Sabaidee (Hello)! My name is Claire and I'm from a small city in Iowa called Cedar Rapids. I was born in Cedar Rapids and have lived there my entire life. I even went to college in the same city! I love my home, but I have wanted to travel since I began studying French in middle school. I worked a lot at a coffee shop in my city until I earned enough money to travel to France with my French class in high school. My trip to France was magical and made me want to continue studying French. I just recently graduated from Coe College with a degree in Biology and French!
Since that first trip to France, I've now traveled to South Africa, Swaziland, Mexico, the U.K. and Thailand, and I am currently living in Luang Prabang, Laos. I have a job with the U.S. Embassy in Laos, teaching English to university students four days per week and to middle school students one day per week. I have been living in Laos for five months now and will live here until July 2019... maybe longer. Since moving here, I've taught many lessons, but have also learned how to plant rice, milk water buffaloes, make scarves, make Lao food and even speak a little Lao! It's so different from my life in the United States in so many ways, but I am so excited that I am able to experience another culture and share it with all of you!
Pob Gon Mai! (See you soon!)
