Why the Peace Corps?

Hi everyone!

I thought a quick introduction of who I am and what I’m writing a blog for would be appropriate.
So, after months of preparation (I started this crazy application process in October 2005!) I’m finally on my way to Peru! I joined the Peace Corps and I’m going to be a “Community Health Promoter.” Now, to avert any future questions, yes, there still is a Peace Corps. And no, it’s not a bunch of hippies. They have a flourishing program that has expanded to include such interesting and useful sectors such as Small Economic Development, Youth Development, Environmental Action and Awareness, and, coolest of all, Community Health!! And that’s just in Peru.
Ok, anyway, basically, this whole idea for the Peace Corps started when I came back from a semester studying Spanish in Costa Rica and realized that I really did want to volunteer abroad after I graduated college. I had kind of always known but this experience really cemented my plans. I began searching the web, talking to people, reading books (yes, people still do that), about traveling, working, and volunteering in other countries.
I was looking for a way to work in a health capacity, like public health or medicine, and had no medical-related or public health degrees. Try and find a good program that will take you up on that. It’s hard.
Long story short, I started the application process to the Peace Corps in October 2005 with a bit of hesitancy. I was still looking around for another program as an option but as time passed and I continued that long and tedious journey through the Peace Corps application, I realized that this just might be a perfect fit. I had convinced the recruiter to nominate me for Health Education because of my eventual goal of working with community health, even though my studies and past experiences weren’t exactly directly linked to this goal. Also, a myriad of things began to happen… I’d ask other people about the Peace Corps and they almost always had a story to tell of a parent or a friend or a relative that had served and they always seemed to have positive, enthusiastic stories to share. Talking with friends and mentors about the long time commitment, I received a surprising amount of comments saying that that was just enough time to integrate with the community, be accepted, and get some work done.
In May (2006), I graduated from the University of Arizona with an M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and all I had to tell colleagues and professors about my marvelous future plans is that I had applied to the Peace Corps. I was pretty confident that I would go wherever the invitation sent me but not knowing did weigh on me as well as the nagging fear of just not getting in at all.
Shortly after graduation, I finally got a large packet in the mail! My roommate was home when I came in with a large envelope and watched as my hands shook opening the folder. PERU!! Woohoo! Then we commenced jumping up and down, probably in circles, and being highly entertaining in general. That was it, I was definitely going to Peru.


OK, hope that was interesting for everyone.