Big Brother Mouse (Day 78 of the world trip)

21.11.2019

The first night in the hostel was great :) The bed is very comfortable, the blanket is cozy, the pillow is the right thickness, and it's the perfect size for me <3

At 7:00 a.m., we were ready for breakfast^^ You can choose between 7 different options (e.g. Banana Pancakes, Baguette with scrambled eggs, Baguette with fried eggs, noodle soup...) and there are also bananas, pineapples, and watermelon as a buffet. I ordered Baguette with scrambled eggs, Jonas had the noodle soup, but unfortunately, both of us didn't feel satisfied, even though we had to wait until almost 7:30 a.m. :D

But nevermind. The Vietnamese embassy opens at 8:00 a.m. and we wanted to go early in case it's unexpectedly crowded. On the way there, we walked along the Mekong and apparently, we really arrived at the Rush House yesterday because this morning the streets were much quieter ;-)

When we arrived at the embassy, a rather inconspicuous building with a pagoda roof, we were the only people there :D Filling out the form went quickly, but we didn't have enough cash for the payment, which is only possible in cash :( For some reason, I got nervous about having to walk 5 minutes to the nearest ATM and back. I was quite nervous and drove Jonas half crazy because I was so annoyed that I didn't think of bringing cash :p :D

We got an appointment for tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. to pick up the visa and then we went back to the hostel to change. On the internet, I read that we should dress up nicely for the embassy visit because then we will be treated more friendly/faster. So we both showed up in jeans and Jonas in sturdy shoes to make a good impression :D :D However, with expected temperatures of over 30°C, the jeans were quickly dismissed as an outfit ;-)

When we arrived at the hostel, we wanted to ask if we could have a second breakfast, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Too bad, but understandable ;-) It's free after all!^^

Our plan for today was quite unspectacular: apply for the Vietnam visa, climb Mount Phousi, Jonas visit the hairdresser, and just walk around a bit.

Since the visa was taken care of, we continued with our walk^^ We walked along the Mekong again, this time in the other direction. Of course, we were asked from one side if we wanted to take a boat tour and from the other side if we wanted a tuk-tuk ride :D After this "obstacle course", we reached the turnoff for a side arm of the Mekong.

There we could see a bamboo bridge that you could cross for a fee :p We decided against it and just continued walking. It was getting quite hot, but at Mount Phousi, a hill in the middle of the city where you can look down on the city, we stopped to climb the nearly 300 steps for €2 per person :)

The view was pretty and the area is quite extensive with a few temples and Buddha statues, so you can get a panoramic view of Luang Prabang. But it didn't totally blow us away ;-)

After the descent, we unexpectedly passed a real supermarket!!! Wow!! We hadn't seen anything like this in ages :O :D Besides the Ellse cookies (chocolate cookies), there was also chocolate spread, butter, and at the bakery, "real" bread <3

Since we deserved it and I had been feeling continuously hungry since breakfast, we made a stop at the hostel to try the bread with chocolate spread and ohh yess!! :D :D A very unhealthy but mentally very rewarding lunch ;-)

Refreshed, we then went to the hairdresser. Jonas was nervous because we didn't know if anyone would understand his instructions. When we found the hairdresser and Jonas asked for English, the hairdresser just smiled and shook her head. Well!

Bravely, Jonas took a seat in the hairdresser's chair, made a few gestures to somehow explain what he wanted, and then it started^^ She shaved his sides military-style, but overall the result looks very neat and well... Jonas can pull off anything :D :D By the way, the hair salon itself was very small but quite cute. An Asian man was lying on a bed and had his hair shampooed throughout Jonas' haircut. That's what I call endurance :p

After the hairdresser's visit, I decided that I was now ready to spend money and looked for a new cap! It's quite uncomfortable without a head covering in this heat, and I had given my old one to the rats :D With Jonas as an advisor, we quickly found one and then spent some more time at the Mekong until we went back to the hostel because the night market finally opened at 5:00 p.m.! :D

We went out to the market shortly after 5:00 p.m., but unfortunately, the food wasn't fully set up yet. So we decided to go to the Big Brother Mouse Bookstore, which we had read about and researched this morning but actually put aside due to lack of time.

This is an institution that promotes the education of Laotian village children. Specifically in Luang Prabang, there are three options for tourists to get involved (in addition to a monetary donation).

1.) You come to the store around 9:00 a.m. and then all the volunteers are driven to one of the villages, where they read to the children in elementary schools and teach them vocabulary using pictures for them to repeat. This is free for volunteers, but a donation of about €10 is welcome to cover travel expenses and lunch.

