Blog It Home: A PCV in Thailand shares her passions with readers
If one word could describe Sara Kline, a PCV in Thailand and winner of Peace Corps’ Blog It Home competition, it would be passionate.
As fans of her blog know, three of the things Sara’s most passionate about are sharing Thai culture, arts and crafts, and food!
Sara draws inspiration for her blog from her Thai community. “My local community is a huge part of my blogging habits! The sights and sounds of my community influence my photo diary topics and my desire to transport readers to fruit harvests and Buddhist holidays. I am eager for my readers to get to know the familiar community characters who regularly make appearances in my two-year story via community member profiles on my blog.”
She also finds ways to infuse her other passions into her blog. “I believe that a successful blog comes from the heart, and specifically, from the topics that one is passionate about. A passion could be as simple as leading a healthy lifestyle, learning the local dances, or in my case, cooking new recipes and making crafts out of trash! Regardless of one’s writing points of interest, an effective blog is led by a writer who engages his/her readership in those experiences that truly interest the blogger. If you're excited, the chances are your posts will get the readers excited as well.”
Sara’s Getting Crafty series of posts, in particular, have gotten both Peace Corps Volunteers in Thailand and audiences abroad excited. “I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a returned Peace Corps Volunteer knitting group in Washington, D.C. is starting to make plastic-bag yarn based on one of my recycled crafting posts earlier this year. Hearing such positive feedback from my readers warms my heart, and it makes my urge to share ideas that much stronger.”
Sara also hopes that she can support Peace Corps’ Third Goal of sharing other cultures with Americans through her blog. “In the past, Peace Corps’ Third Goal was seen as an objective Volunteers fulfill after their service and after they return to the United States; but thanks to technological advancements, I see the Third Goal as a responsibility that I can carry out throughout and after my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. As a Peace Corps blogger, I hope to foster global conversations about my host country and my service. Through my documented experiences of cross-cultural exchanges and personal growth, I have the ability to show my readers a side of Thailand that goes beyond tourist hotspots and Pad Thai takeout.”