Okay, so, now that I've gotten past that one, I guess it's time to get into why I am doing this. As many people know, my mother served in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Washington, DC has a very strong RPCV community, in which my mother was very active. She would bring me to events when I was little, and I grew up with Peace Corps stories. By the time I was in middle school, I had realized that at some point in my life I wanted to live overseas, and the more I've thought about it, the more I've wanted to do the Peace Corps. While I don't plan on getting too much into religion here, I will say that my Peace Corps desire does stem from my religious beliefs. I was brought up a Reform Jew, and one thing my synagogue preached and my parents emphasized was Tikkun Olam, or "repairing the world." Over the years, my level of observance has changed. I have never really gotten much out of prayer, but I have always felt a sort of spirituality from helping people.
After high school, I took a year off and took part in the Young Judea Year Course in Israel, a educational and community service based program. For the next few years, during my studies at Tulane, I sort of felt satisfied in my desire to live abroad. Other friends did study abroad, but I felt no desire to leave New Orleans. However, the end of my junior year changed things. I had a rough year. At the end of it, one of my close friends graduated, and we went out to celebrate on Bourbon and Frenchmen for his last night in New Orleans. The next morning, things felt different. It started to hit me that I only had one year remaining in my undergrad career, and then it would time for the real world. As I sat in bed thinking about the future, I re-discovered my desire to go abroad. The summer before, my girlfriend had left me to study abroad, and her experiences had reminded me that I wanted to experience something more, something very different. Over the next few days, I began thinking more about the next year while packing to return to Maryland for my little brother's high school graduation. After talking to a friend who mentioned she had started her application for the Peace Corps, I decided to consider it.
When I got home, I spoke briefly with my parents about it. Both of them were very supportive, so I began an application. I began talking to returned Peace Corps volunteers in the DC area over the next year, and as I went through the application process, I got more and more excited. It seemed perfect for me. An opportunity to help people, have a completely different experience, and a new setting.
However, the application process was long, and eventually I began to worry about what I was going to do after graduation. I took a few interviews, took the LSAT, applied to law school, and looked into other service based programs. And then came Spring break. And the phone call. I was walking back from the coffee shop when my phone rang. I was offered my nomination to be a Health Extension volunteer in South/Central America, leaving in February 2013. For those of you wondering why they made me a Health Extension volunteer, despite being a PoliSci major at Tulane, my qualification to work in healthcare was a summer I spent as an EMT.
 |
| For the rest of the school year, this hung over my bedroom door, helping me fight "senioritis" |
Graduation came and I returned to Maryland to volunteer for a couple election campaigns, re-take the LSAT, and look for a job. A friend of mine who had also applied for the Peace Corps and had paralleled my progress finally got his assignment. Now, I was worried. And then I got my medical clearance. Followed a few days later by a final interview and my acceptance to be a Peace Corps volunteer. And then my assignment. To Namibia. That's in Africa, not Latin America (if you want some info on the country, see my earlier post). It all moved quick. Then came time to take care of paperwork. And research the country. And learn a bit more about HIV/AIDS, since that's what will be the focus of my work.. And figure out what I need to get before I leave. Bringing me to this day.
At a recent concert, someone asked me what the point was. After all, the Peace Corps recently celebrated it's 50th anniversary. If it hasn't gotten the job done in that time, why do people keep trying. However, that simply isn't the case. The fact is, the situations in the countries have changed, the needs have changed, and so the Peace Corps goals and work in these countries has changed. That night, another person remarked "I get the whole helping people thing, but you can do that here. If you want to go abroad, just get a job, save some money, and take a vacation." While this guy will never comprehend what would motivate my decision to take part in the Peace Corps, I will say that taking a vacation and actually living in a community and being part of the day-to-day life are completely different experiences. And this is more than just helping people, this is about making lasting change in the world. Because while some people will comment that 1% of the country accounts for 100% of homeland security (an effort to glorify our military), the truth is that foreign aid and programs like the Peace Corps do every bit as much to help homeland security by helping build friendly relationships and show people what Americans are really like. After all, you don't have to defend yourself from people who don't want to kill you.
So, there you go. That's my story. How I got to this point and why I am doing this. If it feels like something is missing, it's because part of the problem with explaining why I am doing this is that there are things that can't be put into words. You either get it or you don't. But I will say this is probably the most excited I've been in years. I am really looking forward to the next 2 years. And a bit scared. But I can't wait. I leave in March, and have a lot to do between now and then. I have friends to see, people to say goodbye to, and God knows how much preparation stuff. So for now, that's where I'll leave things. I may have another post or 2 before I leave, with progress on my preparation, but the more interesting stuff should come once I get to Namibia.
