Not So Different After All
Hana Walsh, 137 YinD
When I first considered joining the Peace Corps (PC), I knew life would change — but it’s hard to fully understand what that means until you’re in it. Like many prospective volunteers, I found myself wondering what it would feel like to step into a place that looked and felt completely different from the world I knew.
That question started to feel more real on my first day of pre-service training (PST). We sat together during orientation — exhausted from the long flight but full of anticipation for what the next 27 months might hold — as the PC staff walked us through the differences we might encounter. The heat, the dogs, the spiciness of the food— each example painted a clearer picture of the life we were stepping into.
Around the room, people reacted with curiosity and excitement. The collective chorus of “oohs” and “aahs” made it clear that we were all feeling that pull towards something new.
Week 3: The curry culprit
Now that I’ve completed PST, I can confirm those differences were not exaggerated. The sun on your skin while biking every day is intense, the dogs don’t bark, they hong — and the food really IS spicier (during week 3 of PST, a duck curry splashed into my eye and for a second I genuinely wondered if I’d have to call the PC Medical Office to report temporary blindness).
As the weeks of PST went on, I started to notice something I hadn’t expected: how much felt the same.
Before coming here, I think part of me viewed this experience through a lens of difference — defining the place by what it lacked. But it didn’t take long for me to see that the people around me weren’t waiting for change to come from somewhere else. They were already creating it. They invested in their students, supported their communities, and carried a strong sense of pride in their culture. I saw my own intentions reflected back at me: a shared desire to contribute in meaningful ways.
Even in everyday interactions, that sense of familiarity kept showing up.
Week 3: Belly rubs are universal
Sharing food carries the same meaning, even when the dishes themselves are different. The polite tone mandated by the Thai language echoes the same respect found in any culture. Even the way teenage students chit-chat during class feels refreshingly familiar. Despite all the differences, so much has remained the same (including, to my great pleasure, the iced matcha lattes).
Attended a Thai Birthday party, celebrated the same way it is everywhere– with family, friends, and food!
Many view the mission of the Peace Corps as building a bridge between cultures. But bridges don’t just connect two separate sides — they also remind us that the distance between them may not be as wide as we once believed.
In short, I came here expecting to step into a place completely different from the world I knew. Instead, I’m recognizing how much we already share — and how that shared humanity is what allows us to truly make a lasting impact.
