wherewewokeup

My Scholarship entry - Pho Kham Village

LAOS | Sunday, 23 November 2014 | Views [321] | View Larger Image

After hiking through the jungle for three hours to show me their favourite, secret waterfall, Capitan and Luat prepared the most divine soup- from plants they collected along the way. We ate under the cold spray of the waterfall as we passed around a cigar of Luat's tobacco rolled in a leaf.

Food in Pho Kham was simple fare. Endless sticky rice, fresh greens, mushrooms from the jungle and when someone has a hankering for fresh meat, the kids are sent down to the river to hunt frogs. A few weeks before I arrived, a water buffalo drowned herself in a water-way and the whole village turned out to pull her out, butcher her and the meat was shared amongst all the families.

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The kids of Pho Kham seem to have a very happy upbringing full of love and fun and devoid of the kinds of things western kids complain about. There is no such thing as boredom- they spend a few hours each morning at school, getting out around 11.30 and after lunch spend their time swimming, riding their bikes, exploring, fishing, and being fascinated by visitors. The kids do help on the farms and around the house when asked but have a lot of freedom. When I asked Nola about toys, she proudly produced her favourite teddy bear. Here she poses with him on the bed she shared with the rest of her family.

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My Scholarship entry - Pho Kham Village

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