Reading Diary A: Laos Unit

I chose to read the Laos unit this week during my reading. In the overview of the unit it mentioned that there are plenty of origin stories: why things are the way they are now. I really seem to enjoy the take from different cultures on why they believe certain things or what stories have influenced them. After reading the first half of the unit, I came up with some of my favorite stories.

The Enchanted Mountain

I liked this unit because the description of this place somewhere high in the mountains sounded so majestic. To me it sounded like Laos' heaven or holy place. It almost reminds of the Garden of Eden from the story of Adam and Eve.


Moraine Lake in Banff National Park (Wikipedia).

The Man in the Moon

This story was entertaining to hear because I've never really thought twice about hearing about "the man in the moon". It's very interesting to read stories that have different explanations for how things happened or why things are the way they are than what I am used to in my own culture.

The Lovers' Leap

After reading this story I really feel like I could write a good story using the main plot behind it. It gave me somewhat of a Romeo and Juliet feel to it as they both decided to die with each other in the end. Also, it gave me inspiration because for such a short story I felt like lots of power and captivation was shown through it.

The Giants' Mountain and the Temple

The message behind this story is what makes it one of my favorites: "If you ask aid from others, it is well to put your own heart into the work". To many times people ask for help and expect to get it done for them. I think this puts into perspective what should really be the intention when asking for help from another.