This article is part of a series of guest blogs contributed by Brits who have lived and worked in Laos, or who have other interesting links to Laos.
I arrived in Laos as a Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) volunteer on 28 April 1997 thinking the 2 years I was planning on spending in the country would seem an eternity. Now, 16 years later I am just two days away from leaving Laos. It has been an eventful, sometimes frustrating and life changing experience but it is time to leave, although not forever as my wife is Lao so we will be back for sure.
As a graphic designer and illustrator, my VSO placement involved training someone in basic media production at CHAMPA, a small health project, managed and staffed by 8 Lao people and set up and supported by a consortium of international NGOs to act as a bridge between them and the Ministry of Health.
At that time there really was just a handful of internationally qualified and experienced graphic artists in Laos and the media industry was rudimentary with the largest commissioners of material being the development community.
VSO provided a house behind Tat Luang. A ‘simple place’ – when I opened the bathroom door, I said to John Stops, the VSO Rep., “My mother wouldn’t approve”. “Neither would mine – but there it is,” he replied. Amazingly, the house is still there and with the same gaudy blue paintwork!
The roads were potholed, dusty in the dry season and muddy in the wet and there were rice fields along the road I lived on – now long gone. In Vientiane, bars sold Beer Lao on draft that you could take home in a carrier bag and there were a handful of foreign restaurants.
I remember feeling incredibly lucky to be living and working in such an exotic place. After VSO I thought, I’m not going home yet, so worked at UNICEF for a year and then as a consultant, employed by one of the printing companies in Vientiane. In 2005, with tourism developing, I moved to Luang Prabang, a thing I’d wanted to do since first visiting the town.
Throughout my time in Laos, I have worked on many and varied projects, in many respects reflecting the development of the country over the last 16 years. Along the way I have met and worked with a lot of fascinating people as well as quite a few eccentric characters.
I’ve had experiences I won’t forget: tracking wild elephants for two days in Phou Khao Khuay Protected Area with Klaus Schwettmann as part of his work at the Tourism Authority; some of the many noisy, boozy Lao parties; and my Lao wedding to name just a few. VSO gave me a good grounding with the language so I soon became quite fluent in Lao and sitting down with complete strangers (as often happens in Laos) and exchanging stories has been great.
Having lived in Laos for a third of my life so far, I am sure this is just the end of Phase 1 (to use development speak), be it a pretty long one. But in many ways, I feel more of a Brit now than I did before I came. I am looking forward to going back to British life and culture and the challenges ahead – beginning with finding a job and getting my wife’s residency sorted out.