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