The Laos Experience

Since we first arrived into Southeast Asia a few weeks ago we've been searching for an opportunity to volunteer our time to help a good cause. The opportunity finally presented itself when we stepped off of the slow boat in Luang Prabang, Laos. Luang Prabang is a historic French colonial town surrounded by jungle-covered mountains at the junction of the Mekong and one of its tributaries. This quaint little town ended up being the perfect place to settle down for a little over a week and spend some time volunteering.

We found an organization called Big Brother Mouse which publishes children's books to distribute in villages throughout Laos. The books are published in both Laos and English and aim to improve the low literacy rate of children in the country. In Luang Prabang, the ability to speak English is vital for a job in the service or tourism industries, which account for the majority of jobs in the area. Since the schools are out for the summer in Laos, Big Brother Mouse is open in the mornings for kids to stop by and work on their English conversation skills. (How many kids in the US would willingly spend their mornings studying during their summer vacation?) During our time in Luang Prabang, we spent every morning at the Big Brother Mouse center helping the local children practice their English. The kids were between 14-22 years old and their English skills ranged from below kindergarten to highschool level. Most days there were only three or four of us "westerners" and 10-15 locals, meaning we'd each work with 3 or 4 kids. We would spend the mornings reading books, playing games, answering their sometimes difficult English questions, and working on pronunciation. (There's now a handful of kids running around Laos with perfect Minnesota accents).

Hard at work at Big Brother Mouse:
After volunteering in the mornings, we'd spend the afternoons enjoying Luang Prabang and the beautiful surrounding areas.

Exploring the local villages outside of town by bicycle:

Hanging out with the kids from Big Brother Mouse. We spent one afternoon visiting their villages and meeting their families. Another day we took them out for fruit smoothies and french fries at a tourist restaurant, the first time either had been to a restaurant or had french fries...and they're both 17 yrs old.
Enjoying the food. If anyone goes to Luang Prabang find this woman and try the delicious fried, steamed pork-filled dumplings with chili sauce she sells on the street...best food we've had in SE Asia so far:

Visiting the waterfalls near town...an awesome series of cascades, falls, and even a natural infinity pool:
Spending time with the local silk weavers (definitely a highlight for Rachel since she studied textiles in college):
Doing our part to help the local economy by shopping at the night market:

Wandering around town with the monks.