Larissa Delgado, 130 YinD

During Group 130’s Reconnect Conference a lot of us throughout the two weeks got tattoos. Prior to that I had also heard of volunteers from Group 129 getting tattooed during their service. I’ve always loved tattoos because they can be spontaneous or well thought out, hold meaning to someone, and are essentially permanent works of art that people commit to on their bodies. The particular time and place in one’s life that someone decides to get a tattoo also intrigues me, and I believe that tattoos can help preserve your memory of where you were when you got it. So upon finally getting my wave tattoo in Kanchanaburi, I was very curious to hear the stories behind some of the tattoos that other volunteers had gotten while in Thailand, and if there were any connections to their service as Peace Corps Volunteers. After hearing many experiences we’ve decided to start a series featuring PCVs and their tattoo stories. The following is my story, along with the first few participants that have agreed to share their own.

Hoi Kipgen, 129 YinD

1. Describe your tattoo, and give a brief story about when and where (in Thailand,) you got it done.
My first and only tattoo is a geometric art depicting the solar system. I got it at Koh Phi Phi island last September when my friends came to visit me!

2. What is the meaning of your tattoo, if any, and does it connect you to your Peace Corps service?
My tattoo represents the universe and what it stands for, at least at this point in my life. It connects me to my Peace Corps service in a sense that the meaning behind my tattoo really solidifies my presence and work here in Thailand! Which explains why my tattoo’s interpretation has also changed overtime through different circumstances. Initially, it was in regards to aligning positive energies with people, things, and situations and eventually raising our vibrations for our well-being. And the idea of cherishing every moment, places and people in our lives because they’re there for a reason. Lately, it is a gentle reminder to myself that “when you want something all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – The Alchemist

3. What inspired you to get it, and do you think that if you weren’t a Peace Corps Volunteer, you would have still gotten it?
My service definitely inspired me to get it! I would still have gotten it if I wasn’t a Peace Corps Volunteer but it wouldn’t hold the same meaning and depth as it does now.

4. If you had to sum up the tattoo in one word what would that word be?
Universe?

Christalynn Hamer, 130 TESS

1. Describe your tattoo, and give a brief story about when and where (in Thailand,) you got it done.
In Kanchanaburi during Reconnect, I got a spine tattoo with the script “grounded in grace”.

2. What is the meaning of your tattoo, if any, and does it connect you to your Peace Corps service?
My tattoo has a lot to do with my service so far. Before coming to Thailand the one goal I set for myself was learning how to love better, and that’s unfolded in unexpected ways. All in all, in my journey from PST to this 6 going on 7 month mark grace has so much to do with love. During the first three months at site I found myself repeating the mantra be gracious with yourself, be gentle, meaning allow yourself to be as raw as you need to be in this moment. The strength I thought I was practicing felt like self bullying so that revelation was a breath of fresh air. Shortly after school began the definition of grace shifted to being more gracious with others; being kind, considerate, understanding, and making room for others’ perspectives at school and at home, which sounds way more poetic than it feels. So the idea of grace is ever expanding for me here.

3. What inspired you to get it, and do you think that if you weren’t a Peace Corps Volunteer, you would have still gotten it?
I’ve been wanting a spine tattoo for a while now, it was just never the right time or money was never falling into place the way I wanted, so Kanchanaburi was presented as a perfect opportunity. Even if I wasn’t a PCV I would’ve still gotten the tattoo without a doubt.

4. If you had to sum up the tattoo in one word what would that word be?
Grace.

Megan Cindric, 129 YinD

1. Describe your tattoo, and give a brief story about when and where (in Thailand,) you got it done.
My tattoo is the silhouette of a red pine tree. It’s an idea I’d been considering for a while, but when I had my best friend from home visit I knew it was the right time to get it. We were spending a few days up in Pai in northern Thailand and it felt like the perfect opportunity to do it!

2. What is the meaning of your tattoo, if any, and does it connect you to your Peace Corps service?
Growing up I spent a lot of time in the Northern woods of Wisconsin with family and friends. It’s always been a second home for me, and it’s the place I find myself missing the most during service. This tattoo reminds me of how connected I am to my friends and my home in America while I’m here, and it is motivating me to finish strong with my last 6 months of service.

3. What inspired you to get it, and do you think that if you weren’t a Peace Corps Volunteer, you would have still gotten it?
Honestly having my friend Emma visit was the deciding factor for me. I think there’s a possibility I would have gotten it regardless of Peace Corps, but being in Thailand has really helped me cherish the places I call home, and this tattoo holds so much more meaning to me here. It’s like a little piece of home I get to carry with me all the time.

4. If you had to sum up the tattoo in one word what would that word be?
One word? Home. Definitely.

Read about the other volunteers featured: Larissa, Bethany, Natalie, & Janet and Elizabeth, Berline, & Celete, and Dalton, Kali, & Clarence.