Volunteer with Buddhist Novice Monks in Laos

Volunteered first 8 years ago and loved it !! An absolutely life changing experience!!! Had the best time and was taken care of and support from GVi was excellent!!! The project base was in a really nice area and the training received really good as well as TEFL training. Working with the novice is really an amazing experience

I spend two months with GVI in Luang Prabang, Laos, volunteering as an English teacher. I felt very much welcomed and the field staff took great care of all volunteers. After a few training sessions, I jumped right into teaching. Working with the students and novice monks was a lot of fun, sometimes challenging, always rewarding. We were encouraged to get creative in our teaching and not to be afraid of making mistakes or looking funny. During my time in Luang Prabang, I learned as much from my students as they learned from me. Besides teaching, I had plenty of time to explore the city and surroundings. Laos is a beautiful country and home to kind, respectful people. I was fascinated by its nature and eager to learn about Lao culture and ethnic groups. I am very grateful for this experience and all the memories I collected.

Fabulous question. Good. That's usually what you say. Sometimes because the others don't seem to be too interested. Sometimes because it's difficult putting this experience in words. I could talk for a day and you still wouldn't know how I exactly I felt, how the experience was. But I can give you an insight. How did I feel? I felt nervous, excited, happy, tired, curious, exhausted, courageous, sad, overwhelmed, exuberant, surprised. All these emotions probably show how much of a rollercoaster ride this experience was. And I honestly couldn't have asked for a better time. Yes, you were exhausted after a day of teaching. Some days more than others. Especially the little Novices drained you, but I would have never ever given that class up in a million years. Because even though they were running around, talking, and paying 0 attention at times they were smart and wanted to learn. And they did. Every time one of them remembered a word it was a huge achievement. Not only I was proud but they were too. They enjoyed this class so much and their positivity and joy was infectious. Their smiles brightened my day. I didn't just have the privilege of teaching those Novices, but also older students. They were all super smart, funny and some even quite witty and (how Ly Ly would say) cheeky. Most of all they were super super hard working. You can truly see their excitement and eagerness to learn. Teaching in this extraordinary atmosphere was easy and wonderful. I taught children starting at age 9, up to teenagers and even college students. Every class was a bit diverse and challenged me in different ways. I was scared first, because I've never taught anyone before. The staff members held a one week training course, which helped me immensely. Even after the 1 week course they were always there for you and helped you with any questions you had. With time, I got super comfortable and felt a ease standing in front of my classes and even teaching them alone (which you don't have to, if you don't want to!). You can always talk to the staff members if you're not comfortable with specific classes, if you're feeling not challenged enough or challenged too much. Even outside the class room the staff members became such good friends. With Valee, one staff member, and some Lao students we played football on the weekends. Before a game, Valee went to the market with Krishan (a Volunteer and now a very good friend of mine) to buy some football shoes, which was an impossible mission because of the shoe size. :) You're honestly making friends for life throughout your experience there. Everyone that arrives at this magical place, has something in common from the start. Helping these amazing students with their English. Working together and spending time after class helps you to bond with everyone very quickly. I've met so many amazing, open, heart warming people in my time there. With my 3 months I was one of the people staying the longest and even then I had the feeling it went by way too quick. Take some time. Don't come for just 2 weeks. The students have to get to know you, you have to get to know the work and people there. Stay for as long as you can, you won't regret it, I promise.