macbridesmith
Guest Blog #1 -- Learning about Laos
We visited a village, a few km north of Vientiane where villagers create unique bamboo handicrafts. Artisans smoke the bamboo and then split it into various widths. The smoking process gives the bamboo a rich hue of colours from dark chocolate to paler yellows.
What we found most impressive was the creative and collaborative interchange of ideas between the Canadian couple, Jane and Larry who work for Ten Thousand Villages (a fair trade organization) and the handicraft makers. Larry, not comfortable with the visible nail heads on the top of a serving tray, nor with the strength of the handles, sketched out an improved version. The artisans discussed the sketch, then came up with even better ideas. Larry set his drawing aside as everyone pitched in to make a rough prototype of the revised tray. Eventually hundreds of these trays will find their ways into homes in Canada and the US where they will be admired for their utility and beauty.
We are visiting our daughter, Alisa, and our son-in-law, Ben. Again, we witnessed the mutual respect and collaboration between Alisa and her medical colleagues, and between Ben and his teacher colleagues at the agricultural college. Alisa has responsibility for implementing a health education program to compliment the clinic's work. At the medical clinic, Alisa and the Lao staff demonstrated to us lessons on hygiene and nutrition that they collectively rehearsed. The clinic staff teaches these and other participatory focused lessons in schools and villages in the district. The medical doctor is very excited about the public health program. After the demonstration we were served a delicious lunch of noodles, rice, lettuce and other greens, barbecued fish and pork. Later this week we'll travel by river to a remote village where the medical team will teach their lessons for better community health.
Anyone who has tried to learn another language knows that uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability and inadequacy. Observing Ben teach and the agricultural students (and teachers) learn English was not painful. Ben's teaching methods promote an atmosphere of learning together. The students were having some fun even as they struggled together, sometimes making mistakes and sometimes finding the right answers. Ben was presented with unique but correct answers that he had not anticipated. One student asked him a very good question that Ben tried to answer. Eventually he told the class that the question was much better than his answer. Ben's facility with Lao is clearly appreciated by his students and colleagues.
Planning, teaching, and learning together. Collaborating.
Also enjoyable is the welcoming spirit and graciousness of the Lao people, and Lao food. Memorable moments in Laos are plentiful. A sunset dinner at a patio restaurant in Paksan at the confluence of the San and Mekong Rivers where we ate stir-fried morning glory, sticky rice, holy basil with pork, and battered shrimp is one of them.
Dorothy & Richard MacBride
Guest Blog #1 -- Learning about Laos
We visited a village, a few km north of Vientiane where villagers create unique bamboo handicrafts. Artisans smoke the bamboo and then split it into various widths. The smoking process gives the bamboo a rich hue of colours from dark chocolate to paler yellows.
What we found most impressive was the creative and collaborative interchange of ideas between the Canadian couple, Jane and Larry who work for Ten Thousand Villages (a fair trade organization) and the handicraft makers. Larry, not comfortable with the visible nail heads on the top of a serving tray, nor with the strength of the handles, sketched out an improved version. The artisans discussed the sketch, then came up with even better ideas. Larry set his drawing aside as everyone pitched in to make a rough prototype of the revised tray. Eventually hundreds of these trays will find their ways into homes in Canada and the US where they will be admired for their utility and beauty.
We are visiting our daughter, Alisa, and our son-in-law, Ben. Again, we witnessed the mutual respect and collaboration between Alisa and her medical colleagues, and between Ben and his teacher colleagues at the agricultural college. Alisa has responsibility for implementing a health education program to compliment the clinic's work. At the medical clinic, Alisa and the Lao staff demonstrated to us lessons on hygiene and nutrition that they collectively rehearsed. The clinic staff teaches these and other participatory focused lessons in schools and villages in the district. The medical doctor is very excited about the public health program. After the demonstration we were served a delicious lunch of noodles, rice, lettuce and other greens, barbecued fish and pork. Later this week we'll travel by river to a remote village where the medical team will teach their lessons for better community health.
Anyone who has tried to learn another language knows that uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability and inadequacy. Observing Ben teach and the agricultural students (and teachers) learn English was not painful. Ben's teaching methods promote an atmosphere of learning together. The students were having some fun even as they struggled together, sometimes making mistakes and sometimes finding the right answers. Ben was presented with unique but correct answers that he had not anticipated. One student asked him a very good question that Ben tried to answer. Eventually he told the class that the question was much better than his answer. Ben's facility with Lao is clearly appreciated by his students and colleagues.
Planning, teaching, and learning together. Collaborating.
Also enjoyable is the welcoming spirit and graciousness of the Lao people, and Lao food. Memorable moments in Laos are plentiful. A sunset dinner at a patio restaurant in Paksan at the confluence of the San and Mekong Rivers where we ate stir-fried morning glory, sticky rice, holy basil with pork, and battered shrimp is one of them.
Dorothy & Richard MacBride