When you think about Laos and about not having enough food and those dirty and torn-up clothes, you don't want to think. Here it is a great country. You are comfortable. You have something to eat. But you don't speak the language. You depend on other people for welfare. If they don't give you money you can't eat, and you would die of hunger. What I miss in Laos is that free spirit, doing what you want to do. You own your own fields, your own rice, your own plants, your own fruit trees. I miss that feeling of freeness. I miss having something that really belongs to me.
The speaker reflects on their experiences in Laos, contrasting the harsh realities of poverty and hunger with their current life, which, despite being more comfortable, comes with a sense of dependency. They emphasize a deep-seated feeling of loss, particularly in their inability to communicate and the reliance on others for basic needs, which creates a profound sense of vulnerability.
Moreover, the speaker longs for the autonomy they had in Laos, where...
