Colored Pencils and Squat Toilets

Unabridged version

Happy New Year! These holidays are bittersweet for us; we miss our families and holiday feasts. Our thoughts are quick to remind us of how far from home we are. We wish we could be with you, our friends and loved ones — then on January 2, transported (for free of course) back to the exotic sensations of Southeast Asia. Alas. We will (most probably) be back by next year.

To take our mind off of pumpkin pie and Frank Sinatra singing "Jack Frost nipping at your nose", we searched out a trekking agency to take us for a three day adventure into a remote area of Laos. Due to their "eco-friendliness", we decided on Tiger Trails to guide us into the depths of the Laotian countryside. We chose the EBTK-3 package: Elephant riding, Trekking, Mountain biking and Kayaking for three days.

After a fun day of mountain biking, visiting a weaving factory and swimming in a waterfall, we trekked the last 90 minutes into a Khmu hill tribe village, our feet beginning to drag. It was a dusty compound of scattered rickety bamboo shacks built on stilts. It was exceedingly in the middle of nowhere. Pigs grunted as they walked across our path, either not noticing us or caring. From somewhere, a rooster crowed and another answered his challenge. Six children, several with no pants — none of them wearing shoes — walked by, caught up in their own private games. Our thoughts were along these lines: This is so embarrassing! and Is there any way to just quit this tour and go back to our hotel!?

Sati, our guide, directed us to a long table outside one of the bamboo shacks. A woman took our bags inside. We "settled in" at the table by awkwardly sipping at our suddenly too-modern water bottles. This is weird we both said in different ways. There were two young girls pressing their faces against the wooden railing that ringed our table. We said "Sabai Di!" (Lao for Hello) as happily as we could. The just stared at us. We said "Smile-uh!" (Khmu for hello) as happily as we could. More, longer stares. Get us out of here! we both thought, loudly.

Dan said, "I'm going to get the books — break the ice with these kids". He came back with a short stack of books we purchased at Big Brother Mouse , a local do-good literacy organization. Kim fanned the pages of a coloring book as Dan fondled the colored pencils dramatically. The two Khmu girls stared with an equally dramatic though less inviting response. Ahhhhhhhh! we thought.

Dan began scribbling happily, attempting to lure the children with his glowing joy. Kim stepped over to the two girls, smiling and ducking in a cautious gesture and handed them each a colored pencil. She pointed them towards our table. At first, they began to smile, then their eyes darted around, possibly to scour for traps. They giggled at each other. Dan, having entirely forgotten the children in lieu of the coloring books, reluctantly relinquished his seat to the girls. They began to color.

Within minutes, children were cramming themselves into all conceivable space around and under our table. Dan counted 19 kids — and not even at the height of the action. Thinking quickly, we tore the pages of the coloring book so as many kids as possible could draw at once. We only had twelve colored pencils (we had another box, but we were saving it for the next village, the next night) and no pencil sharpener. The factory-sharpened pencils quickly ground down to nubs so Sati hacked the ends off with Kim's Swiss Army Knife. It became a frenzy.

Once the coloring book pages were fully coated in colored swirls and zigzagging rainbow patterns, we tore pages from our journals and sketched faces and animals for the kids to color. The snatched these from us and continued coloring hungrily. Soon the entire table was coated in pages, colored on both sides. The kids, us, Sati, even a few adults glanced at each other happily, incredulously. Sati, smiling, said, "many foreigner don't play with Khmu children. You are first. Many adult think wonder about you." We couldn't believe it. It was so easy!

In what could retrospectively be called "a stroke of genius", Dan diverted the coloring army and refocused their fervent energy into learning one of childhood's most important skills: folding paper airplanes. He passed out pages to all the children that seemed capable of following basic instructions in a foreign language, and began the step-by-step procedure. Within minutes, a squadron of white airplanes materialized on the old wooden table. Dan yelped something in what sounded to the kids like "blah blah blah" and ran out energetically onto a dusty area in the heart of the village. The kids ran and followed him and began screeching with joy. Dan leaned back and launched his little plane high into the air. Within seconds, the air was full of paper planes, dust, jumping and laughter. The kids immediately began to invent games involving throwing the planes at each other, trying to catch each other's planes and running around frantically amidst all of the planes. It was fantastic.

Kim, in what may be looked back upon as a "moment of supreme generosity", gathered the children around her as the adrenaline-fueled air strike began to lose ammunition. She summoned her half-Japanese heritage (sorry Terry) and enthusiastically folded a paper crane. The kids' jaws dropped. They swooned. She had one grab the tail and head and tug, making the wings flap. They squealed and began to demand that Kim was the new head of the village. This continued until after sundown: Dan juggling balls of dirt amongst a frenzy of flight-damaged paper aircraft while Kim emphasized the finer, more ancient traditions of Origami for the more mature village folk. When we finally turned in for sleep, we felt so so good … so good.

For even further illumination of these moments, please enjoy a few minutes of our video footage.



