In March 2020, the Peace Corps evacuated over 7,000 volunteers worldwide. On April 3, 2023 the first full group of volunteers in Thailand since then was sworn in.

The smell of alcohol pierces my nostrils. My co-workers frantically disperse hand sanitizer in pocket-sized tubes to prevent the spread of you. I live in the Land of Smiles, which your suffocating masks have smothered. You not only incited hysteria, you robbed us all of the intimacy of touch.