
2. Everyone has their own way of making a living
It amazes me how creative the Lao people are at making a living. The way of thinking here seems to be “if you can think of an idea, get the resources to do it, then do it.” The government regulations are really relaxed here so it’s pretty easy to have your own food stand or shop. These are some cool things I’ve seen while being here.
-“Food on the go” Yup. Believe it. Some people attach their fruit or food stand right on their motorbike and just go all over town.
-Lottery tickets sold on the street
-Food stands- whether you are walking on a big road or a small dirt road, there will always be someone with some sort of a food stand there. These food stand are mobile and usually people carry all their stuff in a big cart with their own grillers.
-Zumba classes in parking lots
2. Everyone has their own way of making a living
It amazes me how creative the Lao people are at making a living. The way of thinking here seems to be “if you can think of an idea, get the resources to do it, then do it.” The government regulations are really relaxed here so it’s pretty easy to have your own food stand or shop. These are some cool things I’ve seen while being here.
-“Food on the go” Yup. Believe it. Some people attach their fruit or food stand right on their motorbike and just go all over town.
-Lottery tickets sold on the street
-Food stands- whether you are walking on a big road or a small dirt road, there will always be someone with some sort of a food stand there. These food stand are mobile and usually people carry all their stuff in a big cart with their own grillers.
-Zumba classes in parking lots
3. Ban. District. Muang. Province.
There is no such thing as a zipcode here in Laos. To send a letter to me, you would write my house number, then ban (village name), district, and muang (city name). That is how area is organized here in Laos. Laos is divided into 18 proviences. Within those provinces are cities but then within each city there are districts and villages (ban). To go somewhere, you would say the destination name followed by the village name.
For example, to get a tuk tuk to take me to my hotel I would say "Sengpachan Hotel. Ban Phong Kheng."
I don't know why area is organized this way but personally, I think it reflects how Lao people organized themselves a long time ago. People use to live in villages and I think that is still how it is although the cities no longer look like villages anymore with the construction of buildings and roads.
4. Wats and Spirt Houses
I will write in another blog post what I have learned about Bhudism but for now I just want to mention that when walking around in Vientiane, one will notice that there are many "wats" (temples) and spirit houses in front of shops and homes. Therveda Bhuddism is the main religion here in Laos. The majority of Lao people are bhuddist although level of participation in the religion varies. Every ban (village) has its Wat and sometimes there are more than one wat in each ban. The wat serves as a community center for the residents. It's a place for them to worship, gather, and celebrate. A lot of social services also happen through the wats. I love walking through the different areas because each wat is so different from the other.
There is no such thing as a zipcode here in Laos. To send a letter to me, you would write my house number, then ban (village name), district, and muang (city name). That is how area is organized here in Laos. Laos is divided into 18 proviences. Within those provinces are cities but then within each city there are districts and villages (ban). To go somewhere, you would say the destination name followed by the village name.
For example, to get a tuk tuk to take me to my hotel I would say "Sengpachan Hotel. Ban Phong Kheng."
I don't know why area is organized this way but personally, I think it reflects how Lao people organized themselves a long time ago. People use to live in villages and I think that is still how it is although the cities no longer look like villages anymore with the construction of buildings and roads.
4. Wats and Spirt Houses
I will write in another blog post what I have learned about Bhudism but for now I just want to mention that when walking around in Vientiane, one will notice that there are many "wats" (temples) and spirit houses in front of shops and homes. Therveda Bhuddism is the main religion here in Laos. The majority of Lao people are bhuddist although level of participation in the religion varies. Every ban (village) has its Wat and sometimes there are more than one wat in each ban. The wat serves as a community center for the residents. It's a place for them to worship, gather, and celebrate. A lot of social services also happen through the wats. I love walking through the different areas because each wat is so different from the other.