Morning: As volunteers with UBELONG, the first duties we attended to in the mornings were at the goat shed, where we were required to meet between 6.30am-7am. After cleaning all the pens and feeding and milking the many goats we then headed over to the farm restaurant for breakfast at eight o’clock. We were able to choose from a wide variety of delicious meals for breakfast, many of which were made from organic ingredients produced on the farm. Some of our favorites included the wonderful mulberry pancakes, fresh fruit, goat cheese and Lao Coffee. After breakfast we would then prepare to begin the day’s work. We participated in various physical tasks during the daytime, such as planting seeds in the field, picking mulberries and making the bricks for a mudhouse. After working hard for three to four hours we enjoyed a long lunch and went to get cleaned up for the afternoon.
Afternoon: The afternoons on the farm did not generally consist of physical work. The first activity we participated in after lunch was a daily lesson in Lao language informally organized with Dao, one of the local members of the staff. This was seen as a good way of gaining a deeper engagement with local culture as well as learning basic skills to be used practically in and around the farm. Lessons would typically last for one hour and cover basic conversational skills to be practiced between volunteers. Next we went on to plan for our own lessons in English, which we gave to students each afternoon from Monday to Thursday at the local school. After organising the content and structure of the lessons, we made the one kilometre trip to the school by bicycle or motorcycle at five o’clock. Pairs of volunteers were allocated a class of approximately 15 to 20 students each, with students arranged based on English ability. Lessons ran for one hour between 5pm-6pm and 6pm to 7pm, after which time we travelled back to the farm for the evening meal.
Evening: Once again, we were treated to a wide array of meals at dinner, including authentic Lao dishes and other options from South-East Asia. The food was always tasty, healthy and plentiful. After dinner there was free time to relax, socialize and play games in the restaurant area of the farm.