As many of you already know, I have decided to join Peace Corps, becoming one of the nearly 8,000 volunteers currently serving in approximately 80 countries around the globe. I have always wanted to go abroad and participate in some type of global service, and after getting to getting to know the organization a bit better through returned volunteers , I settled on Peace Corps as my vessel for service and exploration. As my mother reminds me, there is no better time in my life to go and do as I please. I have finished my formal education, I am not tied down to anyone or anything (except those pesky student loans, but they can wait), and am deserving of this time of my own before deciding to settle into a more structured life at home.
I applied for Peace Corps back in August of 2009, completing the application a full year before I was ready to leave home. I thought that giving myself the summer after finishing my masters would give me time to study for and take my exam to become a Registered Dietitian, time to prepare mentally, say goodbye to friends and family and perhaps work and save a little money for preparation and travel once overseas. I hadn’t really thought that I would receive my assignment until mid to late July (as I was nominated for a program in Africa departing in September) at which point I would then allow myself to get excited and really start preparing to go.
Things took a real turn this past week. I was getting ready to head to the hospital on one of the last days of contract work I was doing at the same hospital where I just completed my internship, when the phone rang. It was a woman at the Peace Corps Recruiting Office. She began by asking me if I was preparing for my departure, if I was excited about the adventure, what I anticipated would be my biggest challenge, what I hoped to gain from the experience, etc. I felt like this was just a routine call, just touching base with me to see if I was still in it for the long haul and not becoming a total nut as the days to departure became fewer and fewer. Of course gave her all the answers I thought she was looking for and said what I was truly feeling at the time, “Yes, I am really excited, but certainly aware of the challenges ahead.” And “I know progress can be slow at first, but one of the most important things to remember during service is to just be present each day, interact with your hosts and enjoy learning about each other in this amazing two-year exchange of knowledge and cultural traditions.” Yadda, yadda, yadda. “ I am ready, I am excited, I am prepared!”
After going on like this for about 20 minutes, she then says, “ I am trying to find a program that fits your skills set. The program that you were scheduled to join in September is full. The placements after that point are backed up until the first of 2011, except for this one program that is still open. How would you feel about a program that leaves in mid to late July?”
“What!?!?” I say. “July?!? That is really soon, I mean soooo sooooooo very soon!” From this point on, my confidence crumbles. I begging blabbering on about needing a month to study for my RD exam, time to talk with my family and see friends that I had planned to spend time with this summer, time to get mentally ready to leave. I think the recruiter sensed my panic. I was all but crying on the phone. She politely, but firmly said that I could have a few days to think about it, talk with my family and make my decision. In a trembling voice, I squeaked out an OK, and hung up the phone. I immediately ran into the living room where my mom and sister were and started bawling. “They want me to leave in July!!!” I cried. “If I don’t go now, I will not get to go until 2011!” (still barely understood by my confused audience). After a few moments of me sitting on the arm of chair uttering “oh my God, oh my God, oh my God” my mom calmly comes over to me, gives me a hug and says “this is what you want, isn’t it?” and at that point, I then remember how much I have wanted to go to Africa this whole last year and I also was reminded of the support of my mother, who could have easily started crying right along side of me and begged me to stay, fueled my fear and convinced me that I was not ready to go. But she didn’t, and I quickly snapped out of my freaked out frenzy and started convincing myself that this was the right time to go, that somehow, this was meant to be.
The timing is almost perfect. I was notified on May 25th, almost two months in advance of my July 20th departure date. I finished up my contract position with the hospital a day after I received the news, and did not get a second job I interviewed for the past week. Without a summer job, I will have plenty of time to devote to studying for my RD exam. My family goes on to the beach for the week of the 4th of July, so I will have a nice bit of time to spend with just them right before I go. It would have been nice to have more time to work and save up some money, but with a little in the bank left over from last year’s student loans, I think I will be ok. Time with friends will be rushed, but I hope that if I am not able to see them in before I go, they will find the time to visit me and go on SAFARI sometime over the course of the next two years (wink, wink, hint, hint, fingers crossed, start saving now!).
I am so so very excited about this next phase in my life. Even though I am very happy with my chosen career field of dietetics, I have yet to determine my niche in the profession. During my internship, I was exposed to Clinical Dietetics, Food Service, and Employee Wellness. While I learned so much in each of these rotations, I feel that there are other opportunities in the profession that I would like to explore that may be better suited to my interests. I am very interested in food security issues and malnutrition and would much prefer helping people find access to healthy foods, rather than figuring a way to teach a 400 lb man to count the calories in his big gulp or put down his cheeseburger. No offense to those that do that type of work. Overconsumption and chronic disease as a result of an unhealthy diet are huge issues in our country, and dietitians here have one of the most important roles in combating these problems, but I just don’t think that work is for me. Although my primary aim during my Peace Corps assignment is to serve those in my host community, I also believe that Peace Corps may give to me the career direction I need upon my return to the states. (here’s hoping at least!)
Ok, enough about all that. I apologize for being so long-winded. But if you know me well, you shouldn’t be surprised : ) On to my assignment!
Where I will be going: ZAMBIA!!!
My title: Community Health Development Extensionist. I will be among the second wave of volunteers working on a new health project that combines the efforts of two former Zambian PC projects focusing on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Food Security, among other health priorities of Zambia’s rural communities.
Dates of service: July 22nd, 2010 to September 23rd 2012!!! (I will be almost 27 by then!)
The way the program works is all of us volunteers will fly to a designated city in the US for a day or so of what is called “Staging.” This is where we receive necessary paperwork, immunizations, and a brief introduction to Peace Corps. After that, we take off and fly to our host country. Here, we will participate in Pre-Service training that goes through the end of September. In Zambia, this training is community-based, meaning each volunteer will live with a host family. At the end of the nine-week training period, we will be sworn in as Volunteers if we demonstrate competence in language, cross-cultural understanding and technical skills.
After being sworn in, I will be assigned to one of the remote (bolded in my volunteer handbook) villages in one of the six provinces to which the health project currently sends volunteers.
My handbook indicates that I will work within a 20 km radius from my base village, and could be as far as 100 km from the nearest volunteer!
Other interesting tid-bits of information from my volunteer handbook:
“you will live in a village earthen house with a thatched roof, lit by kerosene lamps or candles”
“you will cook your meals over wood or charcoal”
“water may need to be carried from as far as 30 minutes away on foot”
“transportation to your provincial capital may take a full day and will generally be in crowded and dusty public transport where you will ride at the back of an open truck”
“volunteers may at times find it necessary to travel on trucks carrying produce or livestock”
“some volunteers walk or ride their bikes up to 30 km to catch a ride at a main road”
At least they don’t hold back! Of course I was expecting such conditions, so don’t think I am sitting here in a panic. It’s just funny to see it typed out on paper. I could totally handle a ride with a chicken in my lap, and perhaps all those cycling classes in college will pay off with more than just buns of steel. Just because I haven’t done it yet, doesn’t mean I won’t be up for the experience : ) I am sure there are plenty other surprises to come!
Ok. That’s all for now. More specifics on Zambia in my next post! Thanks for joining in on the start of my BIG ADVENTURE!!!
This is such an incredible experience! Just remember that each day is a new day, and you will make a difference. God speed!
ReplyDeleteWow Salley! I am so excited for you! Congratulations on starting this new adventure! I will be following your progress, please keep the posts coming!
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