Please check out one of our current projects at Sai Nyai Eco-School and spread the word! This movie will give you a glimpse of our awesome staff and the school grounds. Sorry I am not able to post more pictures….one day I will purchase a camera 🙂
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/community-learning-center/x/566373
The New Year is always a time for reflection, and this year I spent a lot of time thinking about where I was a year ago. I spent the final days of 2012 in an ashram in Southern India with more than 100 people from all over the world. While there, I met two young women, one Australian and one British, who invited me to participate in their New Year tradition. We woke up at 4am on New Year’s Day and climbed to the top of a nearby mountain. At the summit there was a small Hindi shrine (I can’t remember to which deity), lots of candles, prayer flags, and a small fire pit. We made a fire together before the sun came up and then watched the first rays of light spill over the valleys of Neyyar Dam, Kerala. We sat in silence for several minutes as we thought about the past 365 days and what we wanted to change and improve upon in the future. When the time felt right, we got out pens and paper and wrote about things we wanted to rid ourselves of in the coming year. I made a long list of things like “comparing myself to others, acting impulsively or without thinking, overeating, thinking of only myself” etc…. Once the list was complete (or at least long enough to serve its purpose), we threw our papers into the fire as a gesture of letting go of the past, purging ourselves of the unwanted and unwelcomed, and preparing for a new beginning. As the lists turned to ash, one of the women (It is a shame, but I forget their names now) gave me a piece of cloth and a pen. We then set about outlining goals, plans, dreams, and aspirations for 2013. I wrote out my hopes for the New Year; some things overly specific (practice guitar at least four times a week), some quite general (run more, dance more, be nicer). It took me quite some time and I can’t remember most of what I wrote now, but the process of writing everything out was deeply empowering. As I wrote the notion washed over me that I already had the tools to become a better and wiser person. All I had to do was apply them in the following days, weeks, years. When I completed my resolutions, the sun was high in the sky and all of Neyyar Dam was lit in a radiant glow. I will never forget that beautiful view, or the feeling of complete control over my life’s satisfaction.
After losing ourselves for several moments in the stunning scenery that surrounded us, we moved onto the next part of the New Year’s tradition. The two girls and I took off in search for the perfect tree to tie our resolutions to. I found my tree on a cliff next to a giant mossy rock. I then tied my cloth to a branch and made an audible promise to myself to try and embody the things written on that cloth. And with that, I began 2013.
I haven’t yet found my tree to tie this year’s aspirations to, but I am certain I will know it when I see it. Here’s to a charmed 2014 for all of you, wherever you may be.
As many of you know, I have a quantity control problem. Some days I think I could have been a champion competitive eater if my life had taken a different path. Instead, I compete with invisible “frenemies” each time I sit down to a meal. In Laos this has proven less problematic than in Africa or the U.S. because most of the food here is very healthy. However, this week I have consumed more than enough peanuts to feed 10 people. No matter how you do the math, that is waaaaay too many peanuts!
One of the central projects of Sai Nyai eco-school is to support our alumni with grass roots development projects. Some alumni take out micro-loans to start frog ponds or mushroom huts, others have started a dried fruit business, several have formed an organic vegetable farming group, and some have started making and selling peanut snacks. Of course there are other projects as well, but I have only visited two villages so far (our students come from at least nine different towns) so I am less knowledgeable about the ones happening outside of Ban Meung and Ban Kheua. In Ban Meung, Bin (a staff member and alumnus), has helped organize a group of women to make peanut goodies to sell for profit. Right now there are two main recipes: sweet and salty. For the sweet peanut snacks, the women fry the peanuts in palm oil, sugar, sesame seeds and a bit of salt. They stir the peanuts until the sugar mixture caramelizes and covers each nut in a delectable and crunchy coating. For the salty recipe, the women similarly fry the peanuts in oil, but this time they add crispy lime leaves and lemongrass. Both recipes are delicious and I have been eating them non-stop!
Here are some photos that my coworker Sarah (the only other foreigner – an awesome girl from Belgium) took.
peanuts for miles!
Sweet recipe
Shelling peanuts
Lemongrass, lime leaves, and salt
How many times can a cow moo in one night? It’s a lot more than you would expect, let me tell you! I barely slept a wink last night because our mama cow is in heat. After a few hours I starting counting her individual moos – they averaged one every four seconds!!! And, this cow is loud!! I thought I had heard it all after the monkeys outside my window in Dar es Salaam and the howling cats in Vientiane, but those noises don’t even compare to a cow who wants to have a baby! I guess another new thing I will learn in Laos is how to find this cow a boyfriend. Hopefully tonight will be quieter….
