Sticky Rice Service Adventure

A high school service project had been on my agenda long before I was old enough to partake in one, and when the time came around for me to finally book one, I did about five months of research into different organisations before choosing the program I did with Rustic Pathways. I was drawn to Laos because of its level of poverty and destruction after the Vietnam war, as well as its beauty that had been reported by people who had visited it. But it was really the program that Rustic Pathways offered that I was the most drawn to. Rustic Pathways had seemed the most organised, the most well thought out, and the most established organisation out of all those that I had looked at. And when the time came and I flew over, all of that was confirmed.

The work that rustic pathways does globally is so meaningful that I was taken aback several times on my trip. It is a genuine organisation that serves not only the students it takes on its trips, but also its staff, whether they are local to the country or international. Something that truly stuck out to me was that Rustic often funds the university education of local staff who cannot afford it, for example, those who work at the base house, or those who come from a Lao boarding school that is funded by the Rustic Foundation. This holistic approach to community service, taken on in all elements of the company, is something that has never ceased to amaze me.

The trip itself was a life-changing experience. It was the perfect balance of being able to stay in the houses of locals and take part in service projects that are determined by the community itself (we helped in building a school and a water tank) as well as having the chance to see the place that we were working in, having adventures through hiking up mountains or trying street food at the Luang Prabang street market. I have countless photographs of the smiling children that my group genuinely bonded with, and look back at them while smiling helplessly. On our rest time between service projects which allowed us to do some site seeing, I can recount a moment where I was sitting on a slow boat on a peaceful day on the Mekong river. I was filled with an indescribable feeling of happiness as I reflected back on the 5 days I had had in the village of Na Som, looking out at the beauty of scenery around me with the most amazing group of students and leaders around me. I cannot say I have felt like that so strongly ever before. The organisation of the trip was phenomenal, with never a stressful moment, everything moving smoothly, yet all the while it being very flexible.

Going alone, I had also been nervous that the trip may not have been what I wanted or that I may have felt uncomfortable at times. However, I can assure anyone looking into having a meaningful, adventurous, beautiful service-based travel experience, that you will not go wrong by using Rustic Pathways. After so much research and such a beautiful time in luscious Laos, I can only confirm that Rustic Pathways does the most amazing job at achieving what it sets out to do. I returned to my home homesick for Laos and the people I met along the way.