Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Just made it back to civilization after a week or so in places with no electricity, let alone internet.
I had the most fabulous week. AMAZING. Spend a lot of time in little villages where they are living in bamboo huts and cooking over open fire the way they did 100s of years ago probably. I bought a fishing boat with 3 other folks and we canoed down the Nam Ou river. Huge beautiful limestone clifts covered in foliage all around us. When the sun got low in the sky we would find a village to pull over and try to find a place to stay. We always got a warm welcome. I was the official communicator for the group b/c I know a few key Laos words. The first night the kids just stood around and stared at us. They rarely rarely see white people there. It wasn't long before I got out my digital camera and was showing them pictures of themselves. They were in awe. Then I started joking around with them. It was amazing. I had 25 or 30 kids all around me watching my every move. Just joking around. I was facinated by how much I could connect with them while only knowing a few words in common. Lots of laughing. One village I got them to sing "Heads, Shoulders, knees, and toes." And in a larger village I went to school for a few hours with the girl I was staying with. I even got to stand up in front of the class and teach a little.

The people of Laos are so generous and friendly. Just welcoming us into their homes, sharing their dinner, and bed (or floor space really) with us. One place I stayed I was showing them pictures I brought from the US. They asked to keep one of me and the little girl put it right up on the wall. How cool to think my picture may be in this little village for years to come.