Reviews of Volunteer Programs in Laos

Elia Tomat, Volunteer in Laos, UBELONG alum

Novice monk in Luang Prabang

Morning: I usually woke up at 6/6:30 to "do the goats". Doing the goats means cleaning two stalls and feeding them. Once everything is clean and the food is in the troughs you'd start to milk them. Doing the goats usually takes two hours. At 8 you have a delicious breakfast. I usually had sticky rice, tomatoes cucumbers with tofu, fresh juice (you have plenty of fruits to choose from). I used to play cards while eating with other volunteers or guests of the farm. At 9 I started working at the new guest house which I designed. Me and the other volunteers worked with local people which was such of a wonderful experience. Everyday was a challenge to understand the work that I had to do (that also helped me to practice my Lao). At 10:30 the workers have breakfast so I can rest 20 min. After the short break we keep working until 1/1:30 pm when I go eat lunch and they go to sleep on the bridge since it's too hot and sunny to work (comfortable wide seats are always shaded from the sun so they're perfect for a nap).

Afternoon: After you ordered your lunch you could go for a swim in the river which is perfect in the early afternoon. At lunch you can choose anything you want to eat, so many delicious foods and there are so many choices if you're vegetarian or vegan as I am. I suggest you have a look at the menu on the site of the farm so you can get an idea. One of my favorite choices for lunch was Sate with tofu with baked vegetables (peanut sauce), sticky rice (with chili sauce), Nam Vanh (big bowl of super cold coconut milk with fresh fruit in it), apple+lime+mint juice. During lunch we keep playing cards (the game is usually "shithead"), trust me It's really funny if you're lucky to find cool people to play with as I was. After lunch you can quickly check your email and then go back to work. Usually we kept working until 6/6:30. Then I usually ordered dinner, asking to be served later (7:30/8), so me and Aaron (another UBELONG volunteer) had the time to go and join the novice monks at the temple during the last pray of the day. After the prayer we had the chance to talk with them and practice our Lao and to help them with their English.

A woman in Luang Prabang

Evening: After "the temple" we would have dinner and that's the perfect time to speak with other volunteers, meet new guests of the farm and teach them how to play "shithead"! I would say that is the official card game at the farm now. Living at the farm gives you the amazing opportunity to meet so many people from everywhere. I think this is great and it's amazing the chances you have to discuss with them (and Lao people too) about the Lao culture. The staff at the farm is wonderful and we spent a lot of time with them when we didn't have to work.

Read more about the UBELONG volunteer program in Laos.