The next day was a repeat of this day, with cuter kids, friendlier adults and a thankfully shorter period of awkward tension. After dinner, some of the kids, the local schoolteacher and a group of other adults gathered around our table. With very few words of common understanding, we soon found ourselves playing a form of "Foreign Language Pictionary". We would draw a picture (perhaps a pig or a tree or a frog) and ask our new friends what the Lao word was for it. In turn, we would tell them the English word. It was an excellent night, rich with laughter and remarkably fast friendships.

As we lay happily in bed recounting the last two days' events, Dan suddenly proclaimed that his tummy was feeling a bit funky. After trying to ignore it for about an hour, he suddenly made a panicked attempt to find the flash light and make it out the door. He did make it out the door, but alas, he didn't quite make it to the bathroom. Kim was horrified to hear him projectile vomiting all over the porch of our little bamboo hut and over the railing onto the packed-dirt street below. Poor Dan spent the rest of the night running outside through the dark to the bathroom every half hour, each time having to make the extremely difficult decision of which end of his body he should perch precariously over the squat toilet.

The next day we were supposed to hike an hour to the elephant camp, ride elephants, and kayak for a few hours back to town. Dan was still so sick and weak that we knew we had to cancel the days' activities. We did still have to hike back to the elephant camp, and from there we waited for about an hour until a vehicle came to pick us up. Dan spent the rest of the day sick in bed and developed a fever. Kim proceeded to freak out as there are apparently no medical facilities of Western standard in the entire country. If you want to see a proper doctor, you have to fly back to Thailand, which would be a problem as we don't have Thai visas. Thankfully, after a full day of worrying, Kim looked over at Dan and found him covered in sweat … his fever had broke! It was such a relief!

Dan is well on his way to a full recovery. Once he could keep liquids down, Kim forced large quantities of electrolyte beverages down his throat. Now he's onto fruit and yogurt and rice soup. So, it has been an intense last few days, but totally amazing, and one of our greatest experiences yet. Now, Dan is getting cranky and restless, so it's time that we head back to our hotel room and lay him down for his nap.

Happy New Year everyone! We're sure that it will be the best one yet!

With love,
Dan&Kim

Dad Braha posted on 2008-01-24 at 7:01 pm

Daniel and Kim, I've been thinking about you both lately. I hope you're allright. Please send word when you can. Love, Dad

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JURIJ posted on 2008-01-20 at 4:41 pm

hello from cold Slovenia ,it s our first day at home and it s very cold , we were spend very nice time on the south of thailand ,i t was super great . have fun .jurij

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nona and poppi posted on 2008-01-14 at 6:08 pm

We finally got around to watching your latest e-mail on Jan.14th.Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt never showed the children they visited as good a time as you guys showed the children you visited!!!..Just don't bring home any!!!!!!Glad your feeling better'

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Simone Harrill posted on 2008-01-08 at 4:02 pm

You're right, those kids are gorgeous!! That sounds like a blast, and I'm sure that you made their year! Anyways, I'm so happy to hear that you are feeling better Daniel. And thanks Kim for taking such good care of him out there!! I love you guys and can't wait until you can teach my kids how to make paper airplanes!! Happy adventures!

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Auntie Wendy posted on 2008-01-07 at 12:41 pm

Akemashite Omedeto Gozaimasu and a belated Merry Christmas to you both. My goodness, you have been busy. You both have very big, giving hearts. You gave the Khmu children more than they probably have ever seen. Your time alone was a great gift to them. The pleasure in seeing them derive such joy out of simplicity is enough to bring a tear. Love the pictures, especially the one with the locust. I somehow see you two doing a peace corps stint or something similar. If you were physicians, it would be 'Doctors Without Borders'. We miss you here, but you are experiencing a once in a lifetime event and it seems to be bringing you much joy. Please stay well. Dan, I just read where tea is best to drink as it has a bacteria fighting ingredient that coffee does not. Drink more green and oolong tea!! Again, thank you for sharing your adventures and take care. Love you both. XXXOOOXXXOOO

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Nash! posted on 2008-01-06 at 2:26 pm

"Children are all foreigners." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Meems and Grammy posted on 2008-01-05 at 9:22 pm

Hi! Just wanted to thank you for the Christmas card--toooo cute! Grammy is here with me for the weekend keeping Zar and I company while Scott is in Vegas, so we just wanted to post a comment to say "Sabai Di!" xoxo....

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katerina posted on 2008-01-05 at 8:34 pm

....wonderful!...... wait. you won't be back until NEXT year??? did i read that right??? or you'll be back there next year?

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Dad Braha posted on 2007-12-31 at 1:10 pm

Happy New Year, my lovelies. You are staying true to your mission: "a journal of love and adventure." It's so nice to see that you've connected to the children, where love is the most easily transmitted and enjoyed! I miss you two,too Love, Dad

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Mom posted on 2007-12-31 at 12:50 pm

Happy New Year to you and everyone. This is going to be a great year for all of us. That was a great story. Love the pictures. Thank you. With hugs and kisses. oxoxoxox

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