Oh Benny Boy, I Wish it Were That Easy!

So I came across this Benjamin Franklin quote, "He that can have Patience, can have what he will." Here is my problem Ben...I don't have patience. I do to some extent I suppose but I definitely wish I had the patience to get more patience. Does that make sense? Here is my progress so far as far as my Peace Corps application goes. I am receiving a lot of reading material. That is pretty much the extent of it! There is nothing wrong with this by the way. It is very helpful for me and will be great prep work. I just want my frickin' interview.

I feel like my application was pretty strong and I have reason to believe my recommendations were outstanding. 'How do you know this?' you ask, because of the people that completed them for me. Amazing people, I should say. They have all had great impacts on my life in some way. I had to have a total of three, one from a close friend, a work supervisor and a volunteer supervisor. I could talk on and on about these people. My work supervisor, Carol, gave me my first job when I moved to Arizona. I was 17 and the shyest person you would have ever met. I honestly wouldn't be where I am at if it wasn't for her. She has been there for me since the beginning, almost 8 years. 8 years!!!! I can't believe it has been that long. I was just talking to my mom about that the other night. It has been a fast 8 years, that is for sure. I had two friends do recommendations for me. Lindsay and Lindsey are there names, seriously. Hahaha...I am just realizing this now. LindsAy I have known for about two or three years now I think. We were brought together by a tragedy but she has been an amazing friend and supporter. LindsEy I met my spring semester freshman year. We worked with the ASU football team. She is also a former midwestern gal so we hit it off right away, and I can't mention her without mentioning third amiga, Eleana. These girls, I swear, were apart of a great moment in my life. We are lifelong friends. We can not speak or see each other for a long period of time and when we eventually do speak and see each other it is like we haven't missed a beat. Lovely, lovely ladies! My last recommendation came from my case worker at Big Brothers Big Sisters. LeAnn, was a great support during my match with my little sister. I really appreciated her taking the time to do this for me.

I could honestly right a book about the people I have met so far. Who knows, maybe one day I will! They are all amazing and have helped me in becoming the person I am supposed to be. Their love, support and kindness will always get me through tough times. I definitely have to give a shout out to Casey Carney who is a current volunteer in Paraguay and been answering all my questions and being sooooooooooo helpful. I was introduced to Casey through LindsEy, so thank you LindsEy!!!!

"As we express our gratitude, we must not forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them. " JFK

Oh The Places I'll Go!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own.  And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any

you'll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there

in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,

don't worry.  Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

OH!

THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers

who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.

You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't

Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so

but, sadly, it's true

and Hang-ups

can happen to you.

You can get all hung up

in a prickle-ly perch.

And your gang will fly on.

You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch

with an unpleasant bump.

And the chances are, then,

that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,

you're not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.

Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they're darked.

A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!

Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?

How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...

or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?

Or go around back and sneak in from behind?

Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused

that you'll start in to race

down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,

headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or a No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

NO!

That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape

all that waiting and staying.

You'll find the bright places

where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,

once more you'll ride high!

Ready for anything under the sky.

Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored.  there are games to be won.

And the magical things you can do with that ball

will make you the winning-est winner of all.

Fame!  You'll be famous as famous can be,

with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.

Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times

you'll play lonely games too.

Games you can't win

'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not,

Alone will be something

you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance

you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.

There are some, down the road between hither and yon,

that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go

though the weather be foul

On you will go

though your enemies prowl

On you will go

though the Hakken-Kraks howl

Onward up many

a frightening creek,

though your arms may get sore

and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike

and I know you'll hike far

and face up to your problems

whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,

as you already know.

You'll get mixed up

with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life's

a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,

you're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So...get on your way

I don't think anything describes my journey thus far and my journey to come better than this! I have read it over and over again and it just fits me to a T! I am at the stage in my life where I honestly believe I can 'MOVE MOUNTAINS'.  I have experienced ups and downs and turn-arounds and they have all led me to here and now and I wouldn't want to be anywhere I else. I am in a great place! I get 'it'! I get what life is about now! When I originally started on my journey after I school, I didn't get it. I was ignorant and selfish. I didn't appreciate the opportunity that I was being given. 

Life is about experiencing all that is out there. It's about making lasting relationships. It's about loving and giving and laughing. It's about respecting all of that and more. Set goals for yourself. You can accomplish anything you want. You have the potential to do it! YOU are the only thing that stands in the way. Nothing is impossible! Erase it from your vocabulary, it isn't a word. I remembering reading something that  said 'Remember impossible = I'm possible'. Cheesy I know, but believe it. That is what the world needs. People who believe in their power to MOVE MOUNTAINS!

