Investigative Journalism - A Day in Pictures

A sampling of photos represent the magical discoveries of our adventure. As we conclude our last day in Xieng Khuang and prepare for the 6+ hour long bus ride to Luang Prabang, the following snapshots provide a glimpse of the exceptional experiences we've enjoyed in the Laotian highlands.

Our intrepid video instructors Jeff Macintyre of ABC News and Cheri Gaulke of Harvard-Westlake School prove that necessity is the mother of invention and just about anything can serve as a tripod in a pinch

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Max's creative style is the subject of local fascination. 

Saavan and Milo observe the resourcefulness of re-purposing weapons: old mortars are recycled into a garden fence. 

Marcy and Sarah show how easy it is for small children to mistake a cluster bomb for a toy. (All weapons pictured are inert and have had their explosives removed by munitions experts.) 

Shingo, Max and Koji lead the parade of pre-schoolers who follow us into Ta Chok village. 

Gabi and her new friend demo Ta Chok village

Patty cake games are the only shared language we need! 

Kayla and Aimee's new friends didn't want to say goodbye.

Sarah demonstrates the fun of dancing the Macarena to a playful group of Ta Chok village kids

Hana teaches Ta Chok villagers a game of "patty-cake" 

Our cluster bomb survivor friend, Mr. Yae Li. After interviewing him, we donated clothing for his whole family and nearly 200lbs of rice to sustain them until summer.

Kayla and Hana are instructed by the UXO removal team to detonate cluster bombs and clear land that Lao people have risked their lives to farm for over 40 years. 

A UXO clearance team demonstrates the tedious work of scanning the Earth for subterranean munitions.

A UXO clearance expert demonstrates the delicate art of digging the detected metal fragments from the clay soil.

Cluster bombs explode in the distance!

Caption: A cluster bomb to be detonated beneath a sandbag.

UXO clearance team and our group celebrate a successful clearance activity and share a wish for a more peaceful world.

Santa Barbara Schools - Arrived In Hanoi

March 28th - Hanoi - By Blake

We are back in the big city after four intense, fun-filled days in the sweltering Mekong Delta. There have been so many unforgettable moments on this journey so far that it is hard to keep them all straight. It's safe to say that not many people get to speak with an 84-year-old Viet Cong general in his home and talk about a shared vision for world peace moving forward. Vietnam's version of "Hillbilly Handfishin'" allowed us to catch our own lunch in the mud, and playing highly competitive volleyball against locals was an intense experience. The family vibe at the homestay was so welcoming. The children were painfully cute, and the hospitality we enjoyed was remarkable.

Now we are back to a world with air-conditioned rooms, chaotic street scenes and historic buildings around every corner. Hanoi is slightly smaller than Saigon, and it has a more cultural vibe. The streets are narrow and bustling, the storefronts are many and the rickshaw ride we took through it all provided a front-row seat.


Laura and I sense that some of the kids are in need of a second wind after all these jam-packed days, but we are on the home stretch with a potentially life-changing day on tap tomorrow. We will visit the Peace Village, an orphanage for displaced children and victims of Agent Orange. We have purchased paint and supplies to help refurbish one of their classrooms, and we will might be out of our comfort zones interacting with some severely disabled youngsters. There are bags of toys to bring to them and we are ready to try to produce all the smiles we can.

Santa Barbara Schools - March 27

March 27th - Mekong Delta

By Kayla:
I woke to a gecko on my net and got the boys, who were loud and awake, to come catch it. It ended up traveling into their room anyways so I cautiously went back to sleep, only to re-wake to the gecko on my net again! After another loud and rambunctious breakfast we went to get catch fish in the mud streams around

the house. I was really nervous but so excited! Getting in the water was crazy! It was extremely muddy and your feet just sunk into the mud like quick sand so trying to move around was difficult. It was really soft and felt good on our skin but there were some scratchy branches in it. I caught the first big fish and it was so exciting.
Everyone was surprised. I caught about two or three other medium sized ones as well. It was so much fun just flopping around in the canal. Lots of laughs. Before going to our rooms to shower we had to rinse off. There was a lady from the homestay helping to bathe us and it was fun but awkward! Finally getting in the shower was amazing. I have some little scratches on my legs from the sticks as battle wounds. We had some down time until lunch. We ate our fish we got in the morning which was barbecued for us. It wasn't my favorite but the boys enjoyed it. The meals here are huge and this one was too! After lunch a few people went to the wifi cafe. We tried an avocado smoothie which wasn't good or bad, just okay. We also tried some new spiky fruit which was actually really good.


