Submission Essays

When applying for Peace Corps each volunteer is required to write essays. The first essay is to be a motivational statement assessing why you desire to serve in the Peace Corps and what you bring to the table. The second essay is a cross-cultural essay to demonstrate your ability to integrate. While there were a few specific points they asked you to address this is the jist of what each essay includes.

Funny enough I remember a year ago sitting at the salon reading my rough drafts to my friends and the whole salon listening in on what I had written and was about to undertake! I hope this helps any prospective volunteers out there that just aren't sure what to write.
Below were my submissions:

Motivational Essay

At the end of my life the only questions I will ask myself are: Did I love enough? Did I laugh enough?  Did I make a difference? My greatest hope for my life is that I can answer yes to every one of these questions and I believe Peace Corps can help me do this.

The moment that flipped the switch in my heart occurred at a youth conference in high school where a video was played promoting African missions, since that day I have felt a calling to be a part of something greater. I realize now that my education and skill set could be highly utilized in a developing nation. My business knowledge, teaching experience, and interpersonal skills coupled with a compassionate heart and humble spirit make me a uniquely qualified volunteer. When Peace Corps entered my radar it was a light bulb moment, and I realized it would provide the perfect opportunity and financial means to give back in a way greater than I could have ever dreamed.

My greatest motivation to serve is to be able to spread the love and opportunity that I’ve been blessed with, and be able to form relationships that will forever change the course of lives, mine included. Mahatma Gandhi said “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” I believe one is never done growing or becoming a better version of themselves and I strive to always keep learning and growing through new experiences. The opportunity offered by the Peace Corps is dual purpose, as I find most often when you help others it is you yourself who reaps the greatest reward.

I think the most considerable struggles for me will also be the most rewarding parts of my service.  Preparing my personal and professional life for service will be a challenge because I am a “stuff” person and am easily attached to tangible things, particularly if they are of sentimental value. I find that physical items are only temporary and can shift focus from what is important, and because of this; I am excited to have the opportunity to purge myself of those distractions and invest my efforts into the lives of others.

I hope that through my service with the Peace Corps I can find a lifestyle that is different from the self- focused corporate grind. To be a cultural ambassador, bringing with me all of my history and experience while sharing and learning from others about theirs, would be the highest honor. I look forward to becoming part of another family and community. 

Cross-Cultural Essay

My current employer is a global company that serves a wide variety of clientele. While my role in implementing new clients limits my client base to a US market, I work closely with teams in India and Romania to ensure the success of each client. I’ve worked to help train our team in India and regularly communicate with our team in Romania to guarantee all aspects are taken care of for the client. While I have found the culture from our US office does not greatly differ from that of Romania, our culture is vastly different from that of our team in Pune, India.

 I have found communication and cultural expectations to be the two greatest challenges in working with such a different culture. I learned early on that “mean what you say, and say what you mean” was more difficult than it sounded when we, as American’s, use so many colloquialisms that second language English speakers are not accustomed to.  I have had to learn to communicate with an open mind and not take everything at face value since the gap between languages often allows for errors and miscommunications. I also found that cultural expectations and norms are very different and worked closely with a team leader in India to better understand what is culturally acceptable and find ways to train and work within those expectations. I found that once I bridged those gaps and began to understand cultural norms such as- it is not common, or comfortable, to ask questions in a group setting- I was able to better tailor my training by taking questions via email and addressing items in a general manner without any individual having to stand out.  Taking the initiative to be inquisitive and learn about their cultural expectations made a huge difference in the reception of daily communication and work. I found that doing little things like wishing them a happy holiday, such as the upcoming Id-Ul-Fitr holiday, went a long way in building trust and rapport across time zones and cultures.

In my experience the greatest assets to cultural success are an open mind and willingness to get outside your own comfort zone.  I fully expect to be outside my normal routine, language, and comfort zones while serving and welcome the opportunity to experience and integrate into a different way of life, enjoying all the richness that comes along with a new culture. My experience outlined above demonstrates my ability to be flexible and conform to cultural norms. I have enjoyed learning from my colleagues in India and look forward to a full cultural immersion in a foreign country.

 

Peace Corps Goals

The mission of Peace Corps is quite simple:

To promote world peace and friendship by-

• Helping people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women
• Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of peoples served
• Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans 

Then there are 10 major competencies you are expected to fulfill:

1. Prepare your personal and professional life to make a commitment to serve abroad  
2. Commit to improving the quality of life of the people with whom you live and work; and, in doing so, share your skills, adapt them, and learn new skills as needed  
3. Serve where the Peace Corps asks you to go, under conditions of hardship, if necessary, and with the flexibility needed for effective service  
4. Recognize that your successful and sustainable development work is based on the local trust and confidence you build by living in, and respectfully integrating yourself into, your host community and culture  
5. Recognize that you are responsible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your personal conduct and professional performance 
6. Engage with host country partners in a spirit of cooperation, mutual learning and respect 
7. Work within the rules and regulations of the Peace Corps and the local and national laws of the country where you serve  
8. Exercise judgment and personal responsibility to protect your health, safety, and well-being and that of others  
9. Recognize that you will be perceived, in your host country and community, as a representative of the people, cultures, values, and traditions of the United States of America  
10. Represent responsibly the people, cultures, values, and traditions of your host country and community to people in the United States both during and following your service

No fancy thoughts on this one. Just information on the expectations.

To find out more about Peace Corps please visit their website. http://www.peacecorps.gov/

The passport blog gives some insight into many other volunteers projects and lives.

A calling

To me there is no denying that I have been called to serve. To some this may sound cliche but let me back up and explain why I say this.

