LAOS 2014

OH MY GOD THE INTERNET.

Sooooooooo I might have forgotten to mention before that I was going for a trip to Laos... And um... YAH IM BACK OMG

I went with a few of my fellow interactors & teachers and I had the time of my life there. It was a little rushed to squeeze all our activities into 4 days. But oh gosh it was amazing and I absolutely cannot wait to show you guys all the pictures (:

Basically, we went there to help a school. We taught the students, played with them and also gave their walls a new fresh coat of paint. It was a trip that will be so hard to forget. 

And I wouldn't ever want to forget it either.

The first day was just taking the 2 hour plane ride there and then putting our bags at the hotel and eating dinner.  

Jac & her 'butterfingers'

The second day is probably my most favourite. 

We arrived at the school and all the kids walked to us and handed us bottled water. They were so shy and we were really awkward as well at first. But I was quite amazed at how quickly they warmed up to us. They were so open-minded and participated in all the activities we had planned out for them. There was definitely a language barrier but we got over that problem and wow I had so much fun with them and I grew so attached to them I couldn't bear to leave.

We also went to C.O.P.E and learnt a lot about the suffering of the people of Laos due to cluster bombs from the Vietnam/American War. Lastly we also paid a little visit to the Mekong River.

And I sat on the road.

(Gotta love miss Joyce)

On the third day we went to the Singapore Embassy to hear about the importance of fostering good relationships and such with Laos and what the Singapore Embassy does. At the school, my group went to paint the windows and doors while the other group interacted with the kids. I yearned to join them but painting and singing with Tammie was quite entertaining as well haha! We then had a ceremony where they gave us blessings and we said our goodbyes. After that, we went to visit the Victory Gate which was absolutely beautiful. We took a lot of wacky photos haha! Then we went to SHOP! But we only had like 25 minutes which is depressing but its better than nothing! 

At the end of everyday, we'll have a 'meeting' and we will do critical reflections. On the third day we wrote appreciation cards for each other and I can't express how much I love those! 

I ate an instant sausage.

Naila xD

Snacks I bought!

My shameless selfie...

These are the little string type bracelets that the kids tied around our wrists during the ceremony. It is a symbol of their blessing I guess. My heart still kinda stings when I think about it :(

This card made me smile real big.

The forth day was the last and we took a plane back to Singapore. I was so happy to have a window seat(LITTLE THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT)! The clouds and the sky and everything was so so so pretty and I just stared at them until I fell asleep. We were literally on top of a bed of clouds and it was exactly how they described it - cotton wools!!! They looked like cotton wools!!! omg I love clouds.

The interaction with the kids truly made me realise how lucky and blessed I am. I took this video of them playing Bingo and another one of them learning how to fold origami and there was this concentration, focus and eagerness to learn. When they played, they shared and they laughed and god I felt so happy when they smiled. They did cartwheels in the middle of the field and they used each other for tug-of-war and they fell down but they laughed and they got up. One young girl fell while playing and she had a cut but she didn't cry she didn't show one bit of weakness. They loved drawing and they loved the simple paper plates that they decorated and used as a frisbee. They played in the rain and picked up beetles and they had so much energy in them. They helped each other and the older kids took care of the younger ones. They hugged and held hands.

Their lunch for 4 was a serving for 2. Their school was run-down and small. Their education was basic.

And it amazes me that even when they have so little...

Their hearts are full.

With love, care, kindness, compassion, empathy and open-mindedness.

And that is something I truly admire. (((:

THANKS TO ALL THE AMAZING PEOPLE WHO CAME ON THIS TRIP WITH ME I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!!

La kone!

Signing off...

CLL