Natalie Garro, TESS 129 I’d cried. I’d cried regularly for months, for weeks. I’d cried nearly all day every day for three days before we got the email. I’d cried so much, […]
On the “Great Peace Corps Evacuation of 2020” (Named by Khun Michelle)
Heartbreak
Alison Reenock, TESS 131 It started 15 months ago when our flight touched down in Bangkok on that January 5th afternoon. We were all hot, fatigued, walking through the motions, a little […]
Still There
Moises Puentes, TESS 131 Its been almost three weeks since I was forced to leave the mountains I had begun to call home, and after a few days of traveling, as soon […]
COVID-19 Personified
The smell of alcohol pierces my nostrils. My co-workers frantically disperse hand sanitizer in pocket-sized tubes to prevent the spread of you. I live in the Land of Smiles, which your suffocating masks have smothered. You not only incited hysteria, you robbed us all of the intimacy of touch.
Letters to the People I had to Leave
Kayla Kawalec, YinD 132 To Mee: I have to write this one first, because there’s so much I want to say to you, and have always wanted to say to you, but […]
I’m an RPCV: I Think
Kayla Myelle Chisholm, YinD 132 The “welcome home”s are hard, but we knew that they would be. The goodbyes were hard, but we knew that those would be too. All the things […]
exodus pandemia (Dear Volunteers, we are sorry that the global situation has escalated…)
Ian Tramm, YinD 131 for months all i’d seen were bright lights foreign colors rich and vibrant exciting in their novelty and future promise, woefully all it takes is the volant gust […]
Service Interrupted
Kevin Lentz, YinD 131 The dawn is slowly giving shape to the rolling hills and tall pine trees that surround my family home in North Georgia. Four days ago, this was a […]
The Silent Homecoming
Emily Maginnis, TESS 131 It’s 5 am and I’m wide awake. Could be from the jet lag from Saturday’s flight, or just the unanswered questions building up in my head. Probably both. […]
Thank you, Group 130!
As the 27-month service of Group 130 comes to an end, we – Group 131 – have found ourselves reflecting on all that you have done to teach us, encourage us, and […]
My Hardest Goodbye
Yaneth “Janet” Peña, 130 YinD I once asked a friend if she felt her Peace Corps service had gone by quickly. She said: “the days are long but the months fly by.” […]
The Perks of Being a Rule Follower
Theresa Kozelka, 129 YinD One of the most defining aspects of being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand is our unique choice of transportation. Unlike 95% of the Thai population, which can […]
Day 780
Yousif Al-Amin, 129 TESS I started writing as a kid, imagining stories in my head and then jotting them down wherever I could: notebooks, napkins, even providing unsolicited edits in the margins […]
The Final Love Letter
Alex Cotrufello, 129 YinD I’ve been watching a lot of Gilmore Girls lately. And before that Friends. And before that, any other show that was comforting and not to do with heartbreak […]
Packing
Megan Cindric, 129 YinD My backpack sat untouched in the corner of my room for months. I was in denial about it all, thinking that the end of my service would forever […]
Peace Corps Thailand Magazine 