National Geographic in real life
Being part of this project has been the single most exciting and rewarding thing I have done this far in my life. The day we
walked into the village is still so clearly imprinted in my mind and I play it back over and over in order to convince myself that it was all real and not a documentary that I watched on National Geographic, which is absolutely what it felt like.
The walk into the village was long and hot and difficult, nobody will deny that I’m sure. But I feel like the entire trip was defined by our first impression of the village, after this exhausting walk, when we got around the last corner, village kids in toe, and the first thing we saw was the framework for our school. All of the exhaustion and sweat completely disappeared from our minds and all we wanted to do from that point on was work on this school, that was the only goal we had in mind for the next six days. I think we surprised everyone with how hard we worked and how motivated we were. It was hard sometimes, I’ll admit, as I lay in my bed on the floor trying to find a position I could lie in, in which my entire body wouldn’t ache as much, only to be awakened by the roosters that roamed the village a few hours after finally managing to fall asleep. But the work was so rewarding, it was worth every scratch and sore muscle to see those walls go up and to watch our field of bricks grow. And it was hard to justify not working when you saw these small village kids running around helping us, carrying buckets of mud that probably weighed as much as they did and handling machetes with more skill than we could. Their help and their smiles and their obvious desire to have a school kept us all going. We stomped through mud to make our bricks, we sifted out sand to make paint, we lifted bricks up onto the wall and slowly we watched our own, personal progress and growth manifested in this school building.
Although our trip together in Laos is over, I don’t feel as if my work there is done. This project allowed me to see what kind of influence and effect I could have on so many people, just through my time and my effort. That feeling is something that I will never forget and something for which I will always be grateful both to World Volunteer and to the people of Ban Na Laung for.
//Liz Thomas
**************************************************************************************************************************Ban Na Luang exceeded my expectations
During the course of the year before we left to Laos, we had a few meetings about every month to prepare ourselves
individually and as a group. Our group leaders showed us pictures and explained the lifestyle and atmosphere that we were going to be living in for about a week. It was exciting to be in an extremely different environment from the one that we were used to, but honestly it made me a little bit nervous.
Everything that our leaders had said and showed us was so different from what the actual experience was like. Sure, a picture tells a million words, but in this case definitely not the right words. Being and working in Laos was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The village that we stayed at, Ban Na Luang was much more vibrant and friendly in real life. The lifestyle in which they lived in was indeed completely atypical from the lifestyles that our group and I was used to, including the cuisine, the language, the dress code, roles amongst each other…etc. However, surprisingly I felt more at home and at ease in the village than I did at my boarding home at the school that I attend. Yes, there was a huge language barrier but it did not prevent us whatsoever from having a good time with each other, smiling and laughing. I think that the fact that we could still have such an amazing time while interacting with the villagers really had a huge impact on me. I felt secure and happy. As well, the villagers were so thankful for us being there and building a school for them. There was a lot of positive energy.
The experience building the actual school was very interesting. A lot of us were not used to that kind of physical exertion. At times it was challenging but the fact that we were all working hard together, singing and having mud fights, made us forget about the hard work that we were actually doing. Now looking back, I think yes it was hard work, but I never even thought of it. I can only remember how much fun it was.
I never expected our time in Ban Na Luang to be the experience that it was. As cheesy as it may be, it was somewhat surreal. The scenery was beautiful and the people were beautiful. It seemed we all understood we were different and yet could work together, help each other and respect our similarities and differences. In this kind of atmosphere, you can imagine it was very hard to leave it behind. But I know that most likely someday every one of us will return to such circumstances to help out again.
// Emma Tillfors
**************************************************************************************************************************
Making a great impact!
I never expected the trip to Ban Na Luang to be so different
from anything I had experienced before, I knew that we would be living a completely different lifestyle but I really didn’t understand it until we got there. Upon landing in Luang Prabang the first thing I noticed was the mountains. Having lived in Switzerland my whole life I had always had mountains around me so it immediately felt like home, except these mountains were different. Instead of snow on them there were trees, waterfalls and landslides. Also the landscape around them wasn’t polluted; there were no concrete houses or high buildings hiding them, which made them so much more spectacular.
When we got closer to the village I had eventually worked myself to the front of the group and was first to see the group of kids who had come to greet us. I was scared the kids would feel anxious around us and not really connect with us, but they were the most open and cheerful group of kids I had ever met. They eagerly helped us with the construction as soon as they could and immediately connected with the group. I feel great whenever I think of the kids and the (although little) help we gave them. It was crazy to think that those six days which seemed like nothing to us had such a big impact on the village and the children.
In any other circumstance the physical labor and knots in my back would have had me complaining and completely unmotivated but knowing that we were helping and the setting had me completely distracted from everything. It brought out a whole new side of me, a determined and motivated side that I wished I could have brought back home.
The village itself was impressively self-sufficient, the villagers actually seemed to have a somewhat comfortable lifestyle, but I think I may have overlooked many things in the hope of seeing them in a good state, from time to time we would notice some people being extremely skinny and sometimes I wondered if we were getting as much food as they could afford to be giving us, but they seemed glad to be feeding us so I neglected that thought. Overall the trip was extremely rewarding and I have no doubt in my mind that I will be returning to Laos and Ban Na Luang.
//Elise Sesemann
**************************************************************************************************************************The Ban Na Luang trip
When we finally reached Laos, after spending one night in
Bangkok, David were there to meet us. It felt great finally being in Laos as we had long preparations before leaving. We had a two hours buss trip to get to Nong Khiaw, but it felt shorter as it had an amazing view. When we arrived we got to have a final night in a bed and take a shower before the hike the next day to the village. That night it was hard to sleep as I was so exited about finally getting to the village.
