Chaa Thai is a podcast spilling the tea on Peace Corps volunteer life in Thailand! Each episode, hosts Alyssa Strong and Lilly Hromadka interview a current Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand and do a deep dive on their experience at their host site. The tea is that there are as many examples of what service is like for a volunteer in Thailand as there are volunteers — join us as we get a taste!

Our tea table has found its way down South, to the province of Patthalung, where we set up in the warmth and history of TESS volunteer Ollie’s home. She greets us with a uniquely Thai and boldly tropical blend, claiming a right to the country she serves and the environment of her site as only a half Thai, half Hawaiin can. The tea is punctuated by nostalgia and scented with history as we hear about her childhood visiting Thailand, legacy ties to the Peace Corps, and the relationships that have come from them in adulthood.

We pour cup after cup as Ollie spills the tea about her work, bonding with her host mom over exercise, and daily life at site. The kettle bubbles in tune to our laughter as she tells all about the highs and lows of service, the unexpected joy we find, and the connections we form across time and distance. Join us this week for a heartwarming cup on an uplifting episode of Chaa Thai!

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Find more episodes of the Chaa Thai podcast here.