Update!

Sooo…I haven't updated my blog in quite awhile, but that's mainly due to the fact that I am LEAVING FOR CAMEROON ON JUNE 4TH!!! It's been quite the whirlwind since receiving my invitation on April 23rd. After a brief scare on the 22nd where my Placement Officer communicated that neither the region or departure month included in my nomination would likely come to pass, I received my invitation the next day. It made me realize just how bummed out I would be if this whole process never came to fruition - if I wasn't able to go to francophone West Africa or leave this summer - not to mention wonder why the hell I'd been back in Michigan for the past 6 months. So now, no matter the nervousness I am experiencing (only 2 weeks left now!!) or the financial challenge it's been trying to swing such an early departure date, I feel completely confident in my decision. Funny how sometimes it takes a pendulum of emotion to finally steady things out. Currently, I am trying to get all of my packing needs in order, wrap up some loose ends, and connect and learn from the communities of RPCVs and my class of entering Cameroon Peace Corps Trainees out there. Life's crazy, but good!

I've included my timeline below, as well as my peace corps application essays, as I know I enjoyed reading through those of other current, future, or returned PCVs and found them helpful as I was navigating through the application process.

Timeline:

Sept. 19, 2008: Submitted Online Application

Sept. 26, 2007: Interview

Oct. 1, 2007: Nominated for Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, June 2008

Oct. 12 - Dec. 23, 2007: Traveling in Middle East, Put Med. Process on Hold

February 12, 2008: Started Medical Process

March 5, 2008: Mailed Completed Med. Pkt

March 14, 2008: Dentally Cleared

March 21, 2008: Additional Medical Info Requested

April 3, 2008: Medically Cleared

April 7, 2008: Contacted Placement Officer. Told that the country I was originally nominated to was full (note: my fault given my delayed medical clearance), but will see if they can still add me. If not, many other programs leaving in the summer….

April 14, 2008: Told my initial Placement Officer's last day was the 11th and will be reassigned.

April 16, 2008: Given new Placement Officer's information. Left message for new Placement Officer.

April 20, 2008: Placement Officer contacted me. No new information - original country nominated to full, but still trying to add me. Will contact me later in the week.

April 22, 2008: Contacted my Placement Officer. Told me that my original country of nomination was indeed full and is not accepting anymore people. Given my specialized program - NGO Advising - they will need to look outside of Africa for a placement and my departure date may be substantially deferred. Bummersville………..

April 23, 2008: Received a lively call from my Placement Officer the next day……..she said they reviewed my application and, if I was still interested, they would be able to add me to the program/country I was intiially nominated to afterall!!!! E-mailed invitation instantaneously . CAMEROON, JUNE 4 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO EXCITED!!!!!!

April 25, 2008: ACCEPTED INVITATION TO CAMEROON!!!!!! And so started the whirlwind of packing/planning, etc with 6 weeks and counting…..

Motivation Statement

My mother has always held a grudge against my 5^th grade teacher. You see, the 5^th grade, the year that I participated in a 3-week academic intercultural exchange program to France, marked the first of many times that I would cross U.S. borders seeking adventure. While always made in jest, it seems that my mom may have been right all along in pinpointing 5^th grade as the year my cross-cultural curiosity ignited. No more telling is the fact that I have since called AFS-USA Intercultural Programs, one of the largest international intercultural program organizations in the country, my employer.

Upon my graduation from the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service where I pursued my Masters in Public Administration with an International Development specialization, I accepted a position as the Orientation Coordinator of AFS-USA’s Sponsored Programs Department. My main responsibility included managing the orientations for their Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, a U.S. State Department sponsored program established after 9/11 meant to build bridges of understanding between the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations. For four years and counting, high school students from such countries have arrived in the United States to spend one year with American families attending American high schools located across the nation. This, the most intensive and rewarding job of my life, allowed me to be part of a program which I truly believe is doing much to minimize the rampant misperceptions about Islam and Muslims that exist in this country at such a critical time in our nation’s history.

