Laos and Language

The international bus from Mukdahan to Savannakhet takes just under an hour. The two towns sit on the Mekong River directly across from each other. A couple years ago the new “Friendship Bridge” was built to connect Thailand and Laos. Someone described Laos and Thailand as having a brother/sister relationship - Thailand seeing themselves as the big brothers.

It seems Laos, colonized by the French, has gotten the short end of the stick in Southeast Asia. Alongside Cambodia, the people have mostly endured hardship in the recent past. But around 1000 years ago, before the colonial borders were drawn on a map, the area that is Laos today was part of the Angkorean empire that dominated much of the Southeast Asia peninsula.

Today, Laos may be on its way back due to a growing tourist industry and relatively improving economy. Many young backpackers and travelers now chose to visit Laos in order to escape the engulfing westernization of today’s Thailand. Many describe Laos in comparison to Thailand 30 to 40 years ago.

I was applying for a visa in Savannakhet when I met an interesting young lady. She had a small photo shop set up in a ramshackle structure taking visa-size photos for people who were passing through the Thai consulate. I wasn’t very confident when she sat me down behind the thatched bamboo divider to take my picture, but it was going to be an easy transaction since she spoke clear English.

After the third take, in three minutely different positions, she was finally satisfied. I walked up to her aging computer to take a look just as she dropped the picture into Photoshop. In a matter of a few seconds she adjusted the colors and tone, took the shine off my sweaty face, artistically removed the strap from the bag over my shoulder, and moved me around in the frame to a perfectly centered position. Now I was impressed.

I asked her if she was from Laos, and yes she was. I asked her how she got so good at speaking English, and she insisted her English wasn’t very good. She told me she was much better in French and Vietnamese because she couldn’t write well in English – Thai was easy because it is very similar to Laotian. She spoke five Languages, now I was even more impressed.

While my six passport-size pictures were printing, She told me she looking to get out of Laos. I asked her where she wanted to go? Vietnam. There is much more money to be made in Vietnam she told me. Her sister was in Vietnam and she was going to join her soon, hopefully. And truth is, even for English instructors, there is good money to be made in Vietnam.

She was happy. She was talented, especially in language. She had many people around her shop that day and her small business was doing well. There are so many talented people in the world; this is just one fine example.