It's a story not often shared, but the truth is Peace Corps volunteers leave service early for a myriad of reasons. Today a former Sticky Rice Editor-in-Chief speaks up about what brought him and his partner to return to the States ahead of schedule.

In honor of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, Sticky Rice and Peace Corps Thailand volunteers are highlighting some special women who have had a tremendous impact. Lilly Hromadka traverses continents, countries, and her lifetime to commemorate moms and motherly figures.

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.

I did not know it at the time, but over the next weeks and months, this smile and the lovely woman who bears it would make this place my home.