This is a part of a series of Q&As with returned Peace Corps Volunteers who identify as first-generation college students and/or new Americans. Learn how they navigated the challenges of the decision-making process and service abroad!

If I’d celebrated my 65th birthday like many Americans, I might have gone to a fancy restaurant with friends and family.

I have made it through my first holiday season in Moldova!

Before arriving in Moldova, I had a romanticized idea of what it meant to be a Peace Corps Volunteer.

I asked some of my fellow volunteers what they are thankful for.

I was born in Manila, Philippines, and my family immigrated to California when I was 11.

What if we taught children with disabilities in Moldova how to be young entrepreneurs? We could teach them skills that would allow them to be financially independent or, at the very least, ease the burden of home-care on their families. But how?

When I accepted my invitation to serve and began preparing to come to Moldova, one of my biggest questions was of course: what am I going to be eating every day?

We each have a unique opportunity to bring hope every day to someone.

When I came to Moldova I made a list of all the things I wanted to experience and learn. Things like: make mamaliga and eat it with my hands, visit the monastery at Orhei Vechi and the Soroca fortress, and learn embroidery.