So I've haven't left yet but I decided I would start blogging anyways. A lot of people have been curious in my decision to join and how I have been feeling. This will hopefully answer some questions.
Q: Where are you going?
I am going to Namibia. It is right above South Africa and is to the left of Botswana. It is a fairly new country. It was occupied first by Germany and then by South Africa. It gained its independence from South Africa in 1990. The capital is Windhoek. The country speaks English but also different languages depending on the region.
Q: When do you leave?
I leave for my Pre-departure training on July 21. I will travel to a location in the states (unknown) to meet my other volunteers and undergo some training like stuff. Then on July 22 all of us will fly out to Namibia as a group. Once there we travel to the actual training.
Q: How long will you be gone?
The in country training will last 3 months long near the capital. Then I will be placed in a region to begin the real work. I will be in that location for 2 years. So I will be in Namibia for 27 months total.
Q: What will you be doing?
I will be teaching high school Math. High school to them is 8th grade through 12th grade. Now I know this is confusing. "You decided not to teach and now you're going to be teaching for 2 years??" Yes, I don't want to teach...in the States. I want to teach people who want to learn and who don't take education for granted. The education system in the States is flawed and I don't think I could be silent and endure it. As a Peace Corps. volunteer I will be teaching people who want to be there and who want to learn. Don't get me wrong, I do have a passion to teach, just not in the U.S.A.
Q: When did you decide to join?
I never really thought about it until I studied abroad in Botswana during Spring 2012. At the end of my semester one of my friends and I had been discussing what we would do once we graduated. She brought up the idea of joining the Peace Corps. I had heard about it but didn't really know what it was all about. It was kind of in the back of my mind until I started looking at graduate schools to go to after I graduated from UNCC. While looking at grad schools I saw that the peace corps. had a program where you could study at a grad school for about a year and a half and then earn some credits serving as a volunteer. It sounded perfect for me because at the time I considered getting a masters in TESL ( I was still in the education program). BUT then I decided i didn't want to teach anymore so I stopped considering grad school. So while looking for a job and posting on online job boards I looked into the Peace Corps. some more and decided it sounded amazing. So i started the extensive paperwork mid October of this year (2014...come on you should know what year it is).
Q: Why did you decide to join?
I have traveled all my life and I love it. I know I'm ignorant of the world and I want to learn more. I grew to love Africa (at the least the parts I have been to) and longed to go back. As a white upper middle class female I have never experienced hardship in my life. Sure I struggled with deciding what to major in and sometimes I ate ramen for a week straight but that is nothing compared to what some people have gone through. I feel responsible. I came from a privileged life I feel that I need to make up for that. If someone can do something to help the world,even in the slightest, they have the obligation to do it! So. what do you get when you mix a love of traveling, the yearning to learn more about the world, and the feeling of obligation to help people? You get the Peace Corps.
Q: Are you excited?
This is by far the most popular question I get asked. The answer is...YES! I am very excited. I am eager to begin what will probably be the most significant journey I will experience in my life. I can't wait for all the people I will meet and all the things I will do. I loved my time in Botswana and I am interested in seeing its neighboring country.
Q: Are you nervous?
I was surprised at how little people ask me this so it's not technically a FAQ but I will answer it anyways. I am very nervous. I went to school in North Carolina so I am used to being unable to going home for the weekend whenever I want. Then I spent 4 months in Botswana so I am familiar with home sickness and feeling disconnected from my friends and family. But I have never been this far from home for this long. I may not have running water or electricity depending on where I am. Sure I said I could deal with it, but in reality I have no idea how I would cope in a situation like that. I'm not even sure if I will last through the training. There are a bunch of people who will make it feel like my heart has been ripped in two and I have no idea how I will react to being so far away from them. I can only hope that I am tough enough to undergo the initial shock of being so far away and tough enough to undergo being in an unfamiliar place for 27 months.
