When I was asked to write about my youth in development sector work in Thailand, I wondered if I should write about a single event, a single day or the overall experience.
Though they represent less than 5% of the overall Volunteer population, Americans over the age of 50 are a valuable asset to the Peace Corps community.
Upon arriving to my school, the first thing I asked for
was a classroom or anything that could potentially be used as one. More than
anything, I knew that I had to have a designated space to teach in, that I
could call my own. I did not want to have to trudge all my belongings from one
class to the next, and I desperately wanted a space that my students and I felt
belonged to us, specifically, to learn in.
“Can you describe to me what your social life is like at site?” I eagerly asked a fellow Peace Corps Thailand Volunteer at our joint swearing in/close of service ceremony.
May is Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month, or so people tell me, but I never knew that we had our own special month because I've always identified as just a regular American.
From the traditional (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah) to the fun (Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day) and the obscure (Roadkill Cook-off, Burning Man, the Gilroy Garlic Festival), Americans celebrate many different festivals with friends, family and strangers alike.
