In the beginning...

For the past year and a half, I have been keeping a journal about my Peace Corps application process.  Reading through others' blogs, I kept stumbling on questions I couldn't find answers to. I decided I would answer my own by keeping track of my journey. What this blog will do is give insight to MY specific progress (as it was influenced by a number of factors) through the Peace Corps application process and volunteer experience. Also of note, that the contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government, Peru, or the Peace Corps. 

 

I welcome you to the beginning of my journey. Check back often for the story's continuation... I have so much to share!

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I guess I had always wanted to do something meaningful with my life... dont we all? But I really felt that in the bottom of my soul I was meant for something more... something bigger (put that on a Hallmark card). In college, Peace Corps (PC) had been mentioned to me by a good friend. Here I was, May 2010, about to graduate with a bachelor's in Spanish. I knew I wanted to live abroad, I just didn't know how I would do it. “Why not do the PC?” he said. I automaticaly dismissed that notion... and I didn't even have a good excuse. My excuse was that I knew nothing about the Peace Corps, so it couldn't possibly fit into my plans for my life.

 

But the PC kept coming back in my life... but I didn't have time to entertain that idea. I had to focus on moving 1100 miles across the country. In March of 2011, I moved from Louisiana to Michigan. I transferred locations in my job and ended up picking up a second to supplement. Living on my own for the first time, I started to freak out... was this my life? Two jobs, stuck in a small town? I didn't want to work to live.. this wasn't my scene. Needless to say, I had to stick with it... at least for a while. PC popped up again, and this time I peeked at its benefits (student loan deferrment, a foundation for a career, etc). For the first time, PC seemed less of a last resort but more of a special opportunity. Talking to friends, I became disheartened. "You know that's really hard to get into... What skills do you have?" They honestly believed I couldn't do it. And to be honest, I wans't quite sure either, but I had to try.

 

I decided that I didnt have to be complacent in where I was at.. but why the heck not strive for something considered out of my league? I would spend the rest of my life wondering what if?  On July 1^st, 2011, I submitted my Peace Corps volunteer application. My available start date: April, 2012.

 

....to be continued