By Daniel:
After lunch, which consisted of river fish that we caught ourselves (and the other boys were disturbingly happy to kill), the group went its separate ways. Half stayed at home to relax while the other half ventured to the Wi-Fi cafe to communicate with the outside world.

When we returned from the scrupulous adventure the crew was faced with a quest to visit a local Mekong Delta high school. To get there, we rode our bikes on a narrow path, crossing a bridge made of branches on the way.

We arrived at our destination overheating from the scorching afternoon sun and attempted communication with our Vietnamese counterparts. They were shy at first but warmed up to us with an international volleyball game. We learned that though these people live a half a world away from us, they have the same feelings and hopes and dreams that we do. However, they are less privileged and it is hard for them to achieve these dreams, with approximately 10% of them ascending to a university after graduation.

We were able to take a boat back home while the bros, led by Mr. Hau, searched for Pierce's lost phone (which ended up being in Carter's backpack).

Our after-dinner presentation was traditional southern song and acting performed live. Our friend Owhyn got to sing us a nice ballad about monkeys and something else in Vietnamese, and Mr. Hao, Bea, Pierce and Blake all dazzled us with their singing talents.

This day was filled with some discomfort from the heat, realizing American privilege, and watching a stunning musical performance and was definitely one to remember.

Santa Barbara Middle School - Arrived Safely

From Kelly 

SB Friends and Fam,

We are currently relaxing in our air conditioned hotel room at the Palace Hotel in Saigon, with the colored lights of billboards and honking city traffic creeping in from the busy streets below.  We have spent the past 30 hours traveling, sightseeing, and getting acquainted with Ho Chi Minh City on our first LONG day of the trip.  

From the time we met at SBMS, we zipped down to LAX with no traffic, met Nick Ut at the ticket counter

for AirChina, and went through security so smoothly that we had a full three hours to kill once inside the international terminal.  The flight was long but most of us were able to get some sleep watch a couple movies, and even make some friends.  We arrived in Taipei, Taiwan around 6am and had a quick layover in the very sleek and modern airport, which was also our first glimpse of Asia.  After a revitalizing snack and stroll through the airport we departed for Vietnam and arrived in Saigon around 10:45 am.    A game of Uno kept us occupied while our passports were being cleared through customs, and soon enough we were in the bus on the way to our hotel with our delightful guide and new friend, Chanh.

After settling into our rooms, Chanh brought us to lunch at a delicious Pho Noodle restaurant right around the corner. We discussed life in Saigon under communist rule and the effects of censorship.  Annie complemented Chanh on his English and when we asked where he learned to speak so well, he replied, "from watching Animal Planet!"  He excitedly told us that as of three years ago they now have access to cable channels on TV, however all media and even internet are still strictly regulated. Chanh described the modern era under communist rule as "freedom in a cage." 

The rest of the afternoon we walked around the city (trying not to get run over!), checked out several main historic sights, then enjoyed a sunset beverage on the rooftop deck at the famous Rex hotel (the first government owned 5-star hotel!) The last activity of the day was dinner in a western-style restaurant on a busy side street, then back to the hotel where exhaustion has sunk in as we reflect on the past day(s) of travel.  

Here is another perspective from our first leg of the trip, written by Jennie:

When we first hopped off the plane i was hit by a humid and hot wall which was very uncomfortable in my choice of long, black plane clothes but once i got past the fact that sweat was already dripping down my back i noticed how pretty and different it is here than in Santa Barbara. Its not so much the plants and trees and such but more the way people are and the way they live. The streets are filled with scooters and vespas which makes crossing the streets scarier then i had ever expected. I learned quickly that pedestrians do not have the right-of-way, the scooter drivers do. The streets and way of transportation are not the only thing that struck me to be so much more different then Santa Barbara but the people and their businesses. when looking around the streets every square inch is being crammed with ways to make a living even the sidewalks have little booths making walking more strenuous. I have only been here for less then a day but i feel as if i have already changed within.  Seeing the world can open you up to new ideas and thoughts as well as show you real issues and how not everything in life is as laid back and all fun and games as my home town of Santa Barbara

Investigative Journalism - Greetings from Xieng Khuang!

