Proper American

Happy Laos Day. Happy Hannukah.

The sun is shining and my feet are light in Laos. Thanks to the perseverance of the French colonists, I can have cafe latte and croissant every morning for breakfast. The streets curve and wind unto themselves on cobblestone mats, and monks meander between wats in soft, flowing orange garb. Luangprabang's tranquility is a catching vibe, and the back of my neck prickles with craving for soft pillows and rambling books.

Today is Laos Day, but somehow I don't think there will be the crackles of an American Independence Day nor the week long blasting sparking tumbling of the Thai Lights Festival.

The entire town of Luangprabang, in an effort not to mimic the Cancun-like atmosphere of Vang Vieng, has been proclaimed a World Heritage Site. It shuts down at 11pm sharp and only the imported tourists meander the streets in drunken stupors. Options of daily activities include waterfall treks, elephant riding, shopping galore, steeping in the opium den-like riverside cafes and waking up before sunrise to watch the monks receive their alms from the locale

This morning I took my camera with the other clusters of sleepy foreigners to participate in the latter voyeurism. Streams of monks bowed politely and put the food offered into their baskets, while calmly ignoring the flashing cameras of invasive foreigners only steps away. They did not make eye contact nor did they acknowledge our presence, but it was impossible that we were ignored. All in all, I am sure that we are very boring for them to tolerate.

I've managed to find three other former Philippines Peace Corps volunteers in the last three days, and it is interesting to be among those who know me well once again. Among new people I can be who I like, and I meet many new people while traveling. However, though the volunteers may have known me well only months ago, the me they are intimate with is from another time. Peace Corps was  six weeks and a lifetime ago. Now I am just another happy backpacker, without the yoke of isolation and bureaucracy that an organization such as the Peace Corps inevitably provides. I will be forever grateful for my experience there, but I cannot go without acknowledging the relief in departure.

In some time I will be home and a Proper American once again. I wonder what knowing me will be like then.