As of April 2008, we are raising funds to help purchase teaching materials, books, and furniture needed for our project. A part of the funds raised will also go to the filming of a documentary in Laos, and help our participants cover a part of their costs. Please support us by making a purchase at our online boutique Walk-In Felicity. For any queries, please contact us at laoyep08@gmail.com.
Do visit me in December during your semester breaks.
My contacts as follows :)
Lao: +856207779118
Sing: +6594567112
im back from an incredible experience of a lifetime.
from spore to KL. to Vientiane. to Luang Prabang. then to Muang Kham village. from Muang Kham village back to LP. then back to Vientiane.
15 fulfilling days.
from Vientiane to Vang Vieng. then back to Vientiane again, followed by KL and finally spore.
adding 4 more memorable days.
in total, 19 beautiful priceless days.
it's not easy trying to putting those memories into words. much less try and let others have a taste of the ups and downs, bitter sweet, happy sad experiences, with lifeless words. photos may speak a thousand words. but i feel it's the subtle things we experience in life that get uncaptured, yet we still can remember for a long time to come. it's the raw feelings emotions that it's never easy or impossible to encapsulate in words with the limited vocab skills i have.
i love the feeling of working together as a team. the feeling of caring and looking after one another. the feeling of encouraging one another on. the feeling of sharing almost anything even our deepest secrets. the feeling of trusting relying on one another even in times of adversities. the feeling of laughing crying teasing singing stargazing sleeping whining dancing together. the feeling of falling sick and ls-ing together.
it's not about just one person. it's all about us, 23 of us, plus xai. it's about us, with the villagers of muang kham. it's about how our lives have interwined and forged together for those nineteen days, despite any differences. it's about the warmth the love the care the concern that transcends those language barriers. it's about the mountains trees flowers cloudless blue skies starry nights. it's about it's about the footprints we left behind - be it on the soft ground or in their hearts, the laughter in the wind, the tears in the sand.
yea im suffering from laos withdrawal symptoms. are you too?
- pam
Reminiscence
You guys are really good at writing!
Well, I prefer to draw. to paint. to decorate the photos. to recall the good memories.
Reminisce through thoughts. pictures. feelings. videos. singings.
~ yetfeng
I Want the Pink One
we were browsing through some stuff in the shopping mall today
when a kiddo had a little outburst
I WANT THE PINK ONE!!
whatever she wanted to buy
i don't know,
but i thought if i were her mum
i would bring her outside and say
scream again and you're going home.
and then i thought about ban muang kham and its children,
when we armed ourselves with a few hundred pieces of balloons -
yellow, pink, red, blue, white, green, orange...
i had expected the kids to come up to us asking for a "colour change",
or perhaps when we were distributing the balloons,
gesture something like
no, i want that colour (points to green)
but they didn't,
they didn't because they were happy with everything they had,
happy with everything we had given them.
they watched us pump the balloons with that controlled excitement,
they waited and didn't complain if another child were given a balloon first.
they waited for us,
and that made me want to work
ten times faster.
- fengyi
22 May, Thursday English Night Class
We are from Tai Dumm, as you may know.
A realm of wonder,
of genuine warmth and sincerity.
of toothless grins and wide eyed innocence to melt and capture the coldest of hearts.
of creativity and adaptability
of a people who may be of humble backgrounds, but carry themselves with the utmost dignity and have every reason to stand tall.
of rolling hills of green, of towns and shanties, of lonely huts with stories untold
of running streams, of crashing waters pooling into steps of flowing jade
of giant stone sentinels silently watching over the land
of hammers and sickles fluttering proudly in the wind.
A most wonderful journey, (that cannot be possibly encompassed in words)
of bottomless, endless pots of rice
of giant unseen geckos
of garang scars, garang shoes, garang slippers, garang gloves; welcome to the garang club
of drooping candles and flaming joss sticks; of prayer and hope and laughter
of friendships forged under the burning sun; affirmated in intertwining bands of yellow blue green pink and black
of cloudless nights and starry skies
of wizened faces chanting blessings; binding the soul from wanderlust
Thank you people of Baan Muang Kham.
Thank you, the special 22. The deep. The leader. The angelic. The fighting. The strong. The (high) screamer. The observant. The jolly. The (high) princess. The brick. The cool. The affable. The spunky. The reflective. The (pirated) facilitator. The holy. The pro. The half-Laotian. The Laotian. The whiny. The random. The spontaneous.
Places will change. Memories will fade.
To quote Morpheus, Omina Mutantur
and for me
the best way to remember this whole experience
to is live differently
with their heart in our actions
with their spirit in our minds
Everthing changes, but nothing is truly lost
-wenhao
Every morning, every snore.
Never tired, never lonely.
Always shining, always playing.
Sabaidee Singapore.
Welcome back home.
-zhihan