"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people."
— Cornel West
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Peace Corps
I know I kind of left my Ghana adventure unfinished due to lack of internet access for our final weeks. For anyone who was left in suspense, I arrived back home safely after my second month of volunteering. No need to worry that I was eaten by a crocodile in Paga.
The reason I decided to start blogging again is to update readers (aka J and Cori this is for you) because of my latest decision to join the Peace Corps. More accurately, I should say that it is to write about my acceptance and invitation to the Peace Corps since I decided to join the Peace Corps back in September when I first began the application progress.
Here I am though, 5 months later, and preparing to head off to my assignment in Guyana. Yes Guyana, not Ghana, or Guinea, or French Guiana. Guyana is a country in northern South America (in between Suriname and Venezuela). I head out February 13th, and I return April 15th, 2013.
I will continue to write my random tangents before leaving in less than a month, but for now I will leave you with tidbits of my Aspiration statement that I sent into my host country staff this afternoon.
ASPIRATION STATEMENT
Elizabeth Smith
Guyana
February 13th, 2011
College provided me with a foundation of the education I need to be a teacher, and I believe the Peace Corps will reinforce and instill the qualities necessary to be an exceptional teacher. Resilience, adaptability, determination, and self-motivation are essential for Peace Corps volunteers and teachers alike. As a recent college graduate, I am ready for the unrivaled education the Peace Corps has to offer.
I thrive on teaching because it is my passion. At the same time, I am enthralled with learning and adapting to the cultures of foreign countries. The demands for both are strenuous. The rewards are life-altering. Life abroad exposes invaluable lessons that are not as apparent in every-day America. For instance, I was able to witness the example of how manageable it is to live simply on my home-stay in Mukono, Uganda. Sometimes I lose perspective on the importance on living with less in America, and I know the Peace Corps will rejuvenate my awareness of just how significant it is.
Through the time I have spent in foreign countries, I have learned that laughter is the best approach to adapting to a new culture. If I did not spend each day laughing at all the mistakes and blunders I make while adjusting to a new culture, then I would be like a tea kettle boiling over with tears. Clearly, laughing is a preferential and healthy tactic to avoid taking myself too seriously while trying to maneuver my way in new surroundings without the familiarities of everyday routines. (You can’t help but laugh when there are twenty plus people packed into a tro-tro for 6 hours on unpaved roads.)
As best conveyed by Dr. Seuss in Green Eggs and Ham, I will never know unless I try. I am willing to be uncomfortable because otherwise I would never grow. Difficult situations have developed me into the individual I am today; the young woman who is committing two years of her life to the Peace Corps. Besides, trying new foods is not going to kill me…at least I hope not.
Life is unpredictable, especially in terms of traveling. One of the most defining experiences of my life was traveling to Uganda, and I did not even intend to study there in the first place. Uganda was a blessing to my life which taught me to value the unexpected plans in life even more than the planned ones. Similarly, I believe Peace Corps will play a defining role in my life. I can assume the stereotypical changes that will occur for me over the course of two years in a foreign country, such as a broader world-view and higher maturity level. More importantly though, I know the Peace Corps will continue to mold me into the humble teacher I aspire to be. Not to mention that I will come back with some unique stories to share and wow future students. In fact, my future students could be the future Peace Corps Volunteers—now that is an exciting thought.
The reason I decided to start blogging again is to update readers (aka J and Cori this is for you) because of my latest decision to join the Peace Corps. More accurately, I should say that it is to write about my acceptance and invitation to the Peace Corps since I decided to join the Peace Corps back in September when I first began the application progress.
Here I am though, 5 months later, and preparing to head off to my assignment in Guyana. Yes Guyana, not Ghana, or Guinea, or French Guiana. Guyana is a country in northern South America (in between Suriname and Venezuela). I head out February 13th, and I return April 15th, 2013.
I will continue to write my random tangents before leaving in less than a month, but for now I will leave you with tidbits of my Aspiration statement that I sent into my host country staff this afternoon.
ASPIRATION STATEMENT
Elizabeth Smith
Guyana
February 13th, 2011
College provided me with a foundation of the education I need to be a teacher, and I believe the Peace Corps will reinforce and instill the qualities necessary to be an exceptional teacher. Resilience, adaptability, determination, and self-motivation are essential for Peace Corps volunteers and teachers alike. As a recent college graduate, I am ready for the unrivaled education the Peace Corps has to offer.
I thrive on teaching because it is my passion. At the same time, I am enthralled with learning and adapting to the cultures of foreign countries. The demands for both are strenuous. The rewards are life-altering. Life abroad exposes invaluable lessons that are not as apparent in every-day America. For instance, I was able to witness the example of how manageable it is to live simply on my home-stay in Mukono, Uganda. Sometimes I lose perspective on the importance on living with less in America, and I know the Peace Corps will rejuvenate my awareness of just how significant it is.
Through the time I have spent in foreign countries, I have learned that laughter is the best approach to adapting to a new culture. If I did not spend each day laughing at all the mistakes and blunders I make while adjusting to a new culture, then I would be like a tea kettle boiling over with tears. Clearly, laughing is a preferential and healthy tactic to avoid taking myself too seriously while trying to maneuver my way in new surroundings without the familiarities of everyday routines. (You can’t help but laugh when there are twenty plus people packed into a tro-tro for 6 hours on unpaved roads.)
As best conveyed by Dr. Seuss in Green Eggs and Ham, I will never know unless I try. I am willing to be uncomfortable because otherwise I would never grow. Difficult situations have developed me into the individual I am today; the young woman who is committing two years of her life to the Peace Corps. Besides, trying new foods is not going to kill me…at least I hope not.
Life is unpredictable, especially in terms of traveling. One of the most defining experiences of my life was traveling to Uganda, and I did not even intend to study there in the first place. Uganda was a blessing to my life which taught me to value the unexpected plans in life even more than the planned ones. Similarly, I believe Peace Corps will play a defining role in my life. I can assume the stereotypical changes that will occur for me over the course of two years in a foreign country, such as a broader world-view and higher maturity level. More importantly though, I know the Peace Corps will continue to mold me into the humble teacher I aspire to be. Not to mention that I will come back with some unique stories to share and wow future students. In fact, my future students could be the future Peace Corps Volunteers—now that is an exciting thought.
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