Archiving from an older blog - Nov 18, 2010

At lot of this is from when I was intending to join the peace corps - I've edited out some of that but hey, it's part of the story, too. Two years in Cambodia or two years in the PC is still two years.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what the next few years could bring, and what my goals are. A lot of times, it seems that people question why someone would ‘give up’ two years of their life for the peace corps, and this thought was nagging at me for a while. Two whole years, GONE??! Good lord. But this is obviously flawed. I’m not giving up anything. Would it seem so much more legitimate if this was for a job and not a volunteer position? Because I never felt any hesitation or got questions about moving abroad to work. Clearly I/they were just looking at this the wrong way. This is no different. In fact, it’s more of an opportunity and I would be honored to be offered a position. Let’s look at the goals I had established for post-master’s (before I even decided to apply for PC):

1. Live abroad for at least a year or two
2. Become fluent in another language (studying 4 different languages and in the end not being fluent in any is quite frustrating)
3. Put my degree to work, including my concentration in international development in education

So, it was after deciding on these goals and considering a number of options, that I decided Peace Corps would give me all that, and more. A year of noncompetitive eligibility for federal jobs? Yes, please! An established network of people in the field I’m interested in? Yes, please! The chance to serve my country in an agency I highly respect? Yes, please!

I guess when it comes down to it, moving abroad for over 2 years IS a daunting thing. But if this had been for a job, I doubt I’d have felt/been made to feel the same hesitation. All this time in grad school and you’re not going to GET A “REAL” JOB? Heaven forbid. We all just need to alter our perceptions of worthwhile pursuits.