Travel to Teach: Laos Volunteer Story

Carissa, 21, Spain

It's not about saving the world, it has nothing to do with being a hero, it's not even about teaching. It's about learning, it's about caring, it's about trying to make a difference. It's a different way of living and traveling. One that doesn't involve trampling over nature, superimposing your westerner's views on the local people or being the typical tourist who knows nothing about the country he visits. It's about learning that there are different ways of living, different wisdoms, different languages, all necessary to enrich and complement the world. To volunteer means to adopt a certain attitude. It means to be willing to get out of your own way for someone else without expecting anything in return. It means a desire to give your time and energy for the pleasure of sharing.

One of the first things you learn is that those whom you're trying to teach are the best teachers. They may not be the best English speakers, but they certainly tend to know more about life than the regular westerner. Kids are very often the wisest of them all.

When I got to Laos, it suddenly struck me, the uselessness of most of my knowledge. It suddenly became evident to me that I knew all sorts of facts and dates, but almost nothing about life. Since I've always lived in big cities, I became overwhelmingly aware of my distance from nature. All the kids around me seemed to know so much more than I did. They knew all about different animals and plants, they knew how to read the clouds and the sky, the river and the wind. The elder kids took care of the younger with such tenderness, and the youngest of them seemed so mature. I was truly impressed. I thought I was there to help them, but they seemed happier, healthier and wiser than me. To give always means to receive, it is never a one way street. To help another is to help yourself. To help is to help each other.

Laotian people couldn't be warmer and nicer, and specially the people at the farm. The food is wonderful. I got to learn all sorts of interesting things about plants. I loved watching the goats in the morning, not to mention the dozen of piglets that were born during my stay there. The scenery is astonishing, and the English classes were also an amazing experience. I also made really close friends from all over the world, other volunteers who were passing by, just like me.

The wonderful thing about the farm is that it is the result of the effort of dozens of people who have been willing to give just a small fraction of their lives for a good cause. When I first got there, I thought of a million things that could be done to make the place better. However, as the days went by, I realized that the farm is perfect just as it is. It has it's reasons, and you have to live there to know them.

A part of me will always miss my days in Laos.

Email: Carissa.