19 May 2026
Sophie's 12 weeks: a volunteer's diary from Luang Prabang
From orientation jitters to teaching her own class — honest reflections from a founding cohort volunteer.
Week 1: I arrived terrified. My Lao co-teacher smiled and said "don't worry — we learn together."
Week 4: First time leading a conversation club alone. Twelve students, all staring. Then one girl asked about my home country and the room came alive.
Week 8: Planted rice with my host family. My Hmong is still terrible but we communicate through gestures and laughter.
Week 12: Leaving is harder than arriving. These kids changed what I think teaching means.