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Sabaydii,
Here is the continuation of a series ‘Coming Home’ entitled ‘First encounter’.
Hakphaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie
*****
Busily filling out an entry form
I was then approached by
A boyish looking man
A LPDR[1] official
‘Sabaydii[2]…
do you recognize me?”
Couldn’t say if I really recognized him
A man with the AiNong[3] face from SamNeua[4]
Might he be someone I knew
At…
Before I could say anything
The young man stated his name
And the place he used to work
The very place I used to work too
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Back in 1980-81
A group of recently high school graduated
From SamNeua and Xiengkhouang[5]
Came down to work at my Ministry of one year
Among the tens of them
One did look like this official
Standing in front of me
He then added excitingly
‘I saw your photo ID
and knew instantly
it was no one else
but you
my English teacher and co-worker
at the old ministry’
Also
‘know what?
Many of us did make it big’
He then rattled off some names
One was posted as a deputy ambassador to
While not a few was on the way up
Before taking off to his desk
He graciously gave me his phone number
And said
‘Call me some time
we will get together
and drink to the good old days’
Couldn’t really say
If I had the good old days
Like an old wound
Rekindled through this encounter
Not at him
Nor at his friends
But at the injustice
Done in the name of the revolution
I remember well
Not a few of the outsiders
Were left fending for themselves
With the low position
With so much talent and energy
Badly wasted
One of my dear friends
Posted at this ministry
With so much prospect as a diplomat
Ending up quitting his dream job
After so many false promises
But little substance
I myself a less fit
Opted out earlier
By leaving the country
Wishing not to return
For good
Here I was
in this land
filling out the form to enter the country
American citizen I might be
Still not a time
Feeling like an American
But Lao
No less different than the official
I just met
I guess
This is the reason
I was home
And relived my olden days
Whatever they might turn out to be
*****
7.29.03
[1] LPDR is the acronym for
Lao People Democratic Republic (
[2] Sabaydii is the greeting like ‘Hi’
[3] AiNong is the term used to refer to the people from the new regime. Literally, it means brothers
[4] SamNeua is the province
where once the forces fighting against the old regime concentrated. At the
same, those who hold power in
[5] Xiengkhouang is another
province where once the forces fighting against the old regime concentrated. It
is also the site that holds the well-known Plain of Jars. At the same time,
this province was the most bombarded place in