My Peace Corps Adventure

I finally received my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps. I began applying in October of 2006, and after almost a year and a half of filling out forms to send to an endless number of regional, national, and in-country offices, thinking all the while that the last echelon was just ahead, I finally know where I’m going.

It’s a little country in Africa called Suriname. Oh wait, no, wrong continent. Suriname is in South America. In January my placement officer called and told me that the youth outreach post in Africa departing in July had been canceled altogether (darn revolutions). Seemingly out of the blue, however, I had been approved for another assignment departing in May, after it had been confirmed that my earliest possible departure was July. The only catch was that the new assignment was in Latin America while my heart is still in Africa.

After a lot of prayer and thought, I perceived three advantages to the new assignment. First of all, I would be leaving in May, meaning that after 27 months I would arrive back in the States in August 2010, just in time for grad school. If I had left in July for Africa, I would have had to wait a year, most likely, before pursuing more education. Secondly, my new assignment is in the field of economic development, far closer to my field and more in line with what I eventually want to do. I would love to work with kids in Africa, but the experiences I could gain in development will be invaluable, plus I’ll get to put that good old-fashioned Hillsdale College free-market economics to work! Oh, and they say I might get to work with kids in Suriname too. Thirdly, I will get to visit a part of the world that I have had absolutely no exposure to. Africa is where I would like to spend a lot of my life, but as all of you know I’m always up for new adventures.

I am determined not to be naïve, but I know that there are still plenty of things to learn. Simply waiting for almost a year to hear the name of my country has taught me a bit about bureaucracy. Just as in America, the success of Peace Corps service depends upon the volunteers’ initiative, creativity, and work ethic, as well as friends who keep us accountable.

So to quote Bilbo from the Lord of the Rings, “I think I’m quite ready for another adventure.”