Sticky Rice

Kayla McCabe, 129 YinD

Less than two months to go! Are you freaking out yet? If so, don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Saying goodbye to one world only to dive headfirst into who knows what is hard in itself. On top of that add lots of well-meaning individuals asking you questions about service you may or may not be able to answer, sharing unending advice and resources, and trying to fit in that “last meal” with you. It’s enough to make any sane person lock themselves in a room and wonder if they will ever feel ready for what’s ahead. At this point, I have shared lots of advice on how to physically prepare, but, the truth is, you will have a bundle of emotions to process no matter how much you know about what’s to come. So here’s what I want you to do:

1. Find a quiet space and close your eyes. Take a moment and pay attention to what you are feeling. What emotion is the strongest? Can you pinpoint what is causing you to feel that way? Write this down, if you can.
2. Find the sentence or phrase below that most closely aligns with what you just wrote down.
3. Below each sentence is a link to a blog post. These posts were written by volunteers that are currently in country either before they left America or during their first few weeks in Thailand. I encourage you to read these posts which may express feelings similar to yours.
4. After reading the linked post, explore the volunteer’s blog a little more. They felt a variety of emotions before moving abroad and have faced their fair share of challenges here. But they have also adjusted and succeeded in many ways. You are facing a big challenge now but it’s important to remember that you applied and were chosen for a reason and, no matter what you’re feeling now, there is plenty of adventure and success in your future!

Scared yet inspired, anticipation about what unique strengths I can bring to my service; Lauren Cono, 129 TCCS

https://lernfreedom.wordpress.com/2016/11/08/strength-finder-putting-my-best-barefoot-forward/

Arriving in Thailand I knew that I had made the right decision even though I had no idea what I was doing; Michael Marano, 129 TCCS

https://maicol.blog/2017/01/

Open- minded despite discomfort; Yousif Al- Amin, 129 TCCS

https://somuchtodosolittlethai.wordpress.com/2017/01/20/week-2/

ALL the emotions! I was literally feeling so emotional and uncertain about what my life was about to turn into; Erin Hardin, 128 YinD

https://erinisdiscoveringtheworld.wordpress.com/

Packed and ready! Clarence Say, 129 TCCS

https://clarevoyence.com/2017/01/04/closing-thoughts/

SOS, I miss my favorite foods and I haven’t even left yet and now I can’t stop eating; Megan Ziegler, 129 TCCS

https://korhaichokdee.travel.blog/2016/12/24/pre-departure-anxiety/

I’m ready! But I’ve also never felt this unready in my life; Megan Ziegler, 129 TCCS

https://korhaichokdee.travel.blog/2016/11/30/first-blog-post/

Everyone is telling me different things and I have no idea what to actually pack, am I doing this wrong? Megan Ziegler, 129 TCCS

https://korhaichokdee.travel.blog/2017/01/01/the-things-we-put-in-our-carryons/

A mess of emotions and nerves. Anxiousness, excitement, sadness, fear (of the vast unknown), anticipation, etc. Carly Allard, 129 YinD

https://thaimeforadventure.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/leaving/

I’ve been abroad so I definitely know what to expect… right? Elizabeth Marik, 129 YinD

http://elizalandpc.blogspot.com/2017/01/from-place-i-didnt-know-to-place-i-dont.html

Peace Corps is a dream come true and 100% what I want to be doing. I just wish people would stop questioning my decision; Celete Kato, 129 TCCS

https://celetekato.blog/2016/10/06/next-stop-thailand/

I’m so tired of preparation, get me to staging! Celete Kato, 129 TCCS

https://celetekato.blog/2017/01/11/ready-set-staging

I don’t know, I honestly have no expectations. Megan Cindric, 129 YinD

https://lifebythericefields.weebly.com/stories/category/1-beginnings

Everything (even packing!) feels very bittersweet; Rae Richards, 129 TCCS

https://kawpkoon.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/on-wanting-to-hold-everyone-in-my-arms-and-love-love-love/

https://kawpkoon.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/a-word-on-packing/

https://kawpkoon.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/how-to-say-goodbye-while-saying-hello/

I feel like I’ve done so much to prepare and there’s so much left to do but I’m also ready to get this thing started! Linda Smittle, 128 TCCS

https://pcthailand.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/im-getting-ready-to-go-off-again/

TEFL is actually driving me crazy; Linda Smittle, 128 TCCS

https://pcthailand.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/learning-english/

Every time someone asks me about Peace Corps I feel more nervous because I can’t answer their questions; Linda Smittle, 128 TCCS

https://pcthailand.wordpress.com/2015/12/25/three-answers-to-one-question/

Round 2! How do I approach this maybe similar but also very different experience? Linda Smittle, 128 TCCS

https://pcthailand.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/anticipation/

I know there’s a lot I don’t know, but I do know that this is what I want to be doing! Josh Kaufmann, 128 YinD

https://barefootandboundless.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/how-i-want-to-live/

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