A normal day in the village for us was to get up in the morning when the roosters woke us up and then head to work until breakfast and when finished we continued to work, then it was lunch after a couples of hours work. After lunch we had a break until the school was in shade and we took a nap, played cards or learnt more about the village. Then it was back to work until it became darker and time to clean up for dinner. It was amazing, as we did not really think about the time instead followed the sun like the villagers did. It was also fascinating to see how they lived, as they get by using the most basic things you can find in the area around.
Working on the school has been an amazing experience. Seeing the young children helping and when they had school they came to help during their breaks. It showed how much they want this school and the same goes for the adults in the village, helping in any way possible to get the school built even if injured. It made the hard work of building the school easier as you saw that this is something they want and you are helping them get it. When we worked on the school it was easy to forget the nature around; the green covered mountains around the village and just a small walk away the rice fields, the nature is so different from Sweden’s or anything I have seen before. We also got the opportunity to go out in the rice field and to collect the straw, it was an amazing feeling walking in the field surrounded by mountains, but it was heavy work. The trip has been overall amazing meeting great people and seeing something that is so different from what I am used.
//Anneka Muther
**************************************************************************************************************************Chickenrub and roosters
I will never forget this breath-taking experience in the lao village. Everything from the people I met during the trip, the
Lina putting in the final brick in the first classroom
villagers kindness, the variation of sticky rice, the roosters shouting at 5 am every morning, the interaction between the lao people and the visitors that developed during the week, the bond fires, the sacrified chicken they rubbed in our hands, to the spirit in the village and the endless smiles, will always stay in my heart. On top of that I cannot imagine a more satisfied feeling than the one you get when helping someone in need. The large impact in proportion to the small contribution, inspire me to continue to improve the world and its future.
//Lina
**************************************************************************************************************************
My volunteer trip to Laos – by Max Wallenius
A long day in August.
My first step towards my volunteer trip was taken at Copenhagen Airport where I first met my traveling companion Sofie Gandét, who I would get to know very well through the trip. We knew we had a long journey ahead of us. The flight went well and we spent most of the time watching movies, finally we were approaching our destination and I was eager to arrive after 16h on the flight.
Once arriving we meet up with David Jonsson, who gladly welcomed us to Bangkok. The city offered fantastic weather and a nice lunch together at a local restaurant (Pad Thai off course). The next step was to take the night train from Bangkok to Nong Khai, which took about 11h. By this time it would seem that you will be tired of sitting still, however the train to Laos offers stunning views over Lao provinces and the remaining time is passes by with a nap and book-reading. We finally arrived at our final destination, Vientiane after we had arranged our visas at the border, which took a while, but patience is a virtue.
I was now in Vientiane, it was a lot to take in, many questions and thoughts. How will I manage this? Where do I start? What happens now? From staying at home with my parents without any significant responsibility, to now finding myself alone in East Asia. It was a big change and it seemed almost overwhelming, to say the least I felt bit worried.
But do not fear, I had my loyal and experienced travel companion Sophie and a well-planned introduction week with David and Jesper who could answer my questions and calm my thoughts. I was also introduced to our local contacts, Bountom and Hattaphone also called Tom and Ting. They were an incredible support along the way and we became very good friends. I would now have to start at square one and build my own life in Laos with the help of the people mentioned.
I worked as an English teacher at Quest College during my following month in Laos, and I also worked at Cope Visitor Centre (http://www.copelaos.org/visit.php) with various projects and support tasks.
I have many treasured memories from both my jobs, but one task which I thought was particularly fun was to design a poster for COPE’s Cafeteria. To see his work become a reality was a great feeling, and I felt proud. Although it was not very advanced, however very inviting and tasteful in my opinion.
Both COPE and Quest College arranged many fun events, trips and small excursions, I met many new people from different corners of the world, whom I’m still keeping contact with today.
The volunteer work taught me a lot, I’m now much more independent in my daily life and I have matured as an individual. I now see problems as a challenge instead of seeing it as something troublesome. To venture in the world and seek wisdom sounds like a movie, but Laos was a very valuable trip and it still benefits me every day.
In summary, I am extremely happy with my involvement in the project and its outcome with the help from David and Jesper, who gave me this great opportunity.
//Max Wallenius
**************************************************************************************************************************
Anna & Astrid, long-term volunteers in Laos
Traveling and working in Laos gave us a great opportunity to get to know the culture and the people in a completely different way than you do as a tourist. Thanks to World Volunteer, we had a chance to counter the differences during the four months we were working as volunteers, which resulted in development on a personal level.
World Volunteer organized accommodation, contact with school’s staff and other friendly people who were helpful during our stay. We stayed in a two room apartment which was located about 2 km from school, and this was a perfect distance for us to bicycle.
We were teaching at Quest College from August to December several times a week. We had both “ordinary” students, and also police officers, doctors and staff from various ministries. We taught our pupils everything from the alphabet to how the Nobel Prizes are awarded. We learnt a lot from each other through the exchange between our two different cultures. And we had a lot of laughter on the way!
The school staff felt great responsibility and cared for us in different ways. Among other things, World Volunteer arranged that one Sunday every month, we made an excursion with the school’s driver. We were also often invited to participate in all sorts of activities, both private dinners and more official events such as a graduation at another college.
Since we weren’t teaching every day, we had time to explore more parts of Laos. We visited Luang Prabang – a “must” for anyone who travels to Laos!
When our families came to visit us, we also traveled to Vang Vieng.
We ended our Laos visit by traveling through Southeast Asia, however Laos was the country that made the best impression on us. World Volunteer gave us the opportunity to discover a new culture and get a unique experience from our volunteer work.
//Anna & Astrid
