Lak 52...
So 2 months being in Laos and I finally got the chance to visit my dad’s side of the family…relatives who I stayed with back in 2008 after my study abroad experience in Thailand…Mike and his family wanted to take a trip to Lak 52 which is the village my great-uncle, uncles, aunts, and cousins lived…approximately an hour and a half from Vientiane. Mike and his family were very kind to ask if I wanted to go and visit my family there and of course I jumped on this opportunity because it has been 3 years since I last saw my relatives or even contacted them…it was so wonderful to see them all again…although my aunt was not there because she was at the farmland and my uncle had just came back the day before because I was coming to visit them. Like always…my relatives welcomed us with open arms and we all had an exchange where I was the translator…we had a where we’re at…telling how I’m back teaching in Laos for a year and checked upon how my relatives were doing…we exchanged about many things…dialoguing about their farming life, education life for young Hmong children, and about which came first the egg or the chicken…it’s funny because my uncle asked that same question back in 2008 when I came to stay with them…OH, AScott…wish you were here buddy…anyways as always…they made lunch for us and the food was simple and delicious…vegetables, meat, rice, chili pepper paste, and water…Mike and Colin really liked the chili paste…Mike actually suggested to my uncle to make the paste and sell it in Vientiane. So wonderful to have spent time with them again…Mike’s kids were definitely the main attraction to all the little Hmong kids in the neighborhood…none of the Hmong kids played with his kids, but just quietly observed his kids playing with umbrellas and dirt…well…I had to return that day and hope to go back and stay a night or more with them…=)
So 2 months being in Laos and I finally got the chance to visit my dad’s side of the family…relatives who I stayed with back in 2008 after my study abroad experience in Thailand…Mike and his family wanted to take a trip to Lak 52 which is the village my great-uncle, uncles, aunts, and cousins lived…approximately an hour and a half from Vientiane. Mike and his family were very kind to ask if I wanted to go and visit my family there and of course I jumped on this opportunity because it has been 3 years since I last saw my relatives or even contacted them…it was so wonderful to see them all again…although my aunt was not there because she was at the farmland and my uncle had just came back the day before because I was coming to visit them. Like always…my relatives welcomed us with open arms and we all had an exchange where I was the translator…we had a where we’re at…telling how I’m back teaching in Laos for a year and checked upon how my relatives were doing…we exchanged about many things…dialoguing about their farming life, education life for young Hmong children, and about which came first the egg or the chicken…it’s funny because my uncle asked that same question back in 2008 when I came to stay with them…OH, AScott…wish you were here buddy…anyways as always…they made lunch for us and the food was simple and delicious…vegetables, meat, rice, chili pepper paste, and water…Mike and Colin really liked the chili paste…Mike actually suggested to my uncle to make the paste and sell it in Vientiane. So wonderful to have spent time with them again…Mike’s kids were definitely the main attraction to all the little Hmong kids in the neighborhood…none of the Hmong kids played with his kids, but just quietly observed his kids playing with umbrellas and dirt…well…I had to return that day and hope to go back and stay a night or more with them…=)
Group photo with my uncle who is next to me with 2 Hmong kids, Colin (the tall guy on the far right), and Mike's family (middle).
My uncle and I...conversing...
Great uncle, uncle, and I.
Great uncle is strong as an ox...can never get tired of speaking. =)
More family…
So I received a phone call last month from my aunt in the states on my mom’s side…she was calling to check up on me and see if I contacted and visited her brother-in-law…my uncle…I hadn’t at that time, but in our conversation…she asked where I was staying and overhearing our talk…my uncle recognized the place I was staying…SEA Game Village…he spoke out and said oh…my nephew lives there too…so my aunt handed the cell phone to him and he clarified about where I was staying and sure enough it is same place his nephew is also staying…so my uncle said he will call his brother to give him my number and so that his nephew can contact me…after that phone call of his…my cousin called me a few days later and we finally met each other one day…he resembled my uncle so much just a younger version…anyways...we got to talk and he was much younger than I thought…he's studying at the Lao-American College and I forget what he was majoring…he is a nice fellow…it so crazy to believe that living in this area for 2 months and who would have thought that one of my cousins lived in the building next to mine…small world…small world…well after our meet…we were trying to set up a day where I could go and visit his dad and mom…and I did…actually stayed the night which wasn't the plan but it worked out extremely well…my uncle…my cousin’s dad is a RN…registered nurse and has his own clinic where he worked after hours from the hospital…surprisingly his clinic was right next to his house…right next to the front porch…I saw him helping with the community people with illnesses and provide meds….I met with my aunt as well as my great aunt….so funny…the first thing my great aunt asked me was…do you have a wife? I said no and she responded…good…why don’t you find one here…there are many beautiful Hmong ladies here especially at New Year’s…you should go and see if there is a lady you like and talk with her…I giggled and nodded my head…sure, I’ll see if there are any ladies I'd like…smiling…oh OGs…she was quite precious…and my aunt was a small petite lady carry a little one…her youngest…so that night they celebrated