There’s nothing quite so refreshing as a day in the countryside. I often long to escape the city limits. The ability to pick up for the day and go somewhere beautiful and interesting is something that I miss the most about my life in America, so when my friend Ling asked me if I could go with her to visit her boyfriend’s family for the day, I was delighted. I got to go to Somboun’s house last year to help with the rice harvest for the day.
Farmhouse #3
For a decade or so, Ling has been a faithful goat shepardess, and until last week, her flock was 14 strong. But over time, the houses in the city have cropped up and limited the grazing space to the point where she couldn’t adequately care for her beloved animals. Her boyfriend’s family agreed to take care of them and add them to their own flock in the countryside. On Friday, Somboun’s dad came to Savannakhet, got the goats, and took them home. Ling and I took my motorbike to visit on Sunday morning.
Ready for adventure!
I picked her up around 9, and we headed out. The village is about an hour north of Savannakhet, so even though it was a hot day, I bundled up with long-sleeves and gloves to protect my skin from the harsh rays of the sun. It was just the two of us, so it was a sweet time to connect and talk. I often only get to see Ling in small groups, so I appreciated the one-on-one time we had.
When we arrived, we waved hello to the family but headed straight for the goats. Ling’s eyes lit up and she eagerly called them by name to her. The goats bleated happily in response. After Ling was satisfied to see their range and facilities, we went back to spend time with the family. The farm we visited is the third rice field the family owns (last year I was at the second farm), so the accommodations were different than I remembered. A single-room open air shelter was erected in-between fields. The structure was built from wood, but the floor was unsecured layers of what might have been bamboo. I worried at first that I would be too heavy, but soon realized that it would support me… though I was careful to step only on the crossbeams.
Ling missed her goats, and her goats obviously missed her!
Like any visit to any Lao family anywhere, eating was a central part of the visit, and as a foreign guest, the family was unwilling to let me help with any of the preparations, so I got to just sit in the house and enjoy the view and the breeze. His family remembered me from last year, and my favorite part of the visit was when Grandma came back from the forest and cackled with delight to see the foreigner in the house once again. I can’t understand her at all, but she is old, strong, and obviously feisty, and I loved her attention.
(from left to right) Ling, me, Grandma, Mom, younger brother, Dad, Somboun
After we ate, we rested and I lost track of the conversation until I started hearing Ling, Mom, and Grandma talk about centipedes. Having just had an epic battle with a giant poisonous centipede a few weeks ago, my attention was caught. Apparently Grandma had been bitten by one the night before while she was sleeping. These centipedes are poisonous and their bites are notoriously painful- even Lao people speak with hesitation and fear about these creatures. Shocked, I asked her if she was hurt, and she just laughed at me and exclaimed that she wasn’t hurt at all. I’m telling you- Grandma is a straight up boss, for real.
Good lookin’ out, Grandma. That sun was hot!!
Ling wanted to go learn how to hunt crickets, so (after a heated discussion about how the foreigner would do in the sun, which resulted in Grandma insisting that I tie a handcloth around my head for protection) off to the forest we went. The crickets live underground, so you have to have a good eye for displaced soil to identify where they’ve burrowed. When you see it, you dig up the earth until you see the burrow hole and then follow it until the sleek shiny black back of the cricket appears. Then you just stick your hand it and grab it up. While I did manage to secure a few crickets with Somboun’s help, I am absolutely not a master of this art, and quickly concluded that the forest held certain death for me if I had to survive in it alone.
The expert, at work
When we left, I assured the family I’d see them again as soon as the rice fields were ready for harvest. Ling and I headed back to the city together, filled up with fresh air, fresh food, and a renewed sense of the juxtaposition between the simplicity and simultaneous hardship of life.