This would have been a highlight for Jonas and me, but unfortunately, it's not possible now because we have the appointment at the embassy tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., and the program doesn't take place on weekends, of course :(

2.) You come to the bookstore around 1:30 p.m. and then walk together across the bamboo bridge mentioned above to the other side of the river and into a village. There you play board and party games in English with the children to get them used to the sound of the language and maybe pick up a few words :)

Unfortunately, this option didn't work for us either because we already booked a tour for tomorrow and the only time left is the weekend...

3.) Daily (7 days a week, also on weekends ;-) ) from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., there are drop-in conversation classes. So you just come during this time, either for the full 2 hours or as long as you want and have time, to the bookstore and sit down with teenagers/young adults who want to practice their English.

After some back and forth, this became the option of our choice and what can I say? It was just incredibly cool and enriching!!! :O

We walked past the store and saw that there were already a few volunteer tourists there, so we hesitated for a moment. Then a monk waved us in and in no time, Jonas was assigned a student, and I got two. The organizer, a European or other white person, was super friendly, and through his decisive actions (setting up plastic chairs and zap), the ice was broken right away^^

"My" boys were called something like "Toal" and "Jing". I tried to pronounce their names several times and then got a thumbs up, but maybe it was just politeness :D They are both 19 years old and come from the same Laotian village 3 hours north of Luang Prabang.

They are in Luang Prabang to finish their high school education and work part-time in a restaurant. Jing was rather shy and reserved the whole time, but Toal was very talkative and very interested in keeping the conversation going. He had many questions that he had to think about a little to formulate, but he never gave up! ;-)

The family backgrounds of the two are similar. Toal is the third of five children, with his two older sisters studying at the university and training as a cook, respectively. Jing is the oldest of seven children, and both boys' parents are farmers. The families each have rice fields that are hours away from the village, and Toal proudly told me that they have had a motorbike since 2006 and that it now only takes one to two hours on the bike to get to the most remote field ;-)

The two don't have real hobbies. At home, they help their parents with farm work, and here in Luang Prabang, it's all about studying, working, and learning. Jing seemed to be somewhat unhappy about it. He sees it as an opportunity, but his dream is to go back to the village after finishing his education. The obvious culture shock might be too much for him...

Toal, on the other hand, has big plans. He wants to get a good education, preferably in IT, and then get a good job. This will be followed by a house and, his biggest dream, a car! <3 By the way, he wants to have a big house in the city to bring his whole family here ;-) So, dream or not, the family definitely has the highest priority here :)

Otherwise, the two (especially Toal) showed great interest in all kinds of small talk topics. Especially the weather, especially snow, seemed to fascinate them^^ Also professions, income (the standard income in Laos is around €200 per month), and of course my relationship with Jonas, who sat next to me with his student^^

At some point, a third student came to me, who had a significantly higher level of English and with whom I could have had a proper conversation!! He speaks English and French and was so ambitious that he got a job as a waiter in a 5-star hotel!! Really cool! In his voluntary English class, which he attends alongside his studies, he even interprets poems, so the level is really high.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do justice to him without excluding the other two, who could hardly follow the newcomer... Fortunately, another volunteer, an Englishman from London, joined us, and so we could separate the groups ;-)

Jonas' experience with his student (at some point a second one joined, and the first one went to the bathroom without returning^^) was probably similar. The level of English was quite good, and they also had great conversations and sometimes even more complex ones. Jonas was also taught a few words in "Hmong". The Hmong are a minority from China who live in Laos and speak their own language in the villages.

I can't write more details about it unfortunately - Jonas will have to do that himself :p

Overall, the visit to the bookstore was really great, and if we have time, we will probably go there again! The time flies by so quickly when talking, and you really get to know what life is like in the villages for the young people, and that is incredibly valuable <3 In any case, we can highly recommend a visit there to anyone who ever comes to Luang Prabang :)

Afterwards, Jonas and I went to the night market to eat and met the Englishwoman who sat next to me in the minivan yesterday. She had also been to Big Brother Mouse, but for the morning session and yeah. It's really a great thing :) Jonas and I talked about our experiences for at least an hour^^ So it not only enriches the young adults but also oneself :)

So, Luang Prabang, without any highlights from travel guides, was a complete success for us today ;-)

[By the way, the photo shows Toal. He asked me for a photo, but otherwise, we didn't take pictures there. That wouldn't have been appropriate^^]

***Here's the link to the homepage of The Big Brother Mouse for all those interested. The origin of the organization was an attempt to establish books in Laos and do something against illiteracy in the population.

http://www.bigbrothermouse.com/visit.html