I am not ashamed to say that I likely benefited far more from accepting this position at AFS-USA than vice versa. It taught me that the simple presence of someone from another culture has powerful and expanding effects in fostering tolerance in communities near and far. Furthermore, these incredibly brave students who leave their families for a year to study abroad in the U.S. during their tender teen years have inspired me to reconsider what at one time would have been an intimidating 27 month time commitment.

Not long ago, I attended a Peace Corps information session and distinctly remember one of the recruiters mentioning that if we, as potential volunteers, did nothing more than ‘drink coffee with locals all day’ once in the Peace Corps we would have accomplished the goals set forth. While months ago I may have assumed this a gross exaggeration, my own experience at AFS-USA made me realize that mere physical presence - simple three dimensional interaction - is inevitably powerful. While I certainly would plan on keeping myself a bit busier than that required of latte drinking or café hopping, I certainly understand the premise.

Once combined with my education at NYU Wagner, including courses such as Politics of International Development, International Ethics, and International Economic Development, as well as my international experience working as an Intern for the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Thailand or serving on a 5-person team analyzing and improving upon Save the Children USA’s performance measurement indicators as part of my graduate Capstone project, Peace Corps seems a more than logical step along my personal and career paths. It would allow me to build upon my education and experience while providing me with an opportunity to make my contribution to a worthwhile cause. Boasting an insightful and valuable mission paralleling my own international development ideals, the Peace Corps speaks to me as the place where my intentions would be best realized and where my contribution could be best made.

Cross-Cultural Experience Essay

Tilting my head to look out the back window of the van, I noticed the collapsed pavement of the road we were on as we twisted and turned up the mountain. Hearing the strain of the engine and the quick movements of the driver as he anticipated the next near 180 degree turn, I continued to look out the window at the unnerving but exhilarating view on this foray to the highest point in Thailand. The peaks and valleys left behind us in the distance, magnificent by their own right, appeared minimal compared to our height. All I could do was smile. Jolting with each bump in the road, I was literally ‘along for the ride.’

Sitting on a 16 hour flight with six strangers, commencing my journey on a Michigan State University Semester Abroad in Thailand from January to April of 2003, I had fully expected, even hoped for, an intense cultural experience. But nothing can prepare you for that first step out of the airport into a world composed of different climates, different scenery, different faces. Transitioning from a member of the majority to the minority was an inimitable adjustment. As a Caucasian female in Michigan, I never knew what it felt like to lose my anonymity. Aside from the frustration which accompanied bargaining down high ‘farang’ prices in the streets of Bangkok, shopping in stores which never seemed to carry the right size, or attempting to ignore long stares in my direction, however, I suspect the experience of being a white westerner in Thailand was quite different from the experiences of most minorities. Blond hair, blue eyes, and white skin are on the list of coveted features for many Thai people, features not indigenous to the population of this Southeast Asian country. While this may sound like an inviting environment - an effortless opportunity to climb the superficial social ladder - I found it a disheartening experience. Walking into stores where every model used for advertising purposes was white despite its obvious misrepresentation of consumer demographics or trying to find hand cream in a Bangkok pharmacy only to come across a product titled ‘whitening cream’ instead, saddened me. It was difficult to realize that my admiration and respect for the beauty of the Thai people, the unique culture, and the stunning landscape was an observation not always resonating locally. I found that honesty – both concerning my appreciation of Thai culture and the qualities and imperfections of American society - went a long way towards removing the pedestal and enabling a level exchange of ideas.

Additionally, living on the campus of the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumthani, Thailand, a small graduate school with a student body comprised of over 40 different nationalities, I was provided an amplified opportunity for cultural exposure. I remember looking up at the group of students with whom I was barbequing one night and realizing that in a group of about 15 people, there were more than 10 different countries represented from Europe to the Middle East. Having discussions with Iraqi and French students just before the U.S. declared war on Iraq was intense, but made me realize how we are all just human beings with a capacity for understanding and compassion.

Living in Thailand for three months permitted me the chance to challenge my beliefs on an international level. I learned a lot about myself in the process, realizing my ability to adapt in ways I may never have considered possible. From using squat toilets to mastering bargaining techniques in the streets of Bangkok, I am pleased to say that I embraced it all. I am consequently a more confident person trying my best to live by the motto ‘wonder more, know less.’