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Laos is an extraordinarily beautiful country with numerous ancient traditions, cultures, and above all ethnic diversity. While other Asian countries like Japan and Korea also have distinctive cultures and different ways of life when compared to Western countries, the difference is that they are mostly homogeneous. This, however, is not the case for Laos. The Laotian people, probably the largest ethnic group in Laos, account for less than 50% of the nation's population. Additionally, rural areas of the country are filled with different ethnic groups that speak various languages that are not linguistically linked to one another. That being said, there are several obstacles when it comes to learning English in Laos that are non-existent in other countries. The first of these struggles that I would like to talk about is the lack of resources. With so many different cultures and linguistic diversity, it becomes very hard to find resources and aids that can cater to one student's specific needs. For instance, one of the largest minorities in Laos is the Hmong people, a hardworking group of individuals that have been in dire need of change for thousands of years and have little to no resources for learning English. Almost all language learning for these students of different ethnic groups would only be possible through English teachers, such as myself, who are willing to work with these students and efficiently utilizing all available resources. Another notable struggle that you will find in Laos is that the majority of the nation consists of rural areas. Outside of the capital, most areas are severely underdeveloped and it becomes extremely difficult to attain resources in any one region, let alone establish a school to teach English. Because of this, if a student ever wants to get any sort of education, they would need to leave their family and head to the capital city. However, the capital city of Laos, Vientiane, only has a population of around 200,000 people. This makes the resources there in the capitol extremely scarce, and there is never enough to satisfy the needs of all the students trying to go to school there. Not to mention, this lack of resources forces many programs and teachers to look elsewhere for employment either because there are just not enough resources to get established in the country, or the teacher is unable to receive appropriate wages for their work and it soon becomes disadvantageous to continue teaching in Laos. This creates a huge problem where you have so many students eager to learn, but will just never get the opportunity. The last problem I would like to cover is none other than the cultural diversity itself. As I mentioned before, any teaching that is to happen in the country would have to happen in the capital. This creates a vacuum that draws in students from all around the country who are eager to learn and to improve their quality of life. However, these students usually do not speak the same language as any of their peers, and cannot relate to them on a cultural level whatsoever. There will be students trying to learn English that also struggle with learning their national languages while also adapting to the new cultures and people that live around them. Because of this, many students tend to just give up and go home feeling as though nobody truly understands their needs and struggles. This can also make it hard for a teacher to be able to reach out and connect with many of his or her students because many students may require more personalized aid that is inconsequential to other members of the class. In closing, I would like to say that a midst all the struggles I have outlined above in addition to the other obstacles I did not mention, this does not and never will create any reason to give up on the country of Laos. The people there need help and are eager to learn English. The more people that can overcome these problems now, the more bridges that will be built for students in the future trying to do the same. Though things seem bleak now, they are changing. The country is developing, and people are learning. It is a great time to be in Laos, and the future is looking bright for them.
