advice sought: SE Asia
Planning a trip to Northern Laos in early February. Volunteering with a hospital medical mission for the first week (at least). I seek Pearls of Wisdom on a number of fronts from QPs...
1) Is Lao Language similar enough in vocabulary/grammer/tonality to Thai so that I can study Thai (Lao language CDs are hard to find). 2) What diseases and illnesses would likely be encountered at a hospital in Luang Prabang, or in more rural areas? 3) What items should be in the lay-person's kit? 4) Comments on immunizations / antibiotics / cultural differences 5) By any chance, know of any group in any neighboring country seeking unskilled tsunami relief volunteers? Thanks in advance! -pulque |
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Thai is an extremely difficult language, IIRC it is second only to Chinese . If you can speak Thai you might be able to speak Laos, it depends on where in Laos and what tribe. Good luck. (I’m not a medic so I’ll let them answer the questions you’ve posed.) TS |
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Lao language is totally different from Thai-even between provinces. I have worked between provinces where the words for Hot and rain were literally reversed. Our native born translators even have (at times significant) problems between provinces. Primary diseases: malnutrition, worms, malaria (falciprium and vivax), dengue fever (serotypes I, IV), fungal infections, boils and sores, nearsightedness, dental, underage pregnancy. lay-persons kit: bug spray, antibacterial hand gel, motrin, tylenol, super glue, sam splint, cravats x 4, and-aids, water purification tabs, immodium, mebendazole (worm medicine), benedryl (allergy), pocket knife, lighter, 3 inch ACE wrap x 3, 4x4 dressings x 10, 1 in tape. Anti-fungal creams melt and attract dirt and grime. There are 17 local vipers that will likely kill you if you receive a good bite. These include, but are not limited to: green viper, white lipped viper, big eyed viper, banded krait, black spitting cobra, common cobra, eastern cobra, King cobra, russell's viper, mangrove viper, brown cobra, white spitting cobra, and others... We see 3-5 of these per 30 day mission on average. Closest anti-venin is in Thailand (Bangkok-Queen Savhonnabah Snake Bite Institute). Golden scorpions are also quite common and will down you for about 3 days if stung. They are small and like clothin piles. The only real "hospital" in the country is the Mahosot Hospital located in Vientiane. Photo attached. It is POOR, filthy, and recently painted. If you are injured and require serious care, call International SOS Alarm center in Singapore 65-6338-9277. They will arrange your care. Ensure your insurance has a rider for internation evacuation and medical care. Their head is Dr. William Farrow, a personal friend of mine and a retired COL in the British Army. Jolly Good Chap, damn nice guy too. Immunizations: Japanese Encephalitis, Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid, Rabies, Tetanus, Flu at a minimum Antibiotics: Azithromycin (Zithromax), Cipro, Keflex, Penicillin, Tetracycline. Malaria Prohylaxis: Doxycycline 100 mg daily, start 2 days prior to entry in country, end 4 weeks after returning from country. On return from country, ADD primaquine, 2 tabs daily x 2 weeks. P. falciprium is resistant to mefloquine in Laos. The most prevalent thing I can tell you regarding your trip-NEVER LOSE YOUR TEMPER IN FRONT OF THE LAO. Worms are evil and posess the souls of ancestors. They are not to be played with or handled. The majority of the population is buddhist, the tops of their heads arer the most sacred part of their body. Do not pat them on the head or leapfrog over them (show your ass to their head). Men are very affectionate and will hand hold / hug / hang on you. Do not kill/destroy insects, show them to the Lao. Many of these they put in their local meals. Wash your hands- A LOT. above all, drink clean (BOTTLED) water. Good luck- Let me know if you need more, I travel to and from as well as send teams in to Laos 5 times yearly. Eagle |
Not a QP, but I speak Thai. I did some self study in Lao out of a book and subsequently made a score on a Lao test. If you can't find Lao materials then you should learn as much Thai as possible. It will help. The languages come from the same origins. I don't think it's a stretch to call them dialects of the same langauge.
