Learning about Superman in Lao PDR
Last night, I attended the opening of the Lao-German House where the offices of all the German agencies working in Lao PDR will relocate. Appropriately there were two buffets - one with German sausages, sauerkraut, potato salad and salted bread, and one with Laotian dishes, including a lot of sticky rice. I went to the Laotian buffet, and ate while going through the art exhibit on Laotian sticky rice. I didn’t know that this is the staple grain of Laotians, and not just a special delicacy as in the Philippines.
I had just sat down by myself at a table when a group of Germans came with someone who looked Asian but spoke German. He didn’t look Laotian to me; in fact he looked like a Filipino tisoy. But he introduced himself to me, said he knew a number of Filipinos, and played basketball with them. His name was too long, so he said to call him “Vong.”
At first I thought I may have met my first Laotian member of an NPA (non-profit association), but no luck. Vong works as program staff of an international NGO which focuses on mental health, gender and development. “Is mental health a big issue in Laos?” I asked. He said that the numbers may not seem big, but the problem is big, since traditional belief in evil spirits prevent the community from dealing compassionately with those who have mental health problems. Besides, it is not just mental disorders they address, but the more positive aspects of mental health as an integral part of development.
He talked about his work among older people, leading them in breathing and relaxation exercises to reduce stress. “I just invent some of the movements,” he said with a smile. One movement he calls “Laotian rock” where he makes them lie flat on their backs, sink into the ground, heavy and motionless. He asked me for references that he can use to improve his methods. I told him a bit about kalimasada, but added that all Oriental practices have three common elements - breathing, movement and meditation. He said that he learned to meditate during his two years in the temple, before he decided he was not meant to be a monk.
I asked Bong if what I remember reading in the 1980s is true, that there was a bigger number of bomb craters than people in Lao PDR because of the carpet bombing by the US Air Force. Unfortunately, it is true. He talked about a lot of children who have been killed while playing with unexploded ordnance, and farmers losing their legs as their plows hit buried bombs. There are also many places where Agent Orange has made the soil unfit for food crops. Interestingly, there is a German-Lao project that promoted planting jathropa on such marginal lands.
We must have talked for over an hour, while many Germans and Laotians danced the demure movements of various Laotian dances. I told Vong how I appreciated getting to know him and his ideas about his country. He is quite thoughtful for a 27 year-old, the youngest of five siblings. He worries that the Laotian pace of life will be sacrificed as the model of rapid development spreads into Lao PDR. (Today one of the senior officials at the Non-Formal Education department joked that Lao PDR means “please don’t run.” Just walk).
Like his generation, he wants to continue his studies. “I already have my thesis topic for my masters degree,” he said. “It is about the challenges to women in the process of development.” He has even decided on his Ph.D. topic - the impact of migration on urban and rural development.
There was a time, he said that he wanted to work with children and adults with disabilities, but he felt that the issue was overwhelming and he did not feel adequate to the challenge. He felt the same with other issues that attracted his concern. For a long time, he felt that there are too many issues, all of them important, and he did not know what he should do to make a difference.
“I finally resolved my problem with the help of Superman,” he said.
I thought he was teasing me. How did Superman come into the picture? He did not smile as he explained, “You see I thought of Superman. He is so powerful - he can see very far, he can fly, he can crush rocks. But even with all his powers, he could not help every single person in need. He had to choose those whom he would help.”
That resolved his youthful angst. And so he has chosen his issues, and the people with whom he will work.
I wished him well, and suggested he starts writing down his ideas, starting with how Superman helped him. He demurred. No, I insisted, start a blog. I told him how a young activist, Raymund Palatino, pushed me into blogging. I hope he picks up the suggestion.
