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!
From the sweeping views of Lampang, we’ve traveled even further North to the crisp air of Chiang Mai and the district of Fang, to the home of YinD volunteer Melena. Full of boundless energy, balanced by an embracing warmth, her blend of Chaa Thai has us sipping with wide eyes while sinking further down into cozy cushions. Instead of setting up our own table, we find seats at the coffee shop her family owns, underneath her own rooms. She spills all about navigating cultural differences, tackling hard topics in the classroom, balancing a whopping 8 schools, and how her expectations shifted due to her counterpart’s health concerns.
Pouring cup after cup leads us to her favorite site activities, her wonderful host mother, and the students she’s come to know best. But just when we thought there was nothing left to spill, Melena puts another kettle on and serves us instead, asking some hard-hitting questions about our time in the classroom, where we’re headed next and what lessons from Thailand we’ll take with us. Join us this week for an energizing, good-for-the-mind-body-and-soul cup of Chaa Thai!
Find more episodes of the Chaa Thai podcast here.
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