You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Education and Career' category.
- Send Me An Angel by Scorpions
Have you ever wondered why there are so many young novice monks in Laos, especially in Luang Prabang? Our Buddhist faith in Laos is not as strict as the Myanmar, where it’s their tradition that every Myanmar Buddhist boy average age between 7 and 13 is expected to enter the monastery as a novice for a period of a few weeks to months, it’s considered to be the most important day in the boy’s life.
But in Laos, we don’t have a tradition like that, but yet we see many young novice monks at the local temples. Back in the olden days, temples were the schools, especially if you’re poor, as there was no formal education system. This makes sense because the Buddha is a teacher, and monks provide basic lesson in both spiritual and secular subjects, and for some, this might be the only way to get an education, not just in the olden days, but also in today society.
During my visit to Laos and Thailand, after we got stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport, we went back to Vientiane Laos to catch our flight back home, and we stayed at a hotel that’s not too far from Wat Mixay. I didn’t get to take a picture of the entrance, and this is a borrowed photo from here.
My dad and I passed the temple gate, and saw school children playing in the temple ground and thought that the school must be nearby. We visited the temple and that’s when I realized that the school is at the temple, kind of surprised me at first because I didn’t expect to see this at all. The children are very happy.
When I visited Dannavieng Elementary school in November 20, 2008, I didn’t get to meet the superintendent of the school. After I came back, Darly informed me that she will get me the receipt, something that I needed to provide for Friends of the NLL, also known as my coworkers that had helped supported the school project. Below are the receipt and photos taken by Darly’s Aunt, Aunt Kian. When I was there, they talked about putting up a new name, and now it is up. The school is now named after the village, Ban Dong Yang Elementary School.
Video by Boon Vong, from his trip to Laos. The preschool location was in Xieng Khouang Province, one of the most bombed areas in Laos, and one of the poorest. The region also has the sad honor of being first in bombie farming accidents. Lathesene village lacked running water but the schoolchildren and villagers treated us so kindly.
The song is Jack Johnson’s “We’re Going to be Friends.”
Photos from his DSLR’s and shaky video (sorry!) from his Kodak digicam.
I’ve had opportunity to give the gift of knowledge to children in Laos, books are very special to me, and might be because I didn’t have many growing up, and now I often buy books for myself. I could imagine the excitement of these children at Dannavieng Elementary School when they received their books box, but imagining is not the same as feeling.
Believe it or not, I also received a children’s book as a gift, this one is very special to me, to all my sisters, and my dad. It is called ‘My Great-grandma Mintie’ written by Bobbie Hinson McNeil with Cathy Hinson Franklin-Griffin, illustrated by Chad Chrysler. My sisters, dad, and I each received a signed copy by Cathy, a very special lady that helped care for my mom during her final months, and my mom often talked to Cathy about going back to Thailand, if and when she would get better, and Cathy often has had a sincerely smile, looking back at my mom then and said “I’ll go with you.” When I received my copy over the weekend, I was very excited, read the whole book in one sitting, and thank you Cathy for thinking of us.
Below are photos of books box gift that Lao Voices gave to Dannavieng Elementary School, the same school that we are currently helping to finish with the construction, and according to Darly, “…the book box library is shared by the entire student body from the first grade to the fifth grade. There are various topics to match all levels of the students. The children at Dannavieng Elementary School sent their big warm Sabaidee “hello” and a word of thank you to all the supporters of the book box library project. You have given them the “gift of knowledge” and they are very grateful for that.”
I’m happy to learn that other Laotians are also doing this, below is a photo of an older books box library, donated by a former villager during a visit to his hometown, many years ago.
This is updated news for Friends of National Library of Laos (Friends of NLL, also known as my co-workers for your generous support in the purchasing of my spring rolls) in regard to the construction progress of Ban Dannavieng Elementary School; other supporters of this project include the local villagers, Laocook, Nye Noona, and Darly who coordinates the whole project.
I’m happy to see that the students have had a good school year in the new (unfinished) school; the funding from supporters made it possible to complete the roof, a new water pump installed and new restrooms built early than expected.
Recent Comments