One of the main tourist attractions in Kathmandu is Durbar Square. There are several temples, both Buddhist and Hindu, concentrated in a small area. There are lots of people milling around, selling things and generally living life. However, there is one building that is particularly sacred. It’s the home of Kathmandu’s kumari, a living goddess.
About 9 months ago, I was dreaming about where I might travel after I finished my Peace Corps service. I have wanted to go to Nepal for nearly 20 years, and at that point, ticket prices to Kathmandu were great. So I bit the bullet, bought the ticket and waited.
Finally, March 25th arrived and I was on my way. I made it through the first leg of the journey, to New Delhi, without at hitch. However, the second flight ended up being an adventure in its own right.
Because my time here is Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer has officially drawn to a close, I’m feeling a bit sentimental. I previously posted a video that used this song, but I wanted to post the official music video as my farewell.
Today is officially my last day as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand. Even if I could sum up that last two years in words, it would likely be a novel, or at least a novella. Can you put the last two years of your life in a blog post? Didn’t think so. So, harkening back to the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a gallery of picture highlights from the last 27 months. (Click on any picture to enlarge.)
(Apologies to my readers who are in locations with limited data and Internet connectivity. I suggest skipping this post and coming back to it when you have decent Internet.)
more “See What I Saw: A Photographic Chronicle of 27 Months”
As my time here in Thailand draws to a close, the topics of my posts are going to shift away from Thailand. I will keep blogging, and you should expect some travel writing over the next couple months!
However, if you are in need of a Thailand fix, never fear! I bring to you some fellow Peace Corps volunteers who will be staying in Thailand after I leave and whose blogs I think are pretty exceptional. Check ’em out and click “Follow.”
Just after the New Year’s, fellow Blog It Home winner Keith came to visit me. We mostly spent time in my village and at my school, and he made a great video summing up a pretty typical day for me. A big thank you to Keith and check it out!
After living in Thailand for just over two years, I have picked up some very valuable life lessons. As an American, Thai culture can often times feel like everything is upside down. However, living in a different culture allows you to reflect on yourself and your own culture in a very unique way. These are some Thai ways of life that I want to continue to incorporate in my life.
Two years is a long time. It’s also not enough time. When you are staring down the barrel of a two-year commitment, it’s daunting and difficult to imagine. On the back end, you start wishing for more time and thinking of all the things you didn’t get to do. So I present to you, a list of six things that I didn’t get a chance to do in Thailand, that I hope I will have the chance to return to do.
This week is Peace Corps Week and in honor of 54 years of Peace Corps, the Office of Third Goal put out a call for current and returned volunteers to make a video highlighting their “Host Country Hero.” Being my last month in Thailand, I knew I had to participate, if only to make something to show my appreciation of my co-teacher and best friend in Thailand, Kruu Ning. The videos were relegated to two minutes, which is not actually a lot of time, and so I wanted to tell the full story here.
I recently made a video highlighting Kruu Ning as my Host Country Hero. This was my submission to Peace Corps annual video contest to mark Peace Corps Week. I was chosen as a finalist, and there are so many other amazing heroes around the world. Here’s the video playlist of all the finalists!