Ever since I was a little kid I always knew I wanted to do something out of the ordinary when I would become a grown up. Now that I am about to turn 21 years old and college graduation is in the near future for me, I feel like it is time to enact my dream of being a part of something bigger than myself. Throughout my high school years I loved learning about cultures and about the ways that different people around the world interact with each other.

 

I knew that I wanted to study people and societies when I got to college based on this love for cultural learning I had developed throughout my high school career. I did some research and talked to a few of my friends and colleagues about ways to learn about cultures and do something positive at the same time and the option of becoming a member of the Peace Corps repeatedly came up.

 

I did some research on the program and started leaning toward the program they offer in Africa helping out with the AIDS epidemic. I felt like this would give me good experience in helping out people in need and learning about the way that their society works in looking at how they deal with the AIDS issue.

 

Once I decided on the program, I felt like I should give my parents some insight about why it was I wanted to do this program. Just like I thought, they freaked out—they were definitely not into this idea. I explained to them the benefits for doing this program and I also explained to them that being a Peace Corps member is something very meaningful to me. They understood my compassion for doing this kind of work, but their main concern was for my safety since I would be living in a foreign country for a long period of time. The factor of being able to communicate with them frequently was an issue they brought up. I took all of their concerns into consideration and I started to feel confused about what I should do.

 

I thought to myself, “Could I really do something like this?” I mean, there is a two year commitment in addition to a 3 month training process. Would I really be willing to commit that much time of my life to a program? This question was one I debated about over and over again until finally I decided to weigh the pros and the cons. In doing so I came to realize that I need to take hold of my life and direct it where I want to go.

 

The experiences the Peace Corps could offer me would be invaluable and I decided that I am willing to take a risk in order to make change in Africa. I feel like taking this step would be a good choice for my future career goals. I am excited about the prospect of getting to fulfill my child hood dream of finally being part of something extraordinary.