In other news, I now have a mailing address here! If you want to be pen-pals, you can send things to:
Global Association for People and the Environment (GAPE)
Attn: Clare Margason (Sai Nyai Eco-School)
P.O. Box 860
Pakse, Champasak, Lao PDR
Also, if you would like a postcard and haven’t received one in the past year, it is probably because I don’t have your address. Please email it if you want some mail!
Sabaidee beautiful loved ones!!! I hope this blog post finds you well. First and foremost I would like to apologize for my lack of communication over the past several weeks (or months/years for some of you!). I have the habit of immersing myself in the moment, and while I know this can often be quite positive, I have come to learn that long periods of time can fly by without interaction with the people who are not in my immediate surroundings. Although I have said this several times….THIS YEAR I hope to be different!
What’s Going On With Me
On October 13th I moved to a small village, called Kengkia, outside of Pakse, Lao PDR. I have committed to living and working at the Sai Nyai Eco-School for one year (if interested, see website: www.sustainablelaos.org. FYI, it is quite outdated).  Here I will teach English, help organize the curriculum for our 2014 programs, and learn a whole lot about organic farming, alternative technology, grassroots community development, and Lao culture.
I decided to move here for two main reasons. The first is that I have always wanted to live in a rural area. I think this desire began the first time I went to Guarjila, El Salvador when I was 13 years old;  it is has been brewing inside me ever since. The second reason I decided to move, is because I was going a bit crazy in Vientiane. My life was very “cushy” or, as the Lao say “hiso” (high social status). It seems strange to say this, but I felt too comfortable, too relaxed, and too rich. It’s not like I strive to be poor, uncomfortable, and stressed out, but I always envisioned I would face a lot of challenges in my twenties. Aside from the quest to be a decent teacher six days a week at Vientiane College (this was a challenging quest indeed!) and my futile attempts at learning Lao, I did not feel that life was testing me as much as it could. I guess then, it should be no surprise that I jumped at the chance to move to rural Laos and live a very different lifestyle than I have ever known, as well as take on a job description that I am only beginning to understand.
When I say different lifestyle, let me better explain what I mean. My day begins between 5:30 and 6:00am when the sunlight breaks through the cracks in my bamboo hut on stilts. Most days the early morning weather is dry and cool enough for me to run through the villages and farmlands (right now I see mostly peanuts, rice, cassava, and sweet potatoes) that surround Sai Nyai. After running and saluting dozens of adorable children in crisp uniforms on their way to school, I head to the Nam Kheua river, about 50 meters from my hut. I bathe in the river, wash my clothes in the river, swim in the river, and do most things that require the use of water. Sai Nyai has no running water facilities; instead we have a well and a river (quite different than life in my spacious three bedroom/three bathroom home in Vientiane!).
Work begins at 8:00am sharp with the three Lao staff (San, Vieng, and Bin), Sarah (the other foreign coordinator from Belgium) and myself sitting down to discuss the day’s duties and goals. During my first week at the school, I mostly learned about the planting and farming practices that go on at Sai Nyai. It is honestly incredible how many edible things there are around me (bark, leaves, roots, insects, seeds, mushrooms and so much more!). Everything at the school is grown organically and I am learning so much about farming (Barbara would be very proud!) It’s fascinating to personally take part in the growing and preparation of all the food I consume. I now understand why so many of my friends in Portland and Seattle are growing more and more things themselves!
Aside from farming work and cleaning the school facilities (things get dirty quite quickly because the buildings have bamboo thatched roofs which allow all sorts of things to fall through to the ground, and  we have two cows that like to go wherever they want, and of course, poop wherever they want) my main work responsibility is to help organize the educational programs at Sai Nyai. In fact, my position title is “Education Coordinator.” Now, what does this mean, you might ask? Ha. I am only now figuring that out!
Since it’s beginning in 2009, Sai Nyai Eco-School has successfully hosted four cohorts of students (ages approximately 18-25) and conducted an informal environmental education program. The students lived at the school and studied all sorts of things including how to make bricks, grow mushrooms, start small business ventures (I’ll tell you more about the alumni projects later, but for now, know that students are selling organic peanut snacks, bracelets, and biodegradable soap around the country, building frog ponds and mushroom huts to create revenue for their families, and a lot of other cool and innovative projects that I haven’t had the opportunity to learn about or see yet!), cook nutritious foods, and brainstorm creative ways to tackle local problems. In addition students took courses on eco-tourism in Laos, English, entrepreneurship, computer skills, and international development, among others.
