So the Peace Corps, eh?

So without further ado, let this blog begin! For better or for worse, here it goes. For those that may be reading this and have no idea as to the origins for its creation, I have been accepted into the Peace Corps (an American volunteer program run by the U.S. Government) and will leave June 1 for a 27 month adventure in Cameroon as a Small Business Advisor.

So the Peace Corps. When i've informed family & friends of this decision there have been many reactions. The two most common being either the comment "WOW, you are brave" or the question "why?". To the comment I say its a chance to make a difference, allow for a huge growth opportunity, experience a new culture, get out of my comfort zone, and well, frankly, to have the travel adventure of a lifetime :). I hope my answer to the question will be clear in spite of its conciseness. I've done crazier things, time wise at least. When I left for my internship in Berlin, I was accepted into it on a Friday and arrived in Berlin the following Friday. Except for bad luck with accomodations and a witchy landlady in my last apartment there, it was a fabulous experience! Yes I've lived in France for 8 months, but this by far is the biggest, longest, and farthest travel experience I have ever pursued. For the Peace Corps, I will be leaving a year to the day I applied last June. So I have had a full year to consider my decision, and the process of getting to where I am now was not the easiest. Patience truly is a virtue. Also, there were many volunteer projects I led out on in college (the biggest of them being a Zimbabwe fundraiser and creation of a Microfinance project for the School of Business) which put in my head the idea of what it would actually be like to live in a developing country. Coupled with my desire to on a professional level pursue Diplomacy and to avoid a 8 to 5 cubicle job, I figure I'm young...why not?

So with my Bon Voyage party last weekend, a weekend trip to Walla Walla, WA to my college town for my friend Megan's wedding coming up this weekend, and that fact that i'm already packed (yes, don't judge its true!)I'm going to sit back and enjoy my last two weeks with my family, friends, good food, and a good dose of American culture! Join me on this adventure? Stayed tuned for more...