Theng was born into a family of rice farmers in a Hmong village high in the mountains. His village had no running water, electricity or school. Along with his seven brothers and sisters Theng initially worked on the farm before following his older brother to live in Luang Prabang. As happens in many rural villages, his birthdate was not recorded; he guesses he's about 16.

While learning English at school Theng realised that the better he spoke, the less shy he became. He started attending Big Brother Mouse English conversation sessions six days a week, where his speaking skills quickly improved.

When we needed someone to create a Hmong picture dictionary for children, a volunteer at the English practice suggested Theng. Thirty minutes later, he was productively working away on the computer and he hasn't stopped. He quickly acquired basic desktop publishing skills, and is now learning about designing books and book covers.

Theng has other distinctions. Years of carrying buckets of water up the hill to his home are now paying off in an unexpected way. He's the only one who joins Sasha for some long, hilly bike rides around Luang Prabang.

"Are you tired?" Sasha once asked, after two hours of uphill biking. "This scenery is so beautiful, and biking here is so exciting - no, I'm not tired!" Theng answered. On that particular day several villagers assumed that Theng, with an oversized bike helmet, was Japanese. They knew some foreigners were nutty enough to bike up these hills, but never imagined a Lao person would do it. They got quite a shock when he spoke to them in fluent Lao and Hmong.

And, like many Lao people, Theng uses more than one name, though his alternate name is unusually distinctive: James Bond. But he doesn't like martinis, whether shaken or stirred.

Despite a full schedule of school, helping at home, working here, and reading in his spare time, Theng shows up every day full of enthusiasm for what's ahead. Inspired by a primary school teacher, Theng wants to study either English or Mathematics at university before becoming a teacher to young Hmong children.