Georgian weddings are often attended by 200+ guests and last for two days. This requires neighborhood-wide coordination to prepare the piles of food needed for each celebration. In this picture taken in Samtredia, my host relatives and neighbors...
This photo was taken on November 24, 2007, during my second week at my permanent site in Aksukent, Kazakhstan. My host mother and host sisters worked all day to chop cabbage and carrots into this huge pile. They then added salt and pepper and...
This photo shows my Uzbek host family, with whom I lived for all of my two years at site. In parts of Southern Kazakhstan there are many Uzbeks, who lived there long before the Soviets drew the current borders. From left to right: me, host mom,...
This is a photo taken with members of my first host family in Thailand. After 4 months of service at my site 10 hours from Sing, I made a trip back to visit them. The photo shows five diverse and unique individuals who found that through laughter,...
My husband and I are Volunteers in the deep south of Thailand. It is a special place because of its mix of Chinese, Buddhist, and Muslim cultures. This is a picture of my host mom and me wearing our hajibs on our way to break fast after Ramadan.
This image was taken in February of 2012 in Faldar Village, Zagatala Region, Azerbaijan. I had just come to my host family's home from going to the city earlier that day. Two of my younger host sisters were playing with the snow when I got back,...
I got a doll of my school mascot the day I graduated from University of Idaho. Joe Vandal now travels the world with me, and wouldn't miss out on serving in Africa alongside. This picture is of my PST host sister, Jesska, and Joe, the day I said my...
I got a doll of my school mascot the day I graduated from University of Idaho. Joe Vandal now travels the world with me, and wouldn't miss out on serving in Africa alongside. This picture is of my PST host sister, Mapala, and Joe, the day I said my...
I got a doll of my school mascot the day I graduated from University of Idaho. Joe Vandal now travels the world with me, and wouldn't miss out on serving in Africa alongside. This picture is of my PST host sister, Mapalo, and Joe, the day I said my...
My host family and I celebrating Thanksgiving. I was honored that my host family bought 2 turkeys for Thanksgiving. I lived with host family for the duration of Peace Corps. They were gracious to me.
This photo was taken while I was helping my host family make the traditional dish of Lap Lap. In Vanuatu, the locals still cook on fire, and LapLap is a dish which uses all local ingredients and materials. It is cooked under hot rocks for 2-4...
My small brother and I going on a short walk through the bush to pick some mangoes for a snack. In Vanuatu, individual family gardens are the primary source of food for each families.
I took this photo on December 12th, 2012, during my community's first ever Christmas Parade in Costa Rica. My nephews begged me to walk them to the square to watch the parade and they even managed to dig up some old Santa hats to wear. I am...
During my pre-service training (PST), an RPCV came back to Nicaragua to visit my host family, who was also his old host family from when he was in PST. We made over 20 nacatamales, a traditional Nicaraguan dish made of cornmeal, pork (or chicken),...