47 Peace Corps Volunteers, 1 Day
Anna McGillicuddy, 129 YinD - Close of Service Speech [audio src="https://stickyricemag.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cos-2.m4a"][/audio]I’d like to begin my speech with a thank you to staffAjaans and Khun Thanakom for giving us voices,Training staff for showing us how to use themAnd our program managers for trusting us in our choices.Let’s not forget those who work behind the scenesCD, program assistants, PCMO, Khun Suthanya working nonstopMarvin & Khun Sumalee we commend you immenselyIf it was us, those damned rent receipts would make our heads pop.Fellow volunteers, I now turn to youTaking you on a day in the life of Anna, yep- a bit bizarreBut my hope is that these words will show youHow this journey has never been just mine, but instead, ours.When I wake up in the mornings I’m usually grumpyAnticipating physical & metaphorical journeys uphillAnd my focus shifts to those who constantly take them onAnd so I channel them, Diana, Dalton, Romil.I roll out of bed and turn on a podcastChoosing one recommended by Alex or CeleteVoices fill the silence and I wonder if they’re doing the sameComforted, feeling connected, distracted from the heat.Bending down to stretch, thoughts begin to swarm my headTo do lists, reminders, swimming around so chattilyI’m momentarily overwhelmed until I hear something soothing‘Remember to breathe’ says the voice of yoga NatalieThe ice water hits my back and I let out a shriekWashing, drying, putting on mismatched clothes in a frenzyI do a double take in the mirror and chuckleNo way would this be approved by Mckenzie.Pulling my bike out, I check the tiresRemembering the tutorial from dear Ms. MarikI smile and find gratitude in that momentHer fierce spirit, providing me with shelter, a barrack.I arrive at morning assembly, greeting my students with hugsTrying my best to counter the smacks from teacher McCrabbyAnd I wish I could hide his hand and his angerLike bamboo sticks behind a desk, a genius move by Abbey.I stand in front of the school as we practice SEEDMaking sure I enunciate and that my voice amplifiesIf only they knew that this had been a joint effortThanks to late night calls with best friends, Carly and Nikolai.We begin class with ASL phonics & they carefully follow my movementsAnd suddenly it all becomes so transparent,In their growth, in their patience, in their determinationI C, K-, ClarenceMy students run up to the board screaming in delightI smile, thinking about how I stole these games from AndyAnd how that small PCV connection made this happenOne exchange, this network, my god, how handy.I teach my p4 science class about Jeptune, ya know, the planet,I shake my head and think that next they’ll have me teaching ThaiGonna leave that up to Chris P, Nathan and JordanWhat even is kaw khai?At lunch my mind wanders to thoughts of breadJealous of bakers Kayla, Megan and KitkatI think of my failed baking attempts and wonder what happenedWhat’s that ingredient they all add? - ah patience - I’d forgotten thatAfter I learn that my classes are cancelled, I want to just screamBut instead I take a moment to summon Mo & QuincyPainting love wherever they goKindness Leonardo Da VincisMonth 23 and I’m still called the wrong nameRemember though Anna, Kyle replaced a PCV too,And Hoi has, well, an interesting BahlatBut look at the work they’ve done, you can learn how to make do.On the days when I wonder what I’m doingWhy I’m working a job without a salaryI focus on the present and see the beauty around mePracticing mindfulness & love, thank you Olivia and Valerie.I walk into class and find quite the sceneMy students rolling around laughing like hyenasTheir laughter, wild, contagiousLike a Khon Kaen weekend with Christian, Pablo, Christina.Surrounded by laughter and loveA strange thing happens - I have momentary amnesiaI watch my students work together, with compassion - as leadersOh my god ‘is this what it feels like to be Theresa?’Out of nowhere, it comes to meAn idea that’s been reused and recycledLet my kids become their own superherosImages flash of Khun Laura and MichaelI propose some new ideas to my teachersReminding myself of my latest epiphanyThey’ll be here long after I’m goneTraining, no, empowering teachers like KC, Audrey and TiffanyAfter school, I get questioned for my love for sportsThis is not what girls are supposed to playSo I stand up for myself, I stand up for my girlsChanneling the strength of Gen, Eygiel and Rae.I work on letting the comments roll off my backIt’s been almost 2 years and I’m still adjustingJokes are exchanged, humor and laughter are usedI learned that from both Chandler and JustinI’m gifted some fruit, and by some I mean 1 trillionConstantly amazed at how Nam Jai flows here like juiceKnowing I’ll never be able to fully repay themBut hopefully I can love and be loved deeply, like Yai and her Yous.I return home and pull out my paintsRecalling art and poetry from Khun Cat and LaurenColors fill the page, words fill it’s spacesAnd I become a part of a world where I’m no longer foreign.My phone lights up with a flurry of messagesSassy exchanges between Barbara, George and ChristineI giggle at the humor, smiling at the jestingTheir warmth, a loneliness vaccinePlopping down in bed9:30pm? Woah, it’s time to hit the hayWith music flowing through my communityI think, ‘hmm still not quite as good as Khun Ray’My eyes close and my thoughts begin to slowOn this rock hard bed I somehow feel balanceAmong the loudness around meI find stillness, I find silence.Because as I drift off to wait yet another dayI know each of you is with me, deep in my bonesForcing my back to straighten, my head to liftSo I can look forward, unflinching, knowing I’m never alone.Each and every person here PCVs and staffHave touched me in ways I am unable to expressYou’ve challenged my thinking, forced me to growAnd you did it with love, for that I am blessed.Many say Peace Corps is a selfless endeavorPutting your life on hold for two full yearsBut my life hasn’t stopped, it’s grown fuller, deeperA beautiful switching of gearsYou know that saying by old Dr. Seuss?’you’ve got brains in your head,And feet in your shoes,You can steer yourself in any direction you choose’He never says what happens afterWhen you get to the place that you choose to goI think you just keep on moving, you keep on growingBut I’d say that’s something you already knowSo even when the next steps seem impossibleWhen they seem scary and unknownRemember you thought the same of the peace corps onceAnd now look at how we’ve grown.Peace Corps Thailand, the one and only group 129Thank you, thank you, you’ll be with me foreverI wish you all nothing but love, success and happinessIn your future endeavors.
Read Anna's previous articles and contributions.