Aspiration Statement

All Peace Corps Invitees have to submit an aspiration statement. My aspiration statement answers questions about my expectations for service, my strategies for adapting to a new culture, and how I expect my service to further my personal and career goals.

The professional attributes that you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service.

During my service I plan to be extremely cooperative, open, accepting and caring towards my community and the people I serve. I hope that through these traits I will gain their trust so that, together, we can make the most progress possible during my stay in Suriname. I hope to be reminded through everyday encounters, success, and disappointments of the reasons I wanted to be a part of the Peace Corps. I hope to return to the United States after my service with a love and understanding for a country and its citizens once unknown to me.

Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs.

I plan to be as approachable and cordial as possible. I will strive to be patient and to listen more than I speak. I want the members of my community to view me as understanding, compassionate, and trustworthy. Through these traits, I believe, that the Surinamese people I serve will feel confident in my motives for living and working with them. Mutual understanding and goals are key when working towards any change, and I hope that the people of my community will feel comfortable expressing their concerns and disagreements with me in order to make needed adjustments and changes.

  

Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.

I know that life in Suriname will be quite different from life in the U.S., however, I do not foresee much difficulty in my adjustment. I am a versatile person and I am extremely interested in different cultures. I lived abroad in the past, so I know that many changes await me in Suriname. I hope that by being patient with myself and those around me, as well as maintaining my sense of humor, I will be better able to integrate into my community. A different way of life is one of the many benefits of Peace Corps service, and I hope to fully embrace the opportunity I have been given to experience life in a completely new way.  

The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project. 

During pre-service training, I hope to gain a great deal of knowledge about the people, cultures, and aspirations of Suriname. I hope to spend time talking with community officials, educators, and citizens to gain as much perspective as possible on the health and sanitation needs in their country and communities. I plan to be educated in Dutch as well as my local language, and to work hard at memorizing and speaking them so that I may be as helpful as possible towards the betterment of my community and the lives of its citizens. I also plan to gain the technical knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill my position as completely as possible.

How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends. 

I believe I will return from service a more patient person with a new confidence and fervor for meeting new challenges both in my personal or professional life. I hope that I return with a deeper understanding of the needs of the world and the ways in which compassionate listening and understanding can not only dispel myths and break down the barriers of ethnocentrism, but can, and will, change the lives of both the served and the servant.  

Love Actually is All Around

Man oh man. The past couple of weeks have been wonderful (and have passed by entirely too fast). A couple of months ago, my wonderful friend, Taylor, convinced me to allow her to invite a some friends to gather at the Keg and Barrel in Hattiesburg, MS to celebrate my upcoming departure and send me off with love and good beer. I have never been one to ask people to gather on my account, so I am so thankful to Taylor for suggesting it and taking the initiative to coordinate it.

I was absolutely floored at the number of friends that showed up to give me a sweet note and hug my neck. Friends came from out of town and friends planned their weekend around spending time with me. I know that I am loved, but to physically see so many people that I love and that love me gathered in one place was awesome. I will never forget it. I am blessed beyond expression.

               My cake. "Tan Bun" means "stay well." Based on my knowledge of Sranan Tongo.

                                           a few friends eating Mexican post Keg and Barrel

The night became a little emotional as I said goodbye to friends that I have not seen in a while and probably will not see again for while. I cannot thank my friends and family enough for loving me and supporting my decision to serve in the Peace Corps.

Last weekend I spent time with my grandmother in MS. We had a wonderful time on the Gulf Coast shopping, eating, eating again, and enjoying each other's company. Sunday we went to church where I, once again, received words of kindness and support. The pastor of the church asked me to tell everyone a little bit about what I would be doing, and then she prayed for me.

I leave for Miami in 11 days. Time is zooming and, even still, I have to remind myself that this is really happening. I have connected with a few folks in my training group via facebook, and absolutely cannot wait to meet them in Miami.

Thank you to everyone that came to see me and to everyone that loves me more than I could have asked for. I love you back.

On My Way

"Woo hoo! I'm wicked excited for you. And more than a little jealous. Good job, sister. Based on the one other experience I have, you're probably on your way. I see equatorial heat and large biting insects in your future, stirred with digestive discomfort and effing awesomeness."

This was my big brother's response to my news of being medically cleared for Peace Corps service. I wrote it down and kept it because I think he said it perfectly. He's the bomb like that.

Time Flies When You're Leaving the Country

I returned home last night after spending a few days in Texas with one of my grandmothers and hanging out with Kathryn, Kenny, and Josh in Jackson, MS. I had such a great time with all of them. I held back tears as my grandmother prayed for me and my journey, and again when she dropped me off at the airport. I hugged her and said goodbye with the hope that it will not be more than two years until I see her again. She was really excited at the idea of coming to visit me. I plan to see Kathryn a couple more times before I depart, so we have not said goodbye yet. Tears are sure to be involved when we do.

Time is absolutely flying. I booked my ticket to Staging (pre-departure orientation) today. I fly to Miami on May 2 and will meet up with my fellow volunteers. We leave for Suriname the morning of May 3.
After I booked my ticket I thought back to August and the thoughts I had when I submitted my application. I had no idea how far along in the process I would progress. Months ago I was worried about making it to my interview in Atlanta on time, and now I am worried about packing my life into 80 lbs. to live in a country I really don't know much about. Wow.

Now, to switch gears a bit. I think of France every single day, but lately L'Abbaye de Pontlevoy and my time there has been on my mind a lot. I'm sure this is no news to anyone that knows me. If you know me, you've heard me talk about living in France. I think of it when I see green grass and the sun is shining. I think of it on rainy days and when I smell cigarette smoke. I think of it all the time. 

I guess I want my current feelings to match up with the ones I had before I moved to France. I try to think of how I felt in the days leading up to my departure to France and it's hard. My life was so different then. I grew so much in my time in France and have continued to grow in the five years since I lived in that tiny village. I give France and my experiences there credit for who I am. I look back at that 18 year old girl who was nervous to move four hours across the state for college, and then six weeks into her first semester told her parents she was going to France. What was I thinking? I remember hearing about the Abbey program and calling my mom hours later to tell her what I wanted to do. I had never taken an interest in France and I did not know one word of her language. Why France? Looking back on it, I know for sure that it was just part of a bigger plan for my life. I believe that God chose for me to enter this world in a hospital in Hattiesburg, MS, but that He truly brought me to life when I moved to an 11th century abbey in a tiny French village. I learned so much about myself that semester. I fell in love with France and her people. I developed a deeper appreciation for different cultures and a desire to experience as much of the world as I possibly can.

I hope that in a couple of years I will be in love with Suriname and the people I serve. I hope that throughout my life I am able to leave an impression on the world that has impressed so much upon me.

I owe so much of who I am to L'Abbey de Pontlevoy and the lessons I learned while I was there. I owe more love than I have in my heart to the family that supported my decision to live and learn in a foreign country (and because they're doing it again), and I owe my life to the God that brought me to life while I was there. I am thankful for the desires placed on my heart and I give Him praise for providing the avenues by which my dreams and goals are met.