Category: Peace Corps

I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand from 2013 to 2015. I worked as a Primary Teacher Trainer and lived in Isaan, the rural northeast of the country. In these posts, you’ll find information relating to Peace Corps and things related to the program and agency, as well as official Peace Corps work from my time in Thailand. For Thailand specific information, check out the Thailand category.

When Tokay Geckos Take Up Residence

March 11, 2014

I think it’s tokay mating season right now. Tokay geckos (Gekko gekko, Latin name) are the second largest gecko species in the world. They are nocturnal and range from India and Nepal to across Southeast Asia. All of the ones that I’ve seen have been blue with reddish spots all over their body, and all of them have been a minimum of six inches long, but mostly longer. They have a very distinct mating call, which starts of with short, rapid-fire croaks and then goes into “TOK-ay, TOK-ay, TOK-ay.” I’ve been hearing this call so much lately, which is what lead me to believe it is mating season. more “When Tokay Geckos Take Up Residence” …

Peace Corps Week 2014 Video: Susan

March 9, 2014

In honor of Peace Corps Week this year, the team at headquarters in Washington is holding a video contest. The theme is “What I Wish Americans Knew.” My friend and fellow volunteer, Susan, created a really great video. Check it out!

Bua Yai’s Ya Mo Festival: Importance of Relationships

March 7, 2014

Last year, when I came to Kaengsanamnang to visit before moving here permanently, my co-teacher took me to the opening ceremony of the Ya Mo Festival in Bua Yai, one district over from mine and where she grew up with her family.

I remember being really intrigued by it all: wanting to watch the reenactment show, visit all of the stalls, taking pictures of all of the dancers and parade floats. I was a little confused by it all and my senses were overloaded. We ate som dtam and I had kanom jin (a kind of rice noodles) for the first time, and discovered that I like som dtam but not kanom jin. more “Bua Yai’s Ya Mo Festival: Importance of Relationships” …

For the Love of Karaoke in Thailand

March 4, 2014

I’m writing this on a Friday night and a raging karaoke party is bumping right outside my door and has been for the past couple hours. I foresee it going a couple more. I ventured out at the beginning of the party to get some stuff from the raan kai ka, or little store and closed my door when I came home as I did not have the energy to try and join the festivities this time. But I did try to analyze karaoke in an Asian context as opposed to a Western one. more “For the Love of Karaoke in Thailand” …

Peace Corps Week 2014 Video: Laura and Zack

March 2, 2014

In honor of Peace Corps Week this year, the team at headquarters in Washington is holding a video contest. The theme is “What I Wish Americans Knew.” My friends and fellow volunteers, Zack and Laura, created a really great video. Check it out!

So Much Fun at the 2014 Thai Youth Theatre Festival

February 25, 2014

Right around this time last year, my group, Thailand 125, watched videos made by the group before us that advertised all the different committees of volunteers working here in Thailand. They ranged from HIV/AIDS Outreach committee to the Project Resource Committee to Sticky Rice Newsletter to the Thai Youth Theatre Project Committee. I was drawn to a number of them, and applied for quite a few and was selected to be an editor of the volunteer produced newsletter Sticky Rice and to be the Deputy Director of Public Relations for the Thai Youth Theatre Committee.

A group of my students have been preparing to perform at the annual Festival, the culminating event of the TYT Project, which was this past weekend. Nearly 140 students from 13 different communities came together in Lopburi to learn about singing, dancing, mask making, shadow puppets and sword fighting and to perform a short play entirely in English that they had prepared in front of the rest of the participants. I’ll let the pictures from this weekend speak for themselves. more “So Much Fun at the 2014 Thai Youth Theatre Festival” …

6 Exotic (and Delicious) Fruits of Thailand

February 21, 2014

When I was in San Francisco for staging, the first couple days of Peace Corps before leaving for whatever country you’ve been assigned to, one of the facilitators said, “Any fruit lovers? You are going to love Thailand. There is so much fresh fruit and so many different kinds.” Having had a year to experience all of the different fruit seasons here, I can tell you for certain, that she was right. Let me give you a short run down of some of the fruits here that are not as widely available in the States. more “6 Exotic (and Delicious) Fruits of Thailand” …

My Peace Corps Service is 50% Complete

February 18, 2014

There have been a flurry of time marking milestones happening over the last couple months. First, there was New Year’s Eve and Day. Next came the one year anniversary of coming to Thailand. Then there was my 26th birthday. Friday was Maka Bucha Day, or the first Thai holiday that I have had a chance to celebrate twice. Finally, Sunday marked the day of the half-way point of my service in Thailand. I have now been in Thailand longer than I have left here. more “My Peace Corps Service is 50% Complete” …

Woman Monk’s Fight for Equality in Thailand

February 16, 2014

A group of Peace Corps volunteers recently held the first Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) camp in Thailand. One of the aims of this camp is to build the confidence and broaden the horizons of girls. The organizers invited a female monk to come and speak to the girls. In Thailand, only men are allowed to be monks, but these women are challenging the status quo. Check out this documentary about them!