Concerning both, tones are everything for understanding and making yourself understood. Grammar is basically the same. Same with vocab, although pronunciations of same words may be different. Any vocabulary you can pick up and your demonstration of a desire to learn the language will make your trip much more rewarding. I don't know how true it is, but I've heard that the Lao listen/watch Thai radio and TV more than Lao stations. Bottom line, some Thai is better than nothing. Luang Prabang, I believe, was the French colonial capital of Laos. Therefore, some French might be helpful. However, use of French might have some cultural stigma attached...don't know. Communicating is better than not communicating though, at least in my book. The Lao greeting is "Sabai Dee". Use it frequently. As an aside, in Thai it is used to tell someone you're comfortable or feeling well. Speaking of books. For general prep, the first order of business I recommend is to pick up a Lonely Planet Guide for Laos. Amazon has them. If I could only have one info source prior to travel anywhere, the applicable LP guide is the one I would choose. Most of them have some basic lingual phrases included. You've probably been to this site already: HTML Code:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_946.html When I got my shots, there were several that came in a series. You need to get started ASAP and I'm not sure you'll have time to finish them. You'll need to confer with a medical professional on the implications of not finishing a shot series. You also need to check into the requirement for malaria prophylaxis, too. Kor hai chok dee |
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It's great that you speak Thai. As soon as he, or anyone else, comes up with a quesiton about the Thai language, please feel free to chime in with your expert and valuable input. And BTW, Lao in Laung Phrabang is not the same as Lao in Vientiane, or Paxse, or Savannhakhet, or TaOy. French is rarely spoken except by visiting French backpackers and ENGLISH is quite common in Vientiane due to European Tourism. Eagle |
Eagle5US-- My apologies if I appeared to be chiming in after your comments with underdeveloped book knowledge. You came through with your detailed info between my “reply” and “submit” clicks. Wouldn’t have touched it if I’d seen yours first. I certainly yield to your expertise. Best regards to you and back to listening silence for me.
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Well, for what it is worth:
Rock is entirely correct in that Thai and Lao are related languages. They derive from the same roots and share virtually identical structure. However, like any tonal language, and especially one that does not have a enforced standard (as Thai does with Central Thai), Lao suffers significantly from variations in local usage, pronunciation and rhythm to an extent that can make it very difficult if not impossible to understand someone from another area of the country (this is true even of Thai with Issan and the South both speaking a Thai that a Central Thai native may not understand at times). I'm not surprised that Eagle has difficulties with his translators being able to understand from one village to another. First language speakers of tonal languages often have difficulties making the "jump" of reasoning that a slightly different sounding word is the same word as pronounced in a different dialect. Add in coloquilisms, word drift, slang, etc. and it may seem entirely like a different language. My experience has been that a "farang" has a better chance of communicating in that environment than a native speaker of a similar language/dialect. The people of the village are more likely to slow down, speak simpler structures and the "farang" is more likely to guess the word they mean because he isn't locked into a particular tonal pattern having a certain meaning. Having said all that, there are some differences that are consistent. Lao and Thai both use multiple words for "you" dependent on the relation between those speaking. The Thai usage sounds somewhat formal to Lao, and the Lao usage sounds insulting to Thais. Lonely Planet publishes a "Thai Phrasebook" that is well put together and includes some Mien, Mong, Lisu, Akha and Lahu as well. Remember, not all the population of Laos is Laotian. I'd say any Thai you can learn will serve you in good stead. So will anything you can learn about the Thai and Lao cultures (which are similar, although the Thais don't want to admit that). Two books in that area are Culture Shock Thailand and The Thai and I; Successful Living in Thailand. |
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I'm just feeling a bit of my oats tonight- Happy New Year, thanks for answering up when you felt you could help someone out. Eagle |
Don't be afraid of interpretors. There are good ones out there. A few conversational phrases are helpful. Thai is a tonal language and you can end up in real embarrassing situations due to wrong tones. One example I learned was "klai kai kai gai?" " Who has the chicken eggs?" (or something close). Each word sounds the same except for the tone.
We had an interpretor by the name of Sanit. He was Indian, spoke perfect Queen's English, Thai, could communicate with Lao and spoke perfect "GI". He was a real asset. I remember one time at work a fellow worker made a smart remark to my wife: "What's the matter? Can't you read English?" Without batting an ey she replied by asking: "Can you read Thai?" Written Thai has 47 consonents and including tones I'm not sure anyone has counted the total vowells. I learned to read some words as one would learn to recognize a graphic sign. I know what certain Towns look like on a road sign but could never write them. |
Happy new year! Great solid advice! I knew I could count on someone(s) here.
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I was hoping to avoid malaria prophylaxis due to side effects, thanks for convincing me. Otherwise, it sounds like I should be alright if I can avoid getting bit by disease infested mosquitos, drink bottled water, eat HOT food, wash hands alot, and avoid contact with blood. What I am also curious about is how the teams over in tsunami-land are avoiding cholera. And how medics in the field can truly protect themselves against blood-borne pathogens. Quote:
If you are going to be around I am sure I will have more questions before February. Gratefully yours, -pulque |
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Being calm (Jai yen yen in Thai) is looked at as a very positive characteristic. Quote:
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I can ask at work tomorrow who we use.
There is one other caveat which we experienced. Do not go to your regular doctor for shots. They have to disclose to the insurance companies the reason for the shots and where you are going. Your rates then increase depending on where you have visited. Go to a clinic. Edited to add: Checked and we use Medex. Maybe you should call them about the WA restrictions. https://www.medexassist.com/ppcindividual.cfm |
Thank you Ghuinness. On the phone, MEDEX cited WA State regulations that are too risky for them to comply with as vendors. However, they did note that other vendors can sell me their product. :lifter
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