After wrapping up the end of the school year, Stef and I were on another adventure together. This time we were taking on New Zealand! Getting off the plane at Auckland International, the world seemed louder and overwhelming to me on first impression. Depending on the day, traveling to New Zealand was an easy decision.…
Onosa'i: PatienceThe end of November marks the official start of the second half of my service! I cannot believe I've been here for 14 months. Time definitely flies when you are trying to avoid eating pisupo (corned beef)... It’s usually around this time of the year where my nostalgia kicks in and I think back on the…
* Disclaimer: When I was in Fiji, I was able to connect to WiFi and Netflix (for the first time in ONE YEAR) and was able to watch the movie "To All the Boys I've Loved Before." The inspiration for this post and its name comes from the movie. While this in no way is…
‘O ai lou igoa? What’s your name? It’s one of the first questions we are taught in PST and has been one of my most repeated phrases since I arrived here 10 months (WHAT?!) ago. With all of my downtime, I’ve been reflecting on the question, What’s in a name? (But don’t worry, unlike Juliet,…
Women are born with the ability to nourish newborn children with all the sustenance a baby needs from day one. Literally. I’ve never given much thought to this biological phenomenon — that is, until I arrived in Samoa. In America, if someone were to merely mention the word “breastfeeding,” the floodgates would open with opinions…
Let me formally introduce you to my Achilles' heel: KOKO SAMOA (Samoan Cocoa) — or as I like to call it my Kavity Kulprit. Served hot, strong, and sweet, Koko Samoa is my Unofficial Official National Drink of Samoa. It is unlike anything I’ve had before and reminds me of a hybrid between hot chocolate and…
Peace Corps prides itself as being “the toughest job you’ll ever love.” But I didn’t expect that the toughest hardships I would have to face would be dealing with the mental and emotional challenges of services: loneliness, isolation, feeling of inadequacy, and dealing with culture shock, to name a few. I won’t go into Peace…
Continue reading ➞ Self-Love Isn’t Selfish: Mental Health in the Peace Corps
