May 29th, 2012. Staging.
My adventure as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mozambique will begin. I have dreamed about this for years. Seriously. I can't remember when I first heard about the Peace Corps, but it is something I have wanted to do since I was probably in 8th grade. Granted, then I don't think I really understood what that meant, but I knew I wanted to do it. My family started volunteering when I was very young. Passing out water at the National Sports Festival for the Disabled, stocking Shoreline Soup Kitchen, visiting nursing homes, tutoring, you name it, we did it. Based on what I knew about the Peace Corps, it was the ultimate volunteer experience.
I told my parents it was