Fifty-five years ago, my mother was born in Cebu City, Philippines. Her Parents, both Peace Corps volunteers, had decided to make it their home after working in the community for so long. They remained in the region, moving to Malaysia, where my grandfather worked as a professor for the University. These experiences and stories told to me helped instill my need to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. There was certainly an aspect of pride in my decision to apply, but more their stories made them my heroes and made me want to be a better person. Ever since I can remember, my family has reinforced and encouraged activism and helping those in need. The first time I ever participated on Earth Day I was around 7. My grandmother and my mom had taken me to a lake that was used for ice fishing during the winter. We spent the day cleaning cans, bottles and other litter left on the shores. That was my first experience volunteering and working with the environment. At the time I’m sure I found it a little tedious, but now I think very fondly of that early experience and how it made me realize that the world needs helpers. Growing up I didn’t always know what career path I wanted to follow, but I knew that whatever I did that I should be a helper as well.
Two summers ago, I traveled for the first time outside the U.S. without my family. I had decided to take part in a school-sponsored study abroad program. At first, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. In my head, I felt I needed to go somewhere foreign to me, somewhere where I would be exposed to a culture/way of living that I was completely unaccustomed to. With that in mind, I decided I wanted to go as far as possible, so I chose an engineering program in Hangzhou, China. I found that if I wanted to have new experiences I had to seek them out myself and break away from the group. Leaving the university compound, I rode my $20 bike on adventures across the mega-city until I had left the westernized center. Eventually, I found the places where the signs no longer held English subtitles, where I was truly out of my element. I loved it. The vastly different style of life helped me let go of some of my preconceived notions of what family and society should look like (though I’m sure they still slip out every so often). The experience made me realize the challenge of letting go of the norms I had taken for granted at home, but more so, it challenged me not to need them. The instances where I may question choosing the Peace Corps are now clear to me, but I as I write this I stand ready and willing with the knowledge that my experience in Liberia will help me become the person who I aspire to be.
Jack of All Trades 