I'm a huge believer that timing is everything and it's not always about you. What I mean by this is that I find there may be other pieces of the puzzle that need to be set in place before it comes time for something to happen. I have no doubts that this is exactly the case for my service in Zambia.

At the time I applied a lot of things in my life were falling apart. Despite the fact that I had talked about this idea of Peace Corps long before I can't help but feel like it was a bit of a getaway attempt given life at the time. My prayer for the last year has been "I'll go where you lead, even if that is right here." At the time the staying put was the harder part of the prayer. But over time I got back in touch with what was important, reconnected with friends and myself, and even work became something I liked again. There was a marked shift in this prayer and the hard part became "I'll go."

It is obvious to me that this is the time to go. So many things fell into place far beyond sheer coincidence that it became undeniable to me what I was to do.

To list a few:
-Most of the people in my intake got their invite in about half the time I did.
-I finally got a roommate this past winter and signed a sublet through May (I leave early June)
-I took a business trip to India in January. The company reimbursed me for all my travel vaccines. I only had to get 2 additional shots to fulfill the Peace Corps requirements.
-Of all the places Peace Corps serves all over the world I was assigned to Africa, exactly where I wanted. 
-This was the kicker. I had no idea until I received my invite. My cousin, Evan, was also accepted into Peace Corps (rare) and placed in Zambia this February just months before my departure (EXTREMELY RARE). The fact that I will have flesh and blood in country with me can be nothing short of divine intervention in my opinion.

While it is quite obvious to me that all signs point toward my departure it will no doubt be quite hard to say goodbye to the wonderful people and life I have established here. But alas, this is not goodbye forever.

Jamoral- My Slice of Africa

I'll let you in on a secret. This has been a long time in the works. I don't mean the year long application process. I mean my heart for this. I remember a video shown at an Acquire the Fire conference in high school promoting African missions; ever since that day the idea has tugged at my heart. Years went by. At one point I looked into a mission trip, but as it were I didn't have the ability to pay someone, take a sabbatical, and go do my heart's desires. With every passing movie about Africa, every person who mentioned a visit, or every friend made from Africa my desire grew greater.

The terms under which I applied to Peace Corps were not however for service in Africa. The terms were: anywhere, any sector, anytime. I had 0 say. Because of this I feel incredibly blessed to carry out my desire in a way far greater than I could have ever dreamed. I do not get to take a field trip to provide a little relief effort and feel good about myself, I get to move across the ocean to live with, love with, and hurt with these joyous people.

But before I knew I'd be serving in Zambia I found my own piece of Africa right here in Colorado. May I introduce Jamoral. It means "listening to each other" and I think we do a pretty darn good job of that in this family we've formed.

...

What is family?

I used to think family was just limited to the people who shared a last name and bloodline. I come from a family where blood IS thicker than water and you do anything for family (within reason and not promoting destructive behaviors). The notion that people may not want to be family with their own kin was foreign to me. Over the years though, particularly the last few, I've realized family is not just the people you are stuck with but the people you choose.

I've learned that community becomes family if you want and let it. I've learned that family gets you through all those times when you just can't stand on your own two feet. I most certainly have friends and acquaintances but I sure have a lot of family. Silly me I thought my "family" was big before I had this concept in my head.

This being said my pending adventure will lead me away from my blood family, my motorcycle family, my African/Jamoral family, and my church family here.......but that doesn't mean I'll be without. I tend to make "families" everywhere I go. I can't wait to meet my Peace Corps Zambia family, my host family, and my Zambian Africa family.

While I know this concept of many families may sound foreign or even stressful to some I have found that it brings ultimate peace. I personally have never had a worry about a roof over my head or food to eat, and this isn't because times haven't been hard or money scarce, but rather because I know I have so many people that love me so much they would never let me go hungry or cold. This family I have built extends so far I know that no matter what, I'm never alone.

This concept of family is what gives me strength, what assures me I'll be successful. Because I know if I fall it's ok and they will be right there to pick me back up. I find the concept of having family over friends makes me a more giving and supportive member of the relationship. I'm looking forward to seeing if I continue this model of becoming part of families elsewhere. But if I had to guess I'm going to come back with a lot more family than I left with.

That being said I'd like to thank all my families here for always being there when I need you most. There are too many names to name but you know who you are. And I assure each of you who I consider family, I will reach out if I need something. Promise! Love you all so much. I wouldn't be half the girl I am today without each and every one of you. You all have a very special place in my heart. And of course this isn't goodbye just Bon Voyage for a bit!

The cat is out of the bag!

Well it is official. I have submitted my resignation at work. HOLY WOW! What a weird feeling! For a job laden with problems and challenges I never thought submitting my resignation would be so hard.  However my company is a great place to work with great people and great clients and THAT is what makes this next step so hard.

I'm so fortunate to have the support of my management as well as the safety net of coming back to the organization after my stint in Africa. Though my boss, who is from South Africa, warned me "you just might fall in love with it and not want to come back." I suppose only time will tell on that one! But after a 2 year run of unemployment it is sure nice to have a backup plan.

I feel like the reactions of staff and management say a lot about what I've been able to help create here and the role I play. It leaves me with a heavy heart to say goodbye to such amazing coworkers. But one of my many mantras I like to live by is that growth only occurs outside of our comfort zones. I just have an extreme way of doing things I suppose!

This past weekend I read Dr. Suess' "Oh the Places You'll Go" to a friend's daughter. Funny how Dr. Suess has a way of summing up this experience and life in general so perfectly.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
...
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
....
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!