Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life. — Michael Palin

The time has come! Here’s to my very first blog post!

Like it says on that nifty home page, my name is Claire and I am an Iowa native. I recently received my B.A. in Biology, Neuroscience, and French from Coe College, also located in Iowa. My ultimate goal is to move forward in the science field and become a healthcare provider however, I’ve been sidetracked for an amazing opportunity.

Over the next year, I will be teaching English in a wonderfully hot and humid country located in Southeast Asia, called Laos. Where is Laos, you ask? I’ve been asked too many times what country Laos is located in to not include a map on my first blog post…

Laos is that little green country that borders every single country in that region – even a little piece of China. And as of right now, I don’t know where I’ll be living in Laos! After all, the “F” in Fulbright stands for flexibility! There are three possible cities for placement: Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Savannakhet.

Vientiane is the capital and is where I will be located for the first three weeks of my journey, regardless. I will spend approximately 90 hours over those three weeks alongside the 11 other Laos Fulbrighters, learning Lao, the official language of Laos, as well as exploring the city and getting adjusted to the time and cultural differences.

The time difference is 12 hours, so please remember that when it is 3 pm here in Iowa, it will be 3 am in Laos! I will have access to internet (so Snapchat and FaceBook messenger are good options for communication) and my iMessage will still work as well.

If you know of anyone who has been to Laos or any of the countries nearby and have some recommendations of sites to see or places to go, please let me know!

ດ້ວຍ​ຮັກ (With love) and until next time!

Claire