I have officially accepted an invitation to become a Peace Corps trainee in Tanzania. I plan to depart the United States on September 20 and arrive in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, for two months of training in language, culture, adaptation, technical skills, and health and safety. Provided I survive the intense training regime I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer and subsequently begin teaching Secondary School Mathematics in the end of November.
My service as a Volunteer will last two years. I expect it to be a test of character like no other, to exercise my creativity, to attune my skills, to challenge my integrity, to prompt re-evaluation of my lifestyle, and to stretch me in every imaginable direction and into unknown dimensions. I do not expect to return home a different person but I do expect to have a changed perspective and to have gained a more comprehensive understanding of the world and what makes us all human.
My preparations have already begun; in fact, I’ve been anticipating this opportunity for 19 months. I began my Peace Corps application in January 2009, completing all but the most challenging section: the essays. At a loss for words I put off writing my two application statements and soon found myself engulfed in schoolwork as I neared the completion of my engineering degree. It wasn’t until the fall when I finally found the time and inspiration to complete my essays, and after several iterations of edits and revisions my application was submitted on October 25, 2009.
One week later I received a request for more information, and after completing a few more forms I set up an interview on campus for December 1. Though I was told by my interviewer that I would hear from the Chicago Regional Office at least a couple weeks later, that afternoon, only a few short hours after my interview, I received a phone call from a woman in Chicago sharing the good news that I had been nominated to serve in a sub-Saharan francophone departing July 2010.
And now here I am, in July 2010, still in the United States after a few delays but officially on my way to Africa, to a sub-Saharan country, not a francophone but to an exciting country that offers challenge and adventure. I could not be happier with where I am going and the opportunity that awaits me. September 20 cannot come soon enough.
I want to thank all my friends and family who have supported my decision and who have offered words of encouragement and solace while I endured the stress inherent in the application process, and those who share my enthusiasm and who have given me their blessings. I cannot survive this experience without your continued support throughout the entirety of my time abroad, and I am forever grateful for each and every one of you.
