My Future

If you have found this site you probably already know that when I graduate in May from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro I will be going into the Peace Corps. This will be the site of my blogs for the next two years. I would not count on this being updated regularly for obvious reasons. The Peace Corps is a government program that will be shipping me over seas for 27 months. I have thought about joining the Peace Corps for roughly two years now and over the course of my time here in college I have realized that helping people who sincerely need it is one of the most rewarding aspects in life. Over the past few years my views have changed exponentially as to where exactly I want to go in my life. Though my original goal in college was to come out a Registered Dietician, I have come to realize that there is a greater opportunity for me to have an impact on peoples lives by working in the Peace Corps first.
On December 11th, I was nominated for public health education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since that time the Peace Corps have sent me quite a bit of paperwork (medical/dental forms) and I have now finally completed it all. Right now I am waiting on my invitation to serve which will tell me which country I will be in for the next 2 years.
For now all I can do is wait, My approximate departure date will be Aug/Sept. 08.

Frequently asked questions that I get all the time:

Are they going to send you to Darfur?
- no the Peace Corps do not have programs set up in countries where the workers will be in an unsafe environment ex. Sudan, Congo, Chad

How long will you be there?
27 months - 3 months of language and job related training followed by 2 years of service

Will you have access to internet?
Probably not, I have noticed that a lot of the blogs that Peace Corps workers have in Africa have sparse postings (monthly) and a lot of them stop after training because when they move to away from the training site they lose internet access.

Do you get paid anything to volunteer?
Volunteers are given money to provide necessities of living during the time that they are abroad. It will definitely be enough for me to eat and drink an adequate amount in a given day. At the end of the service I will be given $6,000 to acclimate myself back to the United States.

Why would you want to go to Africa?
first, I am ineligible to work in South/central America because all of the programs there require fluency of Spanish prior to departure. In Africa, it is unrealistic to think that many volunteers speak Swahili or some other indigenous language found in the southern countries.
second, Africa posses challenges that intrigue me. Most countries in Africa suffer incredibly high infant mortality and HIV rates. That being said, It should not be to difficult to address the needs of the community and take action. Don't get me wrong though change is not easy by any circumstances, but the possibility is there.
third, The area of health that I am most knowledgeable in is nutrition, and there are many preventable vitamin and nutrient deficiencies that parts of Africa suffer from and they can be cured.

Any chance you will be placed somewhere else?
There is a chance that I could end up in Asia or Eastern Europe, however, it is doubtful since I have been nominated for Africa.

What are the dangers of serving in Africa?
Water borne pathogens and parasites are the most common problems I have read about thus far. It is important to watch what you eat and drink. I have read a number of cases where volunteers are out for weeks at a time with intestinal problems.


Are you scared/nervous?
nope