I often look down at my dust covered feet and wonder
“How in the world did I get here? And where am I going?”
And I always come up with a range of answers, from the
mundane (“Me hungry. Want food.”) to my whole what-is-the-meaning-of-life schpeal
that always enters my thoughts. But,
really, my biggest driving force is my curiosity and my desire to challenge any
existing knowledge/experience base that I have.
I don’t feel much comfort in an untested life since that just feels like
someone else is pulling the strings.
With that being said, I’ll entertain you with a list of Sometimes-Asked-Questions-Are-You-Crazy?-What-Made-You-Go-To-Africa?
Section:
Well, what did make you travel to Africa? What, New York/The U.S. ain’t good enough for you?
I left the U.S. at a perfect time for me. I felt like I needed to appreciate where I’m
from as well as gain more exposure to health care. I also needed a challenge. At the time I applied, the most challenging
thing about my life in New York was wondering how I could squeeze in dinner at
a friends’ after class and work and how I will fit in dance class and community
service the coming weekend. I saw it as
the gerbil wheel of city life. A nice,
little neat package of feel good activities.
As crazy as it sounds, I wanted the reverse. I knew I needed a challenge in order to grow. When I applied to Peace Corps, I told the
recruiter I wanted to be placed in a rural setting without electricity, running
water-unlike anything I had previously experienced. I’m not making a case for sounding sane, am
I?
What was the application process like?
Long and tedious but worth it. The worst part surprisingly wasn’t the 5
months of medical appointments for clearance or getting fingerprinted for the
first time at the police station. The
nerve-wracking part was preparing to travel without my family, my closest
friends, and my creature comforts to a place that would make me feel highly
vulnerable. And out of place. And paranoid about safety. And without certainty of success (or
failure).
Getting lost in the tediousness of the application process
allowed me to take my mind off of what was to come after I applied. There was no guarantee that I would be
accepted anyway. I ran around the city for medical visits-check
3 recommendations in-check
Legal clearance-check
Food preference clearance? Huh? Apparently, I came across as a vegetarian in
the interview (I think I said something about eating beans). Anyway, I cleared that up with an answer that could qualify me for Fear Factor.-check
Motivation essays...other than simply wanting to write a
line from a rap song (“I was born ready like fish and spaghetti”)...check
Resumes, certificates and trainings-check
Then all I had to do was wait...and wait...and wait. Then, on May 26, 2010 I found out I was invited to leave in August for a health program in Africa. Yay!
Then, Peace Corps' placement office called me back and asked if I’d go in July. Even better.
I said “Yes” and have been engaged to the Peace Corps experience ever
since.
What will you do after Peace Corps?
Magic 8 ball says “Question hazy. Ask again later.” In all seriousness, though, my general plan
is to continue my public health studies and career with a greater appreciation
for and knowledge of the field.
I am defintely excited about what the future holds but I also keep in mind two important things Zambia taught me: 1. Don’t take
yourself too seriously, and 2. And if you fail to plan- well- you’re plans
might fail anyway so relax and regroup.
