Quick update! I have finally moved to my permanent site, which is Chaiyaphum located in the Issan region of Thailand. (Thai people don't use state, county, city, neighborhood, etc. like we do in America. They say Jangwat, like a state, Ampur, like a county, Tambon, like a city, and Mooban, village. Chaiyaphum in Thai terms is my Jangwat; pictured here.) I want to say that my host family and everyone that I met at my training site are amazing people and I learned so much from the little time that I had spent with them. It was an amazing experience to be able to "learn by doing" (shout out Cal Poly) while training for what I get to do for two years. The day we left for site was bitter sweet because I had to say good bye to so many people that have been by my side since the beginning. Saying good bye to the kids that I was able to get close to in my community was very hard, but they will always have a place in my heart and I will never forget the impression they left on me. My fellow trainees helped me get through the sometimes very stressful situations and enjoyed some of my happiest memories all within the two and a half months of training we had together. However, the day we left site and the day we were sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers is the beginning of my two year Peace Corps journey in Thailand. Today, I am writing to you from my site and I still believe that I am dreaming. My new host family consist of a family of four: Meh Samlan, Paw Boontin, Pii Saao (older sister) Niit, and another Pii Saao (she works in Bangkok and I have not met her yet, but I will soon enough). The house is beautiful (cribs video to come) and the neighborhood matches in beauty. I live in a farming village where most people farm rice, vegetables, fruit, and/or raise livestock. For work, I work with my Bhalat (vice mayor; who is the sweetest person you will ever meet) and my counterpart (community development officer in the local government office; I believe we're friends already but who knows), and so far my schedule consists of going around to each of the villages making impromptu speeches about myself in Thai and meeting the village leaders. I made a routine of getting up early in the morning to run at a trail near my neighborhood and it helps me feel like I have some control over my life, since for now my schedule is subject to whatever they have planned for me. I will have more info to come, but just know that I am being taken care of and I have been having the time of my life here. I am so excited to see where this journey takes me and I know I will grow so much; more so than I already have. One thing that I am reminded of constantly is that I have the privilege of experiencing what people can only dream of. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Privilege. noun a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people. synonyms: benefit, advantage I have been wanting to travel to Thailand for a very long time because I am drawn by it's beauty and the way everyone who has traveled here describes how kind the people are and how fascinating its culture is. I would just like to say now that I can confirm that the people are beyond kind and their culture is something everyone should experience. However, during the time that I have been here in Thailand, I have had many wonderful experiences, but I am sometimes faced with frustrating and challenging experiences as well. I find myself getting frustrated for not understanding or not knowing what to do, getting stressed when I get put on the spot, and overwhelmed by the different experiences and new information that gets thrown at me each day while trying to integrate into a culture that is very complex. I needed to stop myself, take a step back and change the way I was thinking about my situation. When I took that moment to think I came to the realization that I am very privileged to be here, to experience everything that I have so far, and what I will be able to experience. As a Peace Corps volunteer, in any country, I believe that we are given a unique experience to learn from others and to work with individuals that most people in America would never get the chance to work with. There are many benefits that come with being a Peace Corps volunteer, especially as a volunteer in Thailand, and in this post I would like to discuss some of the things that I believe makes me privileged while I'm here. I think that recognizing the privileges that I receive as an individual allows me to appreciate the life that I have, my experiences, and the people that I encounter every day. (Before reading, please recognize that these are my thoughts and my thoughts alone, people that fall within any of these general categories could feel totally different than me.) So here they are: I am privileged because...
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