Enfants du Mekong, Vientiane

The next project arrived in the most unpredictable way. We put an ad on a facebook page to see if we could represent our show Dreaming Paintings in Vientiane and Angélique, a French girl who collaborates with the NGO Enfants du Mekong, answered us. This organization has 10 centers around the world and many shelters, support thousands of children, help them in their education and prepare them to access decent work tomorrow.

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We met with Angelique and we agreed on the date and time that would be convenient for us to do a workshop and performance for chic @ s between 16 and 24 years old, all from rural Laos, with no resources to invest in an education that supposes an expense that most can not afford.

Came the day. First we were to have lunch with Angélique, Mr. Tui, a very nice Laotian gentleman, founder of the center in Vientiane and responsible in Laos, there was also his wife and two volunteers from the center, Sue and Ségolène.

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Mr. Tui explained to us the difficulties they had had since it was opened a year ago and how important it was for the chic @ s to know the possibilities of the future to which they can choose and thus be able to break the poverty line in which they are normally trapped .

Once inside the center we waited for everyone to arrive, young girls and boys, with faces awake, curious glances, they watched us out of the corner of our eyes … without losing any detail while they talked among themselves.

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When the 48 students were there, we explained who we are and what we are doing, our trip and the purpose of that visit, while Mr. Tui translated. We described what it was supposed to be Clown for us, their faces of incomprehension were dissimulated to not seem impolite but we knew they would understand about the practice. We separated them into two groups of 24. We started warming up with the first group, completely delivered, curious so that we, making ourselves called “Clown”, could show them … As the workshop progressed more they were infected with our desire, motivation, gave everything and looked for with us the meaning of each exercise, a jewel to share these moments, So ephemeral but so out of the normal day. Time flew by !!

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With the second group we substitute an exercise to be able to make a small final improvisation, in small groups. It was a success, with some shyness and stage fright they represented something of their own harvest, together, offering without skimping, perhaps for the first time in public, a small part of themselves. Relieved, they thanked us for the time together with a loud “Kop Chai Lai Lai !!”

After the workshop he played our performance. We prepare it in the patio to be able to have a green background, trees and shrubs, ideal scenario for our show. We put some stools so that everyone could sit, it was great! We went to prepare while they got impatient …

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The show started! and at first the first laughs escaped. After a few hours sharing together, feeding the laugh, seeing us as clowns had to be funny … hehehe. As the show went on, the audience was more dedicated, hotter, the laughter filled the air, smiles, cries of surprise … Their faces were everything we needed, the salary we were looking for, we needed …

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In the end, lots of applause, happy faces accompanying us to make it clear that they liked it a lot. A boy approached us and said: “This has been very interesting” with a sincere face and open eyes … the best we could have said … I had understood everything! I had seen beyond two people with a red ball in the nose acting in a funny way … This boy has made even more sense of our work …

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And after changing, a final talk with Angelique and Sue to digest what we had lived, we left … leaving behind a beautiful day, sharing, giving and receiving love, understanding and connection at a more sincere level …

We hope that life will smile! 😉

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