Why the Heck I Am Doing This

(--Because I need a first post, and that is everyone's first question... And what better way to answer it than by pasting in my actual 250-words-or-less motivation statement? I mean, I need to conserve my energy, right?:)

The Peace Corps is a door to a treasure-trove for the little girl who used to lose feeling in her legs as she sat on the speckled carpet of the library for hours, pouring through books on different countries in words she didn’t always understand; for the teenager who traveled to France and delighted in the ability of her sixth grade French to order her family dinner; for the college freshman who relished living in her London flat and in faking an accent to American tourists; for the college senior who isn’t completely sure which paths to take later in her life, but is aching to start off big. Whether these paths include enrollment in graduate school for counseling or art therapy, the continuation of teaching English as a Second Language, or something else altogether, the skills and personal strengths gained from joining the Peace Corps will create a unique and invaluable foundation for everything else that comes afterwards. The Peace Corps offers the perfect program for an adventurous volunteering-addict who recognizes the fraying ties from her country to others that will weaken the global community as a whole if they are not cared for, even on an individual level. The Peace Corps must have been made for me.

I wanted to join the Peace Corps since the first day I heard it existed. Even as an avid volunteer, I cannot pretend to believe I could ever give enough to a community anywhere in the world to match all that I would gain in the process. The challenges of mastering another language, striving for acceptance in a community so far removed from my own, and entering a world that offers little of the comforts from the one in which I grew up-- all while fulfilling my role as a Peace Corps volunteer-- are challenges that would change my life and strengthen my character to levels I’m sure I still can’t imagine. I believe it just might be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. And I can’t wait.


(I seem to have been a very wordy fall-semester senior! Is it weird that I believe I am less so after working all year at a literary agency? Well, to let the words flow on, I might as well share my other essay. I don't remember the actual question, but it was something about how I'd deal with cross-cultural views in opposition to my own, citing a specific example:)


My mother, who so kindly helped me read the tags of all the prom-dresses at the mall to see if any were made through fair trade, would agree that since I was a child I have never had trouble holding onto convictions. These convictions have always been strong, but certainly not universal. Yet in spite of, or perhaps because of, the strength and nature of these values, a reserved openness to the beliefs and practices of others has found itself at the forefront of my actions -and inactions. Maintaining cultural relativism in my own divided country presents difficulties enough, but taking this philosophy abroad is a whole different endeavor. My recent trip to India (July-August 2006) most significantly tested my ability to temporarily set aside my own convictions to understand those of another culture.

One of the places I had the invaluable opportunity to visit was a tiny village which had never entertained an American or white person before me and my fellow traveler. Curious eyes followed us everywhere as we were invited into homes as special guests worthy without question of the sweetest chai our hosts could offer. Excepting a few solar panels in the wealthiest houses, these homes had no electricity, running water, or even outhouses. Certainly it was not the poverty of this village that challenged my convictions, for the sincere smiles on every face I met showed me a tiny society that was happier than any I had ever come across in the US. It was that all the men we met were relaxing, gambling, and carefree enough to follow us. The women of the village were just as pleased to meet us-- but not as free. They extended their greetings under large bundles of grasses or buckets of water, holding infants, and stirring pots of dinner or that sweet chai. They were literally doing all of the work. It rattled my mind imagining myself in their places, especially once I learned that they were often second or third wives to their husbands. This was a common practice, particularly if these women failed to produce sons whose future wives would become caretakers for the family. Yet they sported wide smiles just the same. My buzzing feminist vibes began to relax as I smiled back and took this aspect quietly in mind as an extension of my personal education to examine later.

While I believe social change to be a necessary component of peaceful and productive societies, I do not think it can be successfully accomplished through stubborn disputes without first accepting and understanding systems of values different from one’s own. Besides this, closed minds and open mouths cannot learn or hear all the sounds and views around the world that would otherwise enrich. Convicted as I may be, I want to hear them all.

(Does that line make it sound like I'm a convicted criminal? Because that's what I meant.)

:o)