Friday, December 27, 2013

life is calling. are you going to answer?


I started and finished my application for the Peace Corps in March or February. I don't remember. I was in Kenya and all hyped up on saving the world. It happens often.

I got an email from them like a week later. They wanted and interview and me to rewrite a few of my essays. Oh crap. This is real.

I had a mild freak out. I was out of the country. I still have a semester of school and an internship left before I can leave. I set them an email after a week of thought. "Can I please put this all on hold?" It was a miracle. They said that was possible.

School finished. I graduated. Internship started going. I got a job. I definitely did not want to be in America. Everything seemed just temporary until I could sort out what I really wanted to do. My wanderlust had never ever been this bad. I would go to sleep dreaming of traveling and being far away eating awful foods and getting diarrhea from it. It sounded so wonderful.

I knew I had two choices. Move to Kenya for a year or so or the Peace Corps. I was in a pickle for a couple of months. I really had no idea. I made a few phone calls to my Kenyan friends and Bishop. Would it even be possible for me? I couldn't live at the orphanage for the whole year. I would have to get a house. Then the other side. I was Googling all about the Peace Corps. I bought books and read them. I Googled "Mormons in the Peace Corps." I wanted to know.

I emailed the Peace Corps back in the middle of all this. "I am ready. Could I please be taken off hold?" It is after your trail of faith you will know. The more I talked with my recruiter. The further along I got with the process the more I knew with out a doubt this was right. The further along I got with the Peace Corps the more moving to Kenya made me feel extremely uneasy and stressed.

I was not supposed to move to Kenya.
I am supposed to do the Peace Corps.

I am stoked about this. It is all I can talk about. I cannot wait to leave. I am DYING waiting for my assignment. This is worse then a mission call. You honestly never know when it will come. One month? 3 months? Who knows?

Everything is subject to change but when I went and had my interview, my recruiter and I went through a few programs and their descriptions. On my application she said that I was the perfect fit to teach high school English in the rural areas of Zambia.

This is all so perfect.

I have submitted my application.
I have had my interview.
I have put in my fingerprints.
They have been reviewed and I am not a criminal.
The medical people have sent me an email saying I am cleared.

All I need is my assignment.
That was all I wanted for Christmas.
Maybe my birthday? It is tomorrow.  

1 comment:

  1. Caitlin and I met with a recruiter and filled out our applications, but then we knew we weren't supposed to continue with the Peace Corps.
    In my graduate program there were like 10 RPCV and then a bunch went into the PC after we finished. I have friends in Swaziland, Botswana, Costa Rica, Macedonia, and Ukrane. And one of my friends from Rexburg is in Rwanda. Such a cool thing you are doing! If you want to talk to any of them, I could connect you via FB.

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