After repeatedly offering our help to Khaek, she relented and we arrived for our shift at the restaurant wearing our Lao skirts and ready to work. Addie and I spent the next four hours taking meal orders, clearing tables, cleaning, running food and interacting with tourists. Khaek normaly works alone and rarely has a day off. It seemed like a win-win-win, which are the best scenerios!
We had a great time and it was nice to be useful. Only in Asia will Addie have the chance to wait tables and serve alcohol at the tender age of 10. Now she thinks she wants to be a waitress. Since it is only Khaek who runs the front of the house, we were able to be really helpful during the busy hours. My waitressing and nursing experience always help in these customer service situations. Addie was able to eat fried rice during her break, on the house, which was a huge perk.
Khaek’s family kept looking at us and smiling, clearly bemused. Khaek said we were the first travelers to ever work for her. I do believe that if we stayed in Laos, these opportunities would present themselves, and as long as we are willing and able to walk through these doors, along these paths, we will be granted insight into culture beyond the tourist view point.
We enjoyed our shift so much that we worked an additional evening at the restaurant. I was able to meet Khaek’s friends, talk to other travelers and just be apart of things, which I miss when traveling.
We talk about wanting to participate in volunteer opportunities, but we are finding that if you find a place, or people or organization that inspires you and you offer your help and services, it is possible to create one’s own volunteer experience. We will continue to find these places and dive in.
Bochner Family Adventure 