my cousin’s b-day…I felt bad because I didn’t know and did not get him anything and I show up empty handed…I met with many other people that night…relatives (a cousin who studied in Australia who got his master’s…very talkative guy in a good way because he was curiously talkative about many things...he was very impressed about how I spoke Hmong quite well…he has a daughter who lived with him while he was studying in Australia so she learned English and can speak a good amount…he told me about a situation when he was speaking to his daughter in English…telling her to eat cat…pronouncing the word incorrectly his daughter corrected him…saying, “No dad…it’s eat cake”…I started laughing and he got a kick out of it telling me this story…very cute, also I met another cousin who has the same Hmong name as me…Huaj Vam…it is not every day you meet or find someone with that Hmong name…he is pretty cool…very mature and well respected by the parents as well as the younger generations)… and then I met my cousins gang who all play football (aka soccer) together…after a buffet style dinner and cake…my cousin and his gang had their own little gathering outside the house next to the clinic…Korean style BBQ…(in Lao=”Seen-dat” or something like that)…they were grilling, drinking, thumping music (Hmong, Lao, and Thai), and chatted the night away…it was so great for me to experience that moment with these Hmong guys and with my cousin…I had a good time…just chilling, talking, eating, drinking, more eating, and more drinking…this was how Hmong-Lao guys kick it together…so cozy and sebai sebai…chill chill…we stayed up til the drinks were done and that was around 2am…
So I received a phone call last month from my aunt in the states on my mom’s side…she was calling to check up on me and see if I contacted and visited her brother-in-law…my uncle…I hadn’t at that time, but in our conversation…she asked where I was staying and overhearing our talk…my uncle recognized the place I was staying…SEA Game Village…he spoke out and said oh…my nephew lives there too…so my aunt handed the cell phone to him and he clarified about where I was staying and sure enough it is same place his nephew is also staying…so my uncle said he will call his brother to give him my number and so that his nephew can contact me…after that phone call of his…my cousin called me a few days later and we finally met each other one day…he resembled my uncle so much just a younger version…anyways...we got to talk and he was much younger than I thought…he's studying at the Lao-American College and I forget what he was majoring…he is a nice fellow…it so crazy to believe that living in this area for 2 months and who would have thought that one of my cousins lived in the building next to mine…small world…small world…well after our meet…we were trying to set up a day where I could go and visit his dad and mom…and I did…actually stayed the night which wasn't the plan but it worked out extremely well…my uncle…my cousin’s dad is a RN…registered nurse and has his own clinic where he worked after hours from the hospital…surprisingly his clinic was right next to his house…right next to the front porch…I saw him helping with the community people with illnesses and provide meds….I met with my aunt as well as my great aunt….so funny…the first thing my great aunt asked me was…do you have a wife? I said no and she responded…good…why don’t you find one here…there are many beautiful Hmong ladies here especially at New Year’s…you should go and see if there is a lady you like and talk with her…I giggled and nodded my head…sure, I’ll see if there are any ladies I'd like…smiling…oh OGs…she was quite precious…and my aunt was a small petite lady carry a little one…her youngest…so that night they celebrated my cousin’s b-day…I felt bad because I didn’t know and did not get him anything and I show up empty handed…I met with many other people that night…relatives (a cousin who studied in Australia who got his master’s…very talkative guy in a good way because he was curiously talkative about many things...he was very impressed about how I spoke Hmong quite well…he has a daughter who lived with him while he was studying in Australia so she learned English and can speak a good amount…he told me about a situation when he was speaking to his daughter in English…telling her to eat cat…pronouncing the word incorrectly his daughter corrected him…saying, “No dad…it’s eat cake”…I started laughing and he got a kick out of it telling me this story…very cute, also I met another cousin who has the same Hmong name as me…Huaj Vam…it is not every day you meet or find someone with that Hmong name…he is pretty cool…very mature and well respected by the parents as well as the younger generations)… and then I met my cousins gang who all play football (aka soccer) together…after a buffet style dinner and cake…my cousin and his gang had their own little gathering outside the house next to the clinic…Korean style BBQ…(in Lao=”Seen-dat” or something like that)…they were grilling, drinking, thumping music (Hmong, Lao, and Thai), and chatted the night away…it was so great for me to experience that moment with these Hmong guys and with my cousin…I had a good time…just chilling, talking, eating, drinking, more eating, and more drinking…this was how Hmong-Lao guys kick it together…so cozy and sebai sebai…chill chill…we stayed up til the drinks were done and that was around 2am…
Also…my uncle’s house is incomplete, but for the most part complete…they moved in already…they have a roof, bedrooms, kitchen, but the inside ceiling roof needed to be covered and he told me that Lao style houses you keep building and fixing as you go...when you have the money to pay for it…it’s not like America where the house is already completely built and then you move in...the duration of my visit everyone kept telling me how the house is bad and not clean and how it may not/is not like houses in America…and I responded…as long as you have a house with a roof over your head...that’s all what you really need…a place for your family to live together…
