Sabaydii,

 

Here is the continuation of a series ‘Coming Home’ entitled ‘Schools in the countryside’

 

Hakphaang,

Kongkeo Saycocie

 

 

 

The new school built by the Japanese

Half finished

Stood in contrast to

The old decrepit school

The kids were currently occupying

 

This ‘school’ consisted of

One big room

Made of bamboos

And hays on the roof

 

 

Whenever the sun shot its hot ray down

Pass the many holes

The kids scampered away

Like ants poking their very flesh

 

At times

The wooden chairs they sat on

Shook with each jolt move

Ready to crumble at any time

 

I was told

The villagers had to fix the school

Every single school year

With very little help from the government

 

Even a number of teachers

Housed and fed by the villagers

What a load indeed

For they themselves

Had hardly enough to eat

 

One volunteer teacher

Coming down from Pakse

Not much for the monetary reward

But a deep sense of shared destiny

And maybe a few grains of rice

 

 

Standing in front of the flagpole

Ready to class

Or be dispersed

The hundreds of kids

Were incredibly obedient

 

As I later know

Half of the kids would just show up

For the flag raising

And then go home

Before it was their turn

To go into class in the afternoon

 

Being that the school had only one big room

Two classes were scheduled to be held

Concurrently

No surprise

The kids with their backs towards one another

Started their school day

While each teacher competed for their attention

 

 

Don’t want to say

This is the school in rural Laos

But it is

 

There

Electricity is not heard of

There

You can attend school only half a day

And there

What you possess is only

A book or two at the most

 

Most of the time

You have to share your book with

The one sitting next to you

 

Through the camcorder

I brought with

I saw the kids

The future of the country

Dressed in whatever their family can afford

Some with brand new uniform

white shirt and navy short

plus sandals or tennis shoes if possible

 

 

a majority

just in plain ragged clothes

that you couldn’t tell

where the rag began

 

what’s more

most go with their feet empty

some for long distance

 

still

the way their eyes shine

you just couldn’t tell

whether you are looking at

the surreal image or not

 

see

how seriously they try to absorb

each word expounded

and see

how much they struggle to do so

for what they heard

is nothing but a competing noise

 

who will be blamed

if these kids graduated

and still retained nothing

of what was taught

 

or was boastful statistics

enough in itself?

 

I walked away from these conflicting images

With more questions than answers

Who cared about them?

Will more buildings

More school supplies

Or even more teachers

Do the trick?

 

Will I in any way make a difference?

Or am I just an observer

Merely passing by?

 

 

With the kids’ eyes

Nagging my conscience

It will be long

Before I could sleep

In peace

 

8.6.03