Last year, 2013, Sai Nyai staff decided to take a year hiatus from hosting students at the school and instead focus the efforts on community development in the three villages that are closest to Sai Nyai. Work last year included supporting alumni-led projects and trainings, organizing literacy classes for women in the villages, and creating a library (not finished yet) at Sai Nyai, with the hopes of making the school similar to a community center that is accessible to everyone in the area.
This year, 2014, Sai Nyai wants to start up educational activities again. However, the other staff (and of course myself!) are not yet sure what approach to take. Should we have students come live at the school again? Or should we conduct trainings, classes, and projects in the villages, so that they are accessible to more people? Should we do a combination – students come to the school for short two week courses lead by a variety Lao trainers (who these trainers are and what they will teach is also on the decision making table) and then return to the villages and put the trainings into practice? These are only a few of the many questions the staff has been bouncing off each other. Really, the only thing we decided, is that, ultimately, it is up to the locals to choose how to utilize Sai Nyai. Therefore, this week I will attend three community meetings with the villagers and village heads of each neighboring Ban (town) and hear (and hopefully understand!) what people want to learn about or do this year. Then comes the work of finding appropriate trainers to come to Sai Nyai, or the surrounding Bans, and getting government approval for our programs.
I could keep on writing for pages, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with information and my rambling writing style. So, I will end with one final snippet about the food here. Since arriving at Sai Nyai I have eaten frogs twice and rat once. All I want to say is that I never thought those two meats could be so delectable. The rat was skinned, gutted and stuffed with lemon grass and garlic and then roasted over an open fire. The frogs were prepared once in a spicy soup with chilies and coconut milk and once in a sort of stir fry with lots of lemongrass, garlic, green onions, mint, and other herbs/greens I don’t know the names of. I will not come back to the US and try to convince you to eat rats or frogs, but, if you do decide to visit me or rural Laos at any point, I encourage you to try any food the locals prepare. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Sending love and hugs to you all. I hope to be in touch soon!
This is for real. Vientiane has a vibrant community of jazzercise/step aerobics/Asian zumba fanatics. Every evening when the sun begins to set (usually around 6:15) locals and tourists alike flock to the riverfront park for exercise. For hundreds of yards you can see cute Laotian women jogging in leaopard print workout tights with matching head bands, teenage boys in breakdancing gear doing backflips off of trees, and  grandparents in sweatpants chasing after the most adorable children imaginable. All of this culminates in front of a large statue of King Anouvong as the moon rises and the dancing begins. This is probably the funnest way I have ever learned to count in a foreign language; Nung – Song – Saam – Sii – Haa while bobbing to Thai pop and American techno. I feel like I am in the right place. 🙂
I am yet another dreamer who pictured Vientiane as a quaint French town on the banks of the Mekong. I imagined myself on a bicycle with flowers, leafy greens, and a baguette in tow. However, now that I have been here for over a week, the reality of motorbikes has hit me. It has hit me so hard that today when I attempted to drive one for the second time I ran right into a parked truck (unsuccessfully used the handbrake which is broken on the bike I am learning on). Fortunately I hit only the truck’s bumper and suffered no damage to anything other than my bike’s front basket (the dent looks pretty awesome I must say).
After the frightening first moments on the motorbike I successfully drove it to the house where I am staying. I decided, however, to ride a regular bicycle to Vientiane College for work tonight. Of course I didn’t realize that the bicycle was a fixed gear so that also made for an interesting experience, but it proved much more successful than my endeavors on the motorbike.
Maybe I will become even more hipster than I was in Portland, OR and get myself a fixed gear bicycle here. Who knows. 🙂
Yesterday marked my one week anniversary with the country of Laos and so far Vientiane is rocking my world. I honestly think each meal I have tasted has been more delightful than the last. Whether the feast is grilled meat, laap, curry, soup, steamed fish, or plain old fruit, it simply melts in your mouth and you can’t help but eat more. and more. AND MORE! I hear people often lose weight when traveling in Asia because the food is generally quite healthy. I bet you one million dollars that will not happen to me.