Learning Some Basic Lao

In this video we learn some basics, specifically how to say hello, good-bye, and how to count.

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)

Yesterday afternoon I finally sat down to view the DVD which my friend, Bev Korasack, had given to me the Sunday before. As I watched, I could feel my emotions rising and falling like the waves on an ocean.

Filmed over the course of 23 years, THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON), is an astonishing tale of perseverance - one family's struggle to survive their journey from war-torn Laos to the streets of New York. Eloquent yet devastating, renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras' directorial debut is a remarkable collaboration with co-director Thavisouk Phrasavath - a documentary that reveals the hidden, human face of war's "collateral damage".

Weather in Laos Added

Today I added a link to the sidebar of my blog where you can get up-to-the-minute information about the weather in Laos.

Khaen Lao (Lao mouth organ)

While chatting with Bev Korasack on Facebook today, she told me that on Sunday morning she would be bringing in a traditional Lao musical instrument called a khaen to the radio station and demonstrating it on the air.

In the video above, we get a lesson about how to play this instrument.

Remnants of a Secret War

View excerpt from this book

Through my wanderings on the Web one day, I encountered this book about Laos and the Hmong. I was most intrigued and have added it to my wish list. Hopefully, I will have this book in my hands before I leave so that I can go through it on my way to Laos.

To provide you with a glimpse of what this book is about, read the overview below.

The story of the Hmong people in Laos is a story of survival. Recruited first by the French, and then by the Americans, to be the front line of defense against the North Vietnamese army, their territory became a fierce battleground of the Viet Nam War. The United States’ covert bombing campaign from 1964 to 1973 gave Laos the distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of warfare. Photojournalist Mike Greenlar made 10 trips to Laos between 2000 and 2009 to document the lives the Hmong were fashioning in two resettlement villages. There they continue to farm land rife with unexploded cluster bombs and other munitions.

Going to Laos: 30 Days to Go

The countdown continues to my departure for Laos. Now only 30 days remain.

SNAP Downtown Toronto - Adopt a Village in Laos

SNAP Downtown Toronto - Adopt a Village in Laos

Around mid-afternoon today I received an email notification from SNAP DOWNTOWN TORONTO to inform me that the Chapters Indigo event, which was covered by SNAP on September 24, had just been published on their web site.

While the event was a far cry from the event at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope the Saturday before, it was still a wonderful opportunity for Steve Rutledge, Mike Yap, and myself to meet one of the other members of the Sieng Lao Radio team, Khamkeut Keovongsa.