Sabaidee
Sabaidee! (Hello!) Today we had an orientation meeting focusing on UXOs in Laos and our first Lao language learning class. I thought I’d also include some images of what I did yesterday after visiting the COPE Visitor Center.
The Rest of Yesterday
After visiting the COPE Visitors Center yesterday we had lunch at a nearby place, and I got to try a Lao dessert called nam wan (“nam” means water and “wan” means sweet). To put together nam wan you first add tapioca pearls and then pour carmelized sugar over the top. You then add milk and ice and eat this dessert with a spoon. It was refreshing on a such hot day like yesterday, which, now that I think about it, is every day in Laos.
Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)
We also went to a café called The Little House for coffee, tea, and scones. I’ll write about coffee culture in Laos in another post.
Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)
We had tiny scones here! They looked and tasted more like biscuits because they were Japanese-style scones.
We went and looked at a nice apartment complex nearby and took a tour. On the way we passed a beautiful temple called Wat Si Muang (“wat” means temple) and another one that I don’t know the name of but was close by.
Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)
A beautiful temple I passed yesterday (Wat Si Muang)
Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)
Yet another beautiful temple that I passed yesterday! (This one has many images of nagas, or mythical snake creatures. I’ll talk about nagas in another post in more detail.)
It also rained for the first time yesterday, which is surprising since it’s the rainy season now.
Breakfast Today
Okay this section isn’t really culturally relevant, but this is what I had for breakfast this morning. They served a special type of fried rice today called “American fried rice.” Funny enough, it included chopped-up hot dogs and raisins!
Also, the bananas in Laos are really small and are much sweeter than American bananas. Pinapple marmalade is also quite popular here.
Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)
Lao bananas and American fried rice in all its glory
Tonal Languages
Today I had my first Lao language class. Lao is a tonal language with a heavy focus on tone and pronunication. According to Rosetta Stone:
“Tonal languages are ones where tone and pronunciation work together to communicate meaning. In other words, there’s an added layer of complexity to how each word is pronounced which affects its meaning. In some tonal languages, the tone placed upon a single syllable can completely change the meaning of the word.”
Other tonal languages include Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Thai, Navajo, etc.
Read more about tonal languages
Unlike English, mispronouncing a tone could completely change the meaning of a word. I have provided a few examples of different tones completely changing the meaning of words in Mandarin Chinese.
Courtesy of Yoyo Chinese
Interestingly enough, since the word for “4” and “death” are pronounced almost the same except for the tone, the number 4 is unlucky in China!
Courtesy of Yoyo Chinese
Khoi hian pha saa lao (I study Lao)
Our first Lao lesson today focused mostly on pronunciation. Our instructor had us repeat after him, and he checked to make sure our pronunciation was good. Here are a few of the most important phrases I learned today:
- sabaidee dtohn sao - Good morning
- sabaidee dtohn soo-ay - Good afternoon
- sabaidee dtohn lehn - Good evening
Note that dtohn is pronounced like “tohn,” but with a soft “t” at the beginning and a flat tone. Please remember to say “sabaidee!” I forgot one time, and Christina P. let me know that I accidentally said “evening” instead of “good evening.” “Evening” by itself means nothing here.
- khoi seu… - My name is…
- jao sa bai dee bohr? - How are you?
- khoi sabaidee - I am fine
- khob jai - Thank you
Of course Lao has its own special alphabet, but right now we are focusing on speaking and listening since we will use these skills most often.
Sneak a peek at the Lao alphabet
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
This is simply the word “Lao” in Lao.
I don’t really know much about the structure of Lao yet, but I do know that there are no verb conjugations. I’ll write more about Lao as I continue my language learning journey.
Read a basic overview of the Lao language
Here’s a video about reading and writing in Lao!
Laundry in Laos
I did laundry in Laos for the first time today. While this might sound unexciting, the process of doing laundry is very different from the U.S. sometimes (and this is slightly more interesting). In Laos there are no laundromats. In Laos you take your clothes to a laundry shop and weigh them. Then you pay by the kilo. The laundry person will then wash, air dry, and fold your clothes. It costs 35,000 kip per kilo of laundry.
Courtesy of Tan-Ed Adventure
This is a laundry shop in Luang Prabang, Laos just like the one I visited in Vientiane.
In some modern apartment buildings there are washing machines. After your clothes are done washing you air dry them on a rack. If you’re lucky your apartment building will come with a drying rack.
More Lao Pringle Flavors
I saw more Lao Pringle flavors today at a local convenience store. The flavors I saw included roasted seaweed, hot and spicy seaweed, and Texas style BBQ. Seeing the Texas style BBQ made me feel right at home!
Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)
The National Flower of Laos
I pass this tree every day on the way back to the hotel, and I see many of them throughout my day. This is a Frangipani tree native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Polynesia. There are no species native to Asia, and yet the Frangipani is the national flower of Laos!
This species of plant was probably introduced to Laos during French colonial rule. Its flowers are used in many Lao ceremonies during Pi Mai (Lao New Year) and for Baci ceremonies. (I’ll write another post about both special ceremonies later.) They bloom best at the beginning of the rainy season (June to July) but flower throughout the rainy season (May through October). The scent is strongest at night, and the flowers are pollinated by moths.
Read more about the Frangipani
Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)