I applied online to Peace Corps towards the end of May 2008. About a week or two after I submitted my application I was called in for an interview. And on June 5th 2008, right after interviewing with a Peace Corps recruitment officer, I was nominated for a Health Extension position in the Sub-Saharan African region. We actually set down at a table and the recruiter let me pick exactly what I wanted. I knew I wanted to avoid business related things altogether, so the Health Extension program was an easy choice. I was just amazed that I qualified for it, especially since I had no real health credentials. Selecting the region of service on the other hand proved far more difficult.
We talked about Eastern Europe, the Islands in the Caribbean, the Central and South America regions with beautiful countries such as Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, etc (although all of Latin America holds such a special place in my heart), we also talked about Southeast Asia which included Thailand as a prospect, and the Pacific Islands, one of which is Fiji… and of course there was Africa.
It was like I literally had the whole world set out before me, and I had to pick between such different, yet equally beautiful areas that our marvelous planet Earth has to offer. It was like I was a little kid at an ice cream parlor. So many delicious flavors spread out in the display case before me, with my eyes wide in amazement at all of the possibilities. And I can ONLY choose ONE. With so many delicious choices, what it comes down to at that moment is really what flavor you’re in the mood for…and I was in the mood for Africa (a somewhat overlooked and neglected “flavor”). But part of the beauty in living is that you can always come back another day to try another flavor… other countries, other experiences, whole new ranges in the variety of life remain untouched and untried, waiting for the right time for the right mood strike...
We talked about Eastern Europe, the Islands in the Caribbean, the Central and South America regions with beautiful countries such as Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, etc (although all of Latin America holds such a special place in my heart), we also talked about Southeast Asia which included Thailand as a prospect, and the Pacific Islands, one of which is Fiji… and of course there was Africa.
It was like I literally had the whole world set out before me, and I had to pick between such different, yet equally beautiful areas that our marvelous planet Earth has to offer. It was like I was a little kid at an ice cream parlor. So many delicious flavors spread out in the display case before me, with my eyes wide in amazement at all of the possibilities. And I can ONLY choose ONE. With so many delicious choices, what it comes down to at that moment is really what flavor you’re in the mood for…and I was in the mood for Africa (a somewhat overlooked and neglected “flavor”). But part of the beauty in living is that you can always come back another day to try another flavor… other countries, other experiences, whole new ranges in the variety of life remain untouched and untried, waiting for the right time for the right mood strike...
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