On January 7, 2003, a flight from Taipei to Bangkok took me from a familiar city to a strange new land where I would begin my year along the Thai-Burmese border working as a volunteer for Taipei Overseas Peace Services (TOPS).
二○○三年一月七日，從台北飛往曼谷的班機把我從熟悉的城市載往一個陌生的國度，我將在泰緬邊境上展開為期一年、擔任台北海外和平服務團（Taipei Overseas Peace Services，簡稱 TOPS）志工的生活。