Editor’s Note: Part of this piece was meant to be included in the writing staff’s “Never Thought I’d Be Into ___ Until I Joined Peace Corps” group article but was left out due to an oversight on my part. Apologies for the error and thank you to Grace for agreeing to expand the piece so that it could still be shared!
Grace Teng, 134 TESS
I am not a runner. In America I thought I had exercise induced asthma because every time I tried to run, I would come home wheezing. Running at site, therefore, was obviously not my idea of a good time. The previous PCV at my site would run around the village, and I suppose my host family thought I would like to do the same. Within my first few days at site, my host mom and sister showed me this beautiful pond and told me that I could run there. Out of respect for my host family, I decided I would attempt to actually go run at this pond. For the first week or two I started to get up early (before the heat of the day decided to reign down and prevent me from wanting to do anything) and go run around the pond. I started off very slow with many a walking break. Gradually, I have gotten more comfortable with running and just a few weeks ago ran my 5k route the fastest I had ever done. I don’t have the time to run every day anymore, but when I do push myself to get out there, it’s one of the best parts of my day. I love being able to put in my favorite tunes of the moment or my newly created running playlist and just go. Villagers always greet me along the way which also never fails to bring a smile to my face. I have even been deemed “the running girl.”
While I am still “the running girl,” my active exercising time has expanded to include a variety of sports. My favorite is badminton. As the former Vice President of my university badminton club, I jumped at the chance to get back to playing. Unfortunately, I am not as good as I used to be, and the kids often obliterate me. Although I am no better a player than a measly fourth grader, I do have the absolute best time on the court. For the weeks that I have started playing after school, typically from around 2:30 PM to almost 6:00 PM at times, I have enjoyed every bit of it. My students know how much I love this game and have even been stopping by on weekends to ask me to play. My heart melts every time they include me, especially considering my students are my only friends at site.
Pictured above is me playing badminton during lunch, sweating through my scout uniform, and my lovely student, Dew, expertly playing with two rackets.
More recently, under unfortunate circumstances, my students and I have played badminton perhaps too hard. There may or may not have been a time where I dove for the birdie and gave myself a bit of street pizza in the process (no, I did not make the return shot). Were my students scared? Yes. Did I revel in their doting? Maybe a little bit, yes. The unfortunate part, however, lies in the fact that our rackets are pretty much unusable now that we have played so much. The netting has completely come undone, and the holes are too big to passably use. When my students asked about our school’s ability to purchase new rackets, I found out that we don’t have the money to do so. Since I was absent for our other group article, “Biggest Stipend Splurge,” I will make another individual addition to say that I am in the process of purchasing four new rackets out of my own pocket because I miss playing so much. I have also already purchased a six pack of plastic shuttlecocks for a whopping total of 300 baht. The four rackets cost approximately 500 baht, so rackets plus birdies equal an exorbitant 800 baht. Money well spent if you ask me.
WARNING GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF INJURY
I have also taken up an occasional position on the volleyball court. While badminton is my sport of choice, volleyball is my students’. Each of my students have specifically told me it’s their favorite sport, and they are always playing after school every day. I don’t partake quite as often as the kids, and I probably never would if not for their constant invitations to join. I have always found volleyball much too hard and, frankly, a bit painful. When I do make it into a game, however, I do find myself getting into the spirit of the game and remember why it’s so fun to play on a team.
The sports don’t stop at school. I’ll mention one last sport I occasionally play. This “sport” is more of just an outdoor game. The game is called “pétanque” and I had never even heard of it until I came to Thailand. If you have ever played bocce ball, it’s quite similar to that, but with metal balls. I am an absolutely atrocious player; it appears I have been born with the inability to aim. My lovely counterpart teacher, however, loves this game. I often find myself going to play to just see how excited and competitive she gets.
I had never been one to play sports before coming to Thailand, and I have to say I was really missing out! If I can be cheesy for a quick moment, there is such a community in playing sports with people. For a moment in time, it feels like nothing else matters but trying to win (also laughing and having fun with your friends). Seeing kids outside playing these games with each other makes me think of how much I never saw that in America. I can’t speak for everywhere, but in my small town in Massachusetts, I never saw children playing outside or in public fields and courts. Maybe kids would play if part of a school team, but even then, you are relegated to your specific grade and age group. Here, there is such a special sense of community to see all the village kids come play, no matter their age, and always be welcome. I am so grateful that I get to be one of these “kids” for the next two years, and you never know, with all this training I might even make it to the next Olympic badminton competition.
Sticky Rice 
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