I first applied Summer 2011. I was a year before graduating. I was idealistic about the Peace Corps but terribly ill-prepared. I had heard horror stories about Volunteers using their two-year service in another country as a type of vacation and not taking the role seriously. In a way, I started out as one of those people.
I meant for my Peace Corps Experience to sort of buffer the presumed dissatisfaction I’d experience when deciding what to do for the rest of my life. So I made a sorry attempt to become a Volunteer with the limited experience I had and of course, failed.
Reflecting on the failure and finally understanding why I wasn’t nominated didn’t lesson the blow, unfortunately. Instead, I became a little bitter.
So as habit, instead of screaming “F*** the World!” I ignored my feelings and poured myself into a book. Robertson Davies wrote a fantastic trilogy called the Deptford Trilogy that’s centered on a thrown rock hidden in a snowball and goes on to explore how the symbolism of that rock affects a family and community for a generation. I drew the inspiration to apply again from the second book of the trilogy, The Manticore. I learned:
“Understanding and experiencing are not interchangeable. Any theologian understands martyrdom, but only the martyr experiences the fire.”
I wasn’t above taking on the role of the martyr, in a sense. After all, I wanted to be a Volunteer. It wasn’t enough to just understand by reading blogs of current Volunteers and pamphlets or attending informational meetings. I needed to acquire the experience that would demonstrate what the “fire” meant to the “martyr.” I may not have taken on positions that are comparable to being completely away from support systems and overall familiarity and comfort. But I did find appropriate alternates that provided my second application the competitive edge it needed for nomination.
Two years later, I saw the Peace Corps Experience differently. Instead of buffering the presumed dissatisfaction of adulthood, I saw it as a stepping stone to an actual career. And for Peace Corps Volunteer hopefuls out there, that said verbatim secured my nomination, according to my recruiter ;)
As for the career, I’m still on the fence deciding between two related, but different professions. Perhaps I see another humbling failure in the horizon that’ll help facilitate the decision-making process. In the meantime, I hope to accomplish every goal with the confidence to experience in hopes of better understanding my choices. And to quote Indiana Jones:
“If you want to be a good archaeologist, you gotta get out of the library!”
Two years later, I saw the Peace Corps Experience differently. Instead of buffering the presumed dissatisfaction of adulthood, I saw it as a stepping stone to an actual career. And for Peace Corps Volunteer hopefuls out there, that said verbatim secured my nomination, according to my recruiter ;)
As for the career, I’m still on the fence deciding between two related, but different professions. Perhaps I see another humbling failure in the horizon that’ll help facilitate the decision-making process. In the meantime, I hope to accomplish every goal with the confidence to experience in hopes of better understanding my choices. And to quote Indiana Jones:
“If you want to be a good archaeologist, you gotta get out of the library!”
