Peace And Smiles
My adventures as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand:The Land of Smiles
9/9/2018 1 Comment From Two PerspectivesMy sister, Meghan, visited me in August. We both wrote about her trip to my site for the Sticky Rice, the Peace Corps Thailand Magazine! (pctmagazine.org) Kayla:“We look alike but that’s about where the similarities stop” is how I’ve been describing my older sister, Meghan, for as long as I can remember. All of our teachers would talk about how much more studious she was, how much chattier I was. She ran cross country, I was a swimmer; she would turn carefully through a ski run while I came crashing along behind her, trying to see how fast I could go and how many people I could shower in snow when I slid to a stop. She graduated and went to law school, I joined the Peace Corps. But, these are minor differences when one considers the power of a sister relationship. She is only 13 months older than me, we grew up together. We shared a room for 17 years: procrastinating on homework, getting ready for dances, packing for camp and vacation, packing for college. We babysat our siblings together, we pranked our siblings together. Meghan and I have shared most of our life experiences with each other and, recently, I was able to share my home in Thailand with her. My sister landed in Bangkok on August 3rd with two of our cousins and two of her close friends. Four of them had just taken the Bar Exam and we spent our first weekend celebrating in Bangkok with matcha blizzards, temple tours, and a Khao San adventure. Then, on Sunday night, the six of us boarded a night bus and began the journey to my community in Khong Chai, Kalasin. We were planning on spending two days visiting my home and, while this part of the trip would definitely place the group far outside their comfort zones, it was the part I was most excited about. The people in my community had been hearing for over a year about the girl who looked like me and the anticipation of her arrival had mounted considerably in the previous weeks. The stares started the minute we got on the song tao to my community and the love followed not long after we got off. The students from my closest school saw us pass and five of them brought their bikes to my house so we could visit my further school that afternoon. My co-teacher followed closely behind with extra fans and bedding and my landlady came over to welcome everyone to Khong Chai. Across the next two days, we visited two schools, played a lot of volleyball (to the entertainment of my students), and greeted an endless stream of curious community members, all of whom exclaimed “naa muaan!” (same face!) upon seeing Meghan and I together. The teachers at both school made sure there was plenty of non-spicy food for everyone to eat and asked excitedly about the places we were traveling to next. I loved watching and translating all of the interactions but, perhaps unsurprisingly for anyone who knows me, my favorite part was introducing the neighborhood kids. I fondly refer to the group of kids on my street as the Tiny Neighbor Squad and we hang out just about every day. They have seen lots of photos of Meghan and counted the freckles on my arms, asking in disbelief if she really has more than I do. Meanwhile, Meghan has seen my plethora of Tiny Neighbor Instagram posts and loves interacting with kids. Naturally, the kids were a little intimidated by the pack of new, non- Thai speaking farangs, but then some of them pulled out my jump rope, a couple others my Sorry board and soon everyone was figuring out ways to communicate and play together. The second day, even more kids came over and a street wide game of Monkey in the Middle broke out. Over the past year and a half, I’ve gone from the scary farang, to a friend, to a big sister- trusted by the moms to care for their kids and go on biking adventures all over the community. I have six younger siblings so these relationships have been a familiar comfort, drawing me out of my house and making me laugh even on my worst days. Introducing them to part of my American family and watching the way they all connected with each other felt like merging the most important parts of my two worlds. After leaving my site, Meghan, the group, and I travelled up to Chiang Mai and down to Koh Phi Phi. These places were beautiful and I’m really grateful to have had the chance to show everyone all over this country but the trip to my site remains a highlight. Meghan knows about my home now and understands how I live my life and sharing an experience like this one will always surpass any of our differences. Meghan:I have been lucky enough to have had several opportunities to travel the world. I have experienced different cultures, languages, and lifestyles and have formed relationships with people across the globe. Most of my travels, however, have led me to the large cities and the parts of the country catered to tourists. When I decided to travel to Thailand to visit my sister, Kayla, during her Peace Corps service, I knew I would be experiencing Thailand in a way that I had not experienced the other countries. As I was preparing for my trip to Thailand, I was excited to see a new part of the world and I was excited to see my sister and what her life has been like for the past two years, but, for the first time before international travel, I was anxious. I was anxious about travelling to a country where I did not know the language; I was anxious about experiencing a culture completely different from anything I have experienced; I was anxious about the level of discomfort I knew I would experience when I entered a rural Thai community; I was anxious about the level of discomfort my presence might cause for the members of a rural Thai community. My anxiety was unfounded for two reasons: (1) I did not realize that my sister was viewed by the community members as a part of the community, not a visitor; and (2) the Thai people are some of the most welcoming people I have ever encountered. The first time we drove into my sister’s village, was an unreal experience. Every road we drove down, everyone stopped and stared with a questioning look on their face. Who were these foreigners that were entering their village? The closer we drove to my sister’s home, the more anxious I became. However, as soon as Kayla stepped out of the song tao everyone’s demeanor changed. Kayla was a neighbor who was returning home from a vacation, not a stranger who was upsetting their daily life. She was greeted with smiles and waves and laughter. I also had the opportunity to visit her two schools. All of her co-teachers and students greeted us with smiles, hugs and their best attempts at English. We were welcomed friends of Kayla who was now a friend, sister, mentor, and daughter. We easily blended into the multiple communities Kayla is a part of because of the relationships Kayla has fostered during her time in Thailand. My short time in Thailand was incredible and it was a pleasure meeting the Thai people, a people who seem to find happiness in the smallest of life’s moments. I was also glad to discover that my sister has found a family abroad. She has truly found people who love and care for her.
1 Comment
Aunt Loyola
9/10/2018 04:00:00 am
Kayla and Megan it is you maturity and wisdom that allows you to see beyond the surface of Thailand and understand and appreciate the Thai people. So glad you had a wonderful trip. Kayla do you think you might be a future tour guide for this beautiful country We love You! Aunt Loyola
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