Today the 55 members of Thai 126 met in Washington, DC for Staging. This was an all day event, and a very refreshing experience. I got to meet and interact with a room full of diverse, incredible, inspiring, like-minded individuals. We shared stories of the processes and the journey that brought us all together to this, the beginning of an experience of a lifetime. We discussed our anxieties, our aspirations, and our motivations. It was so refreshing to hear many of my own thoughts echoed by my fellow group members. I look forward to spending the next few months getting to know these individuals a lot better as we go through our training and begin our service.
The Deputy Chief from the Royal Thai Embassy stopped by to greet us, extend best wishes, and pre-welcome us to his country. He shared a few fun facts: Did you know that the King of Thailand (Bhumipol Adulyadej) was born in America (Cambridge, Mass)? We learned a lot about the country that we will soon be calling home, and the presenters briefed us on logistical and technical information for our transition to service and life in the beautiful country that is known as The Land of Smiles. In regards to the recent political demonstrations, we were assured that we will be out of the way (away from Bangkok) and those events would not foreseeably hamper or otherwise negatively impact our experience.
We did some reflective exercises today, and I thought back to a part of the application process where we were asked to complete an aspiration statement by answering a few questions. My submission is below.
Identify three professional attributes that you plan to use during your Peace Corps service and how these will help meet your aspirations and commitment to service.
The past few years spent working with youth have allowed me to capitalize upon and further develop communication skills, organization skills, and leadership skills. I believe that these professional attributes will be conducive to my success as a Youth Development Worker in Thailand. Although I have yet to learn the language, I recognize that communication is vital and consists of listening to, learning from, and developing an understanding with my partners and the individuals that I will be serving. Organization involves being orderly, timely, and prepared; I plan to exhibit these traits as much as possible throughout various aspects of my service. Leadership is the most important skill, and it begins with earning the trust and respect of my community, my partners and my students. I will exercise and exhibit leadership through my work and through my conduct, to not only earn, but to maintain a level of mutual trust and respect throughout my service in Thailand.
Briefly identify two strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs.
Maintaining an open mind is one strategy that will help me to work effectively with my partners, this includes being patient, flexible, and willing to learn and adapt to ideas and beliefs that are different from my own. Collaboration is another strategy that will allow me to help meet the expressed needs of my host country, an emphasis on teamwork will ensure that expressed needs are met and well satisfied.
Your strategy for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.
As a stranger in a new land, I will strive to always be observant and respectful to the culture and practices around me and I will act in accordance to the local customs. I will embrace opportunities to learn and to integrate myself into the community, as well as opportunities to share aspects of my own culture. If possible, I would like to be able to develop a healthy balanced lifestyle that incorporates aspects of my native and adopted cultures.
The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project.
During my Pre-Service Training, I hope to develop a greater understanding of the people, the culture, and the language that I would be adopting as my own for the next two years. As a Peace Corps volunteer, and as a young American woman of color, I also expect to learn techniques and strategies that will help me to present and represent myself and my country in the best possible way, while being culturally sensitive. I would also like to learn more about the structure and environment that I will be working in. Overall, I just want to be well prepared to successfully integrate into my community, develop a good working relationship with my partners, and make a great and positive impact on my students.
How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends.
Personally, I believe that the Peace Corps experience will expand my horizons exponentially and provide me with better understanding of humanity, mankind, the world that we live in, and myself. I look forward to living through the life-changing experiences and adventures that will later become stories that I hope to share with my future children and grandchildren. Professionally, I believe that my experience with the Peace Corps will lead to continued interest in federal, international, non-profit and/or philanthropic work. It is hard to say specifically, but I am confident that the values, lessons, and skills acquired as a Peace Corps Volunteer will follow me always, no matter where life takes me, around the world and back again.
Thanks for reading. Tomorrow is the big day, we will be leaving the US in just a few hours, and we'll finally heading to Thailand! We most likely would not have immediate access to internet/email, but I'll be sure to update as soon as I can. Please keep my entire group in your thoughts and prayers as we embark upon this journey. Until Next Time...
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