A Waiting Game

If you read a little about me, you will see that I recently submitted my Peace Corps Volunteer application. I am in the waiting stage now. Waiting for the suspense filled interview with a recruiter. My patience has never been my strong point, although I am getting better. I think a lot of people are surprised with my decision to join the PC after I graduate. I have mentioned it here and there as a viable option after I graduate but I haven't talked in great detail about it. It certainly brought up a lot of 'Why?' questions. So here is actually an essay I had to submit for the application...

"Peace Corps service presents major physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges. You have provided information on how you qualify for PC service elsewhere in the application. In 250-500:

1. What are your reasons for wanting to serve as a PCV?

2. How do the reasons relate to past experiences and goals?

3. How do you expect to satisfy the PC 10 core expectations (which expectations do you 

    expect to find most challenging and how do you plan to overcome these challenges?

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from people when I tell them of my interest in becoming a PCV is, "Why do you want to do that?", and then some people follow up with, "The U.S. has its own problems; they shouldn't be sending people to other countries to fix those countries' problems." That last statement is what really upsets me. Its a selfish and ignorant way of thinking and it is a major reason why the world is so segregated. We need to learn to respect others values and beliefs and work together, rather than judging and working alone. This leads me to my first reason: there are millions of people in this world that do not have the knowledge and resources that the U.S. as a whole provides. If I can bring my passion for life and learning and helping others to those who have so little, it would be an absolute privilege. I hope it has a 'pay it forward' effect. What I can bestow upon others, positively, they can pass to others and hopefully cause a domino effect and before you know it there is this community functioning at a much higher level than they were capable of to begin with. In doing all that, I can bring to light the different cultures I will be immersed in to those who want to know why I want to do this. I am completely aware of the challenges that the PC will put me through. I am not saying it will be a walk in the park, but I can say that I will face them with positivity, confidence and respect. Challenges are meant to be overcome, not feared or ignored. They ultimately shape us into the person we will become. With these challenges that I will face, will come a better understanding of myself, as well as, others. You can never know what you are capable of until you push yourself to the limit. 

Every experience I have gone through, every person I have met, has all had some sort of impact big or small. I am finally realizing all this at the ripe old age of 25 and I realized before how much I took all of that for granted. All these experiences and people have led me to where I am today. As far as future goals, I realize how often things change and how indecisive I can be. I have so many goals and I don't want to limit myself to doing to just one thing. I want to be a doctor, a writer, an athlete, a traveler, a philanthropist, a scientist, etc. Why should we limit ourselves to one thing, when there is so much out there? The Peace Corps will allow me to dip my toes into all of those areas.  

I would like to think of myself as a decent human being. The Peace Corps is all about respect, understanding, learning, giving and love. Preparing for this journey, will entail all of that and more. It would be unrealistic for me to say that I know what I am getting myself into. But I can tell you that I will face this journey head on, with respect, patience and an open mind. My willingness to learn, my compassion for others, my passion for life and my fun-loving, independent qualities will allow me to successfully fulfill not only the Peace Corps' expectations, but my expectations as well."

I sent my essays to my parents because I knew they had a lot of questions about my interest in the PC. They now have a better understanding of my interest in the PC. 

I took some time away from school and moved back to Illinois. To be completely honest I felt lost and just needed to regroup. I was frustrated because I had this plan and my plan wasn't happening and I was having a difficult time dealing with it. I ended up getting a job at a home improvement store and was living with my parents. I felt like something was still missing and   wasn't for sure what it was. I decided I wanted to volunteer a little. I wasn't able to make time for it while I was in school. I became a 'Big Sister' with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois. To date, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It was life changing and started this roller coaster ride in becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer. 

I realized after all the time I was spending with my 'Little', how important positivity is in life. I was able to positively impact someone else's life and encourage that same positivity in someone else. I have always known about the Peace Corps and at this time I started my PC research. 

The U.S. has a lot of programs that support youth and community development (e.g. Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA/YWCA, etc.). After all of my research, I found that this aspect of the Peace Corps interested me the most. I was able to witness first hand how these programs benefit the people and their community, and I want to be able to produce a similar kind of program in a community that is lacking in that kind of support.

I feel like I can talk on and on about this. I think I am going to stop here for now, though. 

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." E.B. White