Here in the dusty highlands of Laos we have been most fortunate to meet and interview a range of courageous UXO survivors. Students reviewed their biographies in advance, crafted interview questions, and practiced the nuanced art of eliciting the sought-after story from a willing, but pain-stricken, subject.

The results of our split group of six students were most impressive. 

Kayengs village

Upon arriving at the villages, we are touched by the sweetness of the resident children. Barefoot in ragged clothing, their dirt-smeared faces cannot conceal a radiant spirit of a kind and curious people. Some watch us with wide eyes and bashful smiles. Others are more exuberant: "Falang!" They chirp, a slang term for "Foreigner."

Thatched roof huts are both separated from and connected to one another with bamboo fences and dusty pathways. Chickens, puppies, baby pigs and ducks squawk of our arrival. Women cook a variety of staples (gopher!) over interior fires. Grossly oversized satellite dishes rusting in protest to the ravages of time; in every home, a television.

Digital cameras are the icebreaker. Showing the children pictures of themselves, letting them take snapshots of us, crowding in together around the lens for group "selfies" (American teen-speak for self-portraits) --- the giggles we collectively generate are the only shared language we need.

The family shows where the Bombie exploded.
The land has since been cleared.
On on half acre, the detonation team found 11 more UXO

Our first interview participant is the fascinating grandmother of Kayeng, a 3 year old boy whose face was destroyed by a Bombie in January of 2012. He is obviously blind, his right nasal passage reconstructed around a small tube to facilitate breathing. On the day of the accident, he was being watched by his uncles who went up to the sugar cane garden and built a fire. There was a cluster bomb concealed beneath the surface. Heat or blunt force are the necessary triggers to detonate a Bombie, and Kayeng is lucky to have survived the blast. We are shown the chunks of shrapnel pulled from his eye when he finally received proper medical care, nearly a year after the tragic accident. One piece of metal fragment is as big as my index fingernail. 

Kayeng and his Parents

The interview is emotional. Sarah, Delilah, Marcy and Kayla take turns asking questions, taking pictures and videoing the event.. Mrs. Yang starts crying within the first 7 minutes. As she relays the sad story, her grief spills out in heavy tears. To this beautiful, 50 year old grandmother for whom the possibilities of progress and technology and 20th century warfare and modern science are all equally unimaginable, the cruelty of her grandson's injuries are a source of great pain, but no malice. No, she's not angry at the Americans. The war was a long time ago. No one meant to horribly disfigure an innocent boy. But she hoped that by talking to us, that someone will see the documentary video and help Kayeng have a surgery.

The translator relays her wish, and I'm puzzled. Kayeng is already being helped by a team of amazing people who are funding him on the surgery circuit.  check out progress on Give Children A Choice blog 

Mrs. Yang hugging Barbara Shimoda in gratitude

GCACnonprofit.twitter  GCAC found him in November of 2012. His cranial cavities were so infected that he was sure to die within a short period of time. The incredibly big-hearted Shimoda duo-- Dori and Barbara-- arranged for Kayeng to have the first of several reconstructive operations in January 2013. The total cost is expected to reach $30,000 USD.

So what surgery did Mrs.Yang wish Kayeng could have? She explains through an interpreter:

"I will donate my eyes so he can see again."

Suddenly, all of us observing the interview are dabbing beneath our own sunglasses.

The sweet simplicity of her conceptual understanding collides with her selfless love: an eye transplant. And why not? Livers, lungs, kidneys and even hearts can be transferred from a generous human being to a deficient one. What would a Laotian highland Hmong farmer know of the limitations of modern medicine?

Amazingly, Kayeng is a happy, spirited, undaunted boy. Our students distribute balloons, and engage to play with him and others in quick bursts of creativity. Kayeng is quick to laugh at the sound and force of balloon air on his face. And he's sharp! We give him the small child's blind-assistance stick we brought from the United States. After a 3 minute tutorial from his grandfather, Kayeng is out and about, navigating his way with the stick over the rocky pathway and door jamb frame. It's remarkable, and one is overcome with a feeling of optimism for his future.

