A little over a week left in Seattle! I fly to DC on March 6th and then to Senegal on March 8th! It's still hard to believe how fast my departure date came up. My last few weeks have been pretty stressful, but it's all starting to come together.
I had the bright idea to sign up to take the GRE a week before I leave for the Peace Corps. At the time, it seemed smart to take it before I leave and give myself the option to apply to grad school while I'm abroad. Guess I forgot to factor in all the other stressors I'd have going on the week before I leave. Up until a couple weeks ago I was working full time, which left me only a week and a half of cramming, although I had memorized quite a few GRE vocab words on lunch breaks over the past couple months. Stress levels were high last weekend when I realized everything that needed to get done before I left, so of course I got the stomach flu on Monday night to add more to the mix. Then snow started dumping on Wednesday, and the fear set in that maybe I wouldn't be able to take the test on Thursday after all my studying! If I wasn't able to take it before I left, I'd have to fly to Ghana to take it, since they don't offer the test in Senegal. With a little luck and magic, it all worked out, and I am very relieved to be done with the test! As anyone who's been around me the past week can attest to, I am visibly calmer today than I was earlier in the week.
Before any big change in my life, I always get that feeling of being warm in bed and not wanting to get up to bear the cold. The concept of leaving my friends and family for over two years is more real than ever now, and it's a very uncomfortable thought. I worry about all the things I'm going to miss out on in the lives of people who I care so much about. I find myself clinging to comfort in my last couple weeks at home, whether that's watching Biggest Loser with my family, going to my favorite yoga class, or hanging out in familiar places with friends. It's hard to imagine leaving, but I know that the time is fast approaching. Stepping outside my comfort zone to begin this journey is something I know I need to do, and deep down, I know this will be a defining experience in my life. It is comforting to know that I've felt this way before and survived through whatever challenge I had to face. The people I met in Thailand left an indelible mark, and looking at pictures from my time in Southeast Asia makes it easier to realize how happy I can feel in Africa. The initial adjustment is always hard, but it doesn't take long to form a new routine and feel comfortable in a new environment. The unknown of it all is the hardest part right now!
Now that the GRE is over, I can focus more on getting everything I need and get more excited for the adventure. With all the stress and nostalgia, I sometimes forget how exciting it is that I will be in Senegal in less than 2 weeks! I recently met with two incredible women who work in the field of public health, and they made me realize the kind of impact I could make with the projects I create in my village. I'm about to get real, hands-on experience in global health! It's also exciting that I'm going to be meeting a whole new group of people in training who could become great friends. And I can't wait to start making local friends as well!
There's a lot to do in the next week to prepare, but I know it'll all fall into place before I get on the plane. It always does. I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye, but I am very optimistic about this journey.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
How I got here...
I leave to begin my Peace Corps service in Senegal in a little over a month! Time passes unevenly sometimes, and recently it's felt like a flash. Two years ago, I was about to begin my last month teaching English in Thailand. I still can't believe it's been almost two years since I left Thailand!
Let me back up a bit to explain how I got to this point of leaving for the Peace Corps. Throughout college, I had always planned to go to law school, but the summer before my senior year, I realized that I wanted to take a year off in between. I had just returned from studying abroad in Paris and had the travel bug. I started researching Teach Abroad programs and had my heart set on Thailand, which seemed a random choice at the time. After long conversations with my dad, I decided that I should be practical and start looking into paralegal roles during the gap year to save up some money for law school, so I tabled Thailand for a while. In February of that school year, I wasn't having much luck in my job search, and I fortuitously received an email about a Teach in Thailand program with an October departure. I applied that day.
Before leaving for Thailand, I took the LSAT, applied to law schools, and was prepared to begin school the following fall. Thailand changed all those plans. I absolutely fell in love with the country and the people, and I started rethinking law school. Somehow veering off course seemed like the right thing to do, although I missed having direction. I had an interest in international development that emerged in high school debate, my summer internship in NYC, and even my senior thesis, but I never considered it as something to build a career around. I knew I needed more time to figure out what my next step should be. So of course, with an interest in international development, why wouldn't I work as a foreclosures paralegal at a law firm?
I've spent the past 20 months working at a law firm in downtown Seattle, trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I lucked out and met some incredible people at the firm, but I realized while there that I didn't want to go to law school. After several failed attempts at getting jobs at aid organizations abroad and hearing that I needed more experience, I finally decided to apply for the Peace Corps last August. The Peace Corps had always seemed daunting, with the 27 month commitment, and it still is! But I now know that it is my best shot at getting hands-on experience in global health.
When I was on my backpacking trip with my amazing friend Caitlin around Southeast Asia after my teaching stint in Thailand, she suffered through my indecision about law school. She had me write down a list of things I was looking for in a job, and I wrote: leadership, problem solving, challenging, taking risks, helping people, working with people, making a difference. Seems like Peace Corps is exactly what I needed then but was not ready for yet. Now I'm ready.
I feel like I'm finally on the right path and am passionate about empowering women in developing countries. Over the past year, I've done my reading on the issues that women face, but by living alongside them in Senegal, I will truly make their problems my problems as well. My goal is to improve the health of the people in my community and create sustainable development projects as a Preventive Health Educator.
It took me a while to get here, but I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and am about to do the kind of work I'm meant to do.
Let me back up a bit to explain how I got to this point of leaving for the Peace Corps. Throughout college, I had always planned to go to law school, but the summer before my senior year, I realized that I wanted to take a year off in between. I had just returned from studying abroad in Paris and had the travel bug. I started researching Teach Abroad programs and had my heart set on Thailand, which seemed a random choice at the time. After long conversations with my dad, I decided that I should be practical and start looking into paralegal roles during the gap year to save up some money for law school, so I tabled Thailand for a while. In February of that school year, I wasn't having much luck in my job search, and I fortuitously received an email about a Teach in Thailand program with an October departure. I applied that day.
Before leaving for Thailand, I took the LSAT, applied to law schools, and was prepared to begin school the following fall. Thailand changed all those plans. I absolutely fell in love with the country and the people, and I started rethinking law school. Somehow veering off course seemed like the right thing to do, although I missed having direction. I had an interest in international development that emerged in high school debate, my summer internship in NYC, and even my senior thesis, but I never considered it as something to build a career around. I knew I needed more time to figure out what my next step should be. So of course, with an interest in international development, why wouldn't I work as a foreclosures paralegal at a law firm?
I've spent the past 20 months working at a law firm in downtown Seattle, trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I lucked out and met some incredible people at the firm, but I realized while there that I didn't want to go to law school. After several failed attempts at getting jobs at aid organizations abroad and hearing that I needed more experience, I finally decided to apply for the Peace Corps last August. The Peace Corps had always seemed daunting, with the 27 month commitment, and it still is! But I now know that it is my best shot at getting hands-on experience in global health.
When I was on my backpacking trip with my amazing friend Caitlin around Southeast Asia after my teaching stint in Thailand, she suffered through my indecision about law school. She had me write down a list of things I was looking for in a job, and I wrote: leadership, problem solving, challenging, taking risks, helping people, working with people, making a difference. Seems like Peace Corps is exactly what I needed then but was not ready for yet. Now I'm ready.
I feel like I'm finally on the right path and am passionate about empowering women in developing countries. Over the past year, I've done my reading on the issues that women face, but by living alongside them in Senegal, I will truly make their problems my problems as well. My goal is to improve the health of the people in my community and create sustainable development projects as a Preventive Health Educator.
It took me a while to get here, but I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and am about to do the kind of work I'm meant to do.
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