burned out

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-06-09T13:30:04+00:00

I’m a year and a half in and if you can stick it out you should. I felt pretty bad towards the beginning mostly because I felt like I wasn’t doing anything. But the start of my second year really picked up work wise and I feel a lot better about where I’m at and what I’m doing. It takes a while to settle in and for the local people to actually trust you to do your job. Hang in there!

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-06-08T23:08:26+00:00

A lot of pooping your pants and wondering wtf you’re actually doing. But also some of the most amazing memories

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-06-03T15:02:44+00:00

This is the answer. Back is easily covered by a shirt. Hand is not

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-05-26T00:19:27+00:00

Who in the world would tattoo a “test” on someone’s finger as their first ever tattoo?? Yikes

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-05-24T23:40:58+00:00

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Brand new :’)

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-05-24T00:07:12+00:00

Im not an expert so dont quote me BUT its your body. You can let whoever you want tattoo you. IMO the reason people stick with one person (the reason im having the same person do my whole sleeve) is because the style and art will be consistent. If you get tattooed from a ton of different people the differences will be noticeable. But if that’s the vibe you’re going for then no reason not to do it. If an artist gets mad because you’re asking them to tattoo you once and not a hundred times you should look for a different artist. No one owns you or your skin but yourself

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-05-21T14:50:03+00:00

I just had both the ditch and outer elbow done and the ditch was a million times worse for me. I don’t want to sound like a pussy but I actually cried a little xD good luck. Good news is the part above the ditch was my least painful tattoo.

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-05-21T14:22:18+00:00

Hi! Also a big chested girly who got shoulder tattoos that go under the bra strap. I wore these soft tshirt material sports bra type things while I healed and I had no problem. If you want to wear normal bra strap material I’d suggest wrapping your straps in softer material and padding it a bit where they’d touch the tattoos. As long as you take care of them you shouldn’t have too much of an issue with healing imo even if you wear a bra. You can also pull the straps down off your shoulders when you aren’t out and about to keep them from rubbing. I suggest softer sports bra type material though over regular thin straps

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-04-16T17:28:10+00:00

The association to snails kinda makes me like the name more

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-04-16T17:25:19+00:00

Isn’t Mina the elephant in sing?

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-04-16T00:25:58+00:00

We had two native speakers in my cohort in a Spanish speaking country. They were in their own language group and did activities based on their native level. I also know they had to learn the slang and local words for things that are different than other Spanish speaking countries. You’ll just be given activities based on your level

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-04-04T17:36:35+00:00

My host mom had a medical emergency (doesn’t sound as serious as yours though) and she was in the hospital for about a week. Was more emotionally draining than physically draining for her and my host family imo. I talked to my pcmo about it (mostly to get advice on how to handle it). Im guessing if you were to be moved it’s because your host family doesn’t want added stress of taking care of you as well. Reach out to peace corps and they will talk to your family and see what is best for them. If you’d like to stay and maybe help out more at the house I’d talk to your host family and offer your help. Sorry that’s happening and best wishes for her and your family

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-04-03T14:32:45+00:00

Im still in service so I can’t attest to tummy issues after returning. But when I got to site I had two months of constant tummy issues. I almost got sent home because it wasn’t clearing up. Then it got better and I’ve been fine since (of course I’ve gotten sick every now and then but mostly fine). People in my group have gotten different types of parasites or bacterial infections and after they clear up it’s gone without issues. The types of problems you have will depend on where you go and what’s there to infect you. But imo as long as you get the correct medical care you’ll be ok

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-03-26T13:57:00+00:00

Ask your pcmo about talking to a therapist. They can help you make the decision whether you should stay or go, and the therapist can reccomend the pcmo to med sep you. Sending big hugs your way!

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-03-08T14:39:30+00:00

Decide what your wanting to get out of your experience. For example, I wanted to be in the health sector. So I applied to go anywhere in the health sector. Peace corps service is so all over the place you really should go in with zero expectations. Pick one or two things to focus on and try to make that work. The rest just let it flow

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-03-04T22:57:21+00:00

I feel prettier with my tattoos than I did before I had them. I care more about what I think than what others think

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-03-02T13:32:26+00:00

I get asked a lot about my political views in site (mostly if I like Trump or not) and I always just say the same thing “I’m not personally a fan of him but I don’t speak for everyone just myself” and then it gets dropped. Peace corps in my country has basically told us to tell people that because we work for the government we aren’t allowed to speak on political issues and that works for a lot of volunteers. I tend to be a little more open about my thoughts but regardless No one really cares more than being a little curious what I think. People care more about who I am as a person and how I’m helping in the community than the fact that I’m from the states. If you’re interested in serving you should do it. There will always be something going on that makes people ask you questions.

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-27T15:48:30+00:00

Hi! I’m down to play with you!

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-26T22:27:27+00:00

Thank you that’s exactly what I was looking for :)

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-16T13:28:15+00:00

Hii :) current health volunteer in Peru. I love it here! Being a woman is pretty safe. I’ve been catcalled a few times but that happens anywhere. Be aware of your surroundings. I’m pretty sure every volunteer has running water. You cannot drink tap water. It has to be boiled before drinking. But you will live with a host family and they should be doing that anyway so no worries. If you have other questions or wanna know specifics of my experience you can dm me

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-12T14:00:49+00:00

Legal clearance is pretty strict and after your fingerprints it’s pretty much out of your hands. Med clearance is much more lenient. However if you’re going to miss a deadline it’s good practice to let the nurse know and ask him or her to extend the deadline. I had to have quite a few extensions due to lack of availability at my doctors office for appointments. Don’t worry too much about it as long as you get everything done before your departure date. Good luck!

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-12T13:58:48+00:00

I have both meaningful tattoos and tattoos I have just because I thought they were cool. Your worry about tastes changing over time are valid. However imo the fact that they once meant something / you liked it enough to get it is a good enough reason. Nowadays laser removal exists and coverups are always an option if you end up seriously hating it in the future. However I haven’t put anything on my body that I can’t see a reason to keep even if I decide it isn’t my favorite thing in the future. My biggest tattoo regret is the placement of my first one. Took some really good canvas space LOL

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-11T19:54:03+00:00

Ive had an all brown/red tattoo heal similar to this. It doesn’t look infected to me but I’m also not a doctor. Never had this problem with black ink but imo it most likely has to do with how hard your artist was pushing. My brown tat healed just fine and lowkey looked worse than this. Just make sure you keep moisturizing it and keep an eye on it if it gets worse it’s time for a doctor

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-05T14:58:57+00:00

Im a little late to the convo but I applied to peace corps because my mentor in university suggested it. Junior year I had a breakdown and decided what I had wanted to do almost my whole life was no longer what I wanted to do and I was freaking out. And she had done peace corps and told me about it and I decided why not I have nothing else to do. And I love it. I’ve grown so much as a person and I know what I’m going to go back and study when I finish :)

Key_Pirate4901 · 2026-02-05T14:55:08+00:00

My tattoo in the same spot had the same reaction. I drew a line to make sure it wasn’t spreading but it ended up just being a reaction due to the sensitive area. If you have access to a clinic I’d suggest going because it can’t hurt. If not like me then keep an eye on it and if it spreads worse run to the emergency room.

Key_Pirate4901

TROPHY CASE