 

Danielle and Aimee are meanwhile expanding upon their hopeful project, teaching the Hmong children how to fold Japanese origami cranes. It's an ambitious abstraction to apply one historical symbol of peace --inspired from another act of American warfare in Asia: Hiroshima-- and these young women are determined. The children respond with incredible attention and enthusiasm. Navigating a language and conceptual barrier, our students successfully impart a bit of magic in their own efforts for a more tranquil world.

Santa Barbara Schools - Mekong Delta

Team Building & Fun on the 
Mekong Delta

By Bea

Today, all of the girls went out early to begin what would be everyone's first time washing their nasty clothes...the Vietnamese way.  The girls went first.

Step 1: Throw all your revolting, sweat-ridden clothes into a big bowl and make detergent rain on it, while adding water.

Step 2:  Mush around your clothes with your hands, or pretend the clothes are grapes and stomp them.  (You will begin to notice that the water is becoming increasingly darker.) 

Step 3: Take the clothes out and empty the bowl, and fill it up with fresh water.  Put your soapy, kind-of-dirty clothes into the bowl.  Repeat Step 2.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3.

Step 5: Wring out your now fabulous clothes and go hang em' up on the line out back.

It was a fun experience, since we had never done such an everyday thing before.  After that, we had a breakfast consisting of eggs, limited mangos, and bread- Yummy!

Soon, we were off on our bikes into the city.  We biked through the lively, rampant city, stopping at a snake market along the way.  Some of us couldn't bear to look at them slithering about; some wanted to buy a snake and call it Smiggles.  The markets are always hectic and filled with people, but we all made it out alive and back to our bikes.

The gang biked into the more crazy part of the city, and soon made our way into the side streets with a guide to help us.  After a long while, we ended up outside a Vietcong general's house from the Vietnam War.  Upon meeting him, we all sat down for a cup of tea.  Whenever we asked him a question, he would stand from his seat at the head of the table and give a heroic speech in Vietnamese with hand gestures.  Everyone asked good, educational questions and we all got deep answers.  What surprised most of us was that here was this general, who had been through a war, letting his enemies into his home for afternoon tea.  To forgive in what may seem like a long time, but truly is short, is remarkable.  To be able to talk to a high-authority man in a normal setting about his rough experiences is brilliant.  There are many people who would not believe a group of young Americans had a pleasant meeting with a Vietnamese general.  To add to the profoundness, his son had died in the same war we fought him against.  He is a marvelous human being.

We all hopped onto our bicyles and were off into a more rural pathway.  It was interesting to see that a main path lead through a neighborhood with shops, too.  There were tiny bridges and long rivers that cut through our path.  Little kids and folk waved at us as we rode; whenever we go anywhere, we are always assaulted with 'hi's and 'hello's!  We stopped at a farmland where a monkey bridge appeared.  A monkey bridge is made up of frail, thin, long logs.  It is hard to cross them, but we must all be monkies; we all made it across.

We traveled to a long basil farm where a man had scissors and sat in the fields, cutting chunks of the plant off.  Mr. Dorfman asked us a good question: "Would you rather work out here in the fields or in an office building in the city?" I would rather work in the fields, regardless of pay.  It would be calm and tranquil in the outdoors.  Besides, this guy's basil field was giant! One would think he makes a good profit from it.  Many of us wanted to work in the offices, though.
We got onto the bikes and rode to the boat, where it took us to the Wifi Cafe, where I'm sure many of us contacted loved ones, and looked at their brackets for March Madness.   The food was good; everyone stuffed their faces with watermelon, noodles, and fried chicken.  We came bak to the homestay for a long amount of down time, that also included a group journal session.  Dinner came around quick.

Then the competitive part comes in.  Mr. Hau set up 3 games for us.  The teams were as followed: 1. Pierce, Jack, Kayla, me: 2. Carter, Daniel, Malaya, Mr. Dorfman.  The first game consisted of Mr. Hau hiding garlic in a plate of flour, then having to fish out the garlic with only our mouths.  It was a tie, but one thing was for sure...we had flour all over our clothes, lips, and faces for the rest of the night.  The second game was having two people fill a ballon up (the filler could not touch the balloon) and then carry it back without your hands.  THAT was a tie, too!  The final game was smashing pots blindfolded, only having the guidance of your team mates. I lost the game for my team, so team 2 won!  We ended the night with a round of karaoke.

Bea

Santa Barbara School - A Day on the Mekong

A Day In Pictures