OK, I’m slow. I’ve had a Facebook account for about a decade now. A month ago, I had eleven followers. If two people watched a video, I was excited. Last November, I set out to travel the world and post about it. I now have more than 100 followers and my content gets hundreds of views. We’re still working on getting likes and figuring out a niche. I’m retired. I’m sixty six years old. I’m female. I’m African American. I travel! None of those things seem very compelling (to me), in terms of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok accounts. On the other hand, my numbers have increased.

I really don’t capture a lot of content. The Big Boat James Bond Island Tour that I went on had four excursions. For each one, I had to be helped off and on the boat. Since I was traveling alone, I was assigned to the kayak with the smallest frame. I could barely move my legs and was basically stuck in whatever position I landed in, after falling into the kayak. At the end of the excursion, my right arm was cramping and I couldn’t feel either leg. When trying to get back on the “big”boat, I couldn’t lift myself out of the kayak. The same two guys always had to help me. Great content, but I absolutely couldn’t film any of it.

I did managed to get a few pretty decent photos. All my content is taken on the iPhone SE that I purchased, in Honolulu, after evacuation from Peace Corps Ethiopia. The phone is now so old (by iPhone standards) that I couldn’t find a replacement phone case for it, in Northern Thailand or Laos. I would locate a shop, (in Laos I even found a small Apple retailer), and ask for an Apple SE phone case. People would actually laugh. They would shake their heads NO and I could imagine them saying, “You’re an American! What are you doing with this old (cheap) iPhone?” It took a trip to the mega Apple Store, in Bangkok’s ICON SIAM mall, to finally purchase a case.

It’s been two days and I’m still recovering from that Big Boat trip. I did absolutely nothing the next day. Yesterday, I took my first motorcycle taxi ride. Old Town Phuket is only a fifteen minute walk. But … each day, the same guy has asked if I needed a ride. I decided that yesterday was his day. He wanted an inflated 100 baht ($3.00). I said yes and had him drop me at The Memory at On On Hotel. It was featured Leonardo Di Caprio’s 2002 film The Beach. Fans often book the Leo/Richard room. After that, I walked half a block, to a cafe, and had a five hour conversation with a woman from Germany. Later, I grabbed takeout and walked back to my hotel.

Tomorrow, I’m heading back to Bangkok and catching up with my former Peace Corps Armenia Director. He’s now in charge of Peace Corps Thailand. A few weeks ago, fifty three Americans arrived in country to begin three months of Pre Service training. After completing that training, they’ll be sworn in and head to their permanent sites, for two years of service. I was accepted into the Thailand program in 2008. I turned it down and continued working at Duke University. When I retired, February 28, 2017, I was already accepted into Peace Corps Armenia. My flight to Yerevan was three weeks after leaving Duke. That twenty seven months was followed by nine months in Peace Corps Ethiopia. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Most Peace Corps volunteers arrive in country with the suggested two checked bags (50 lbs each) and two carry on bags. I’ve cut that in half and I have a packing video on my YouTube channel (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Give it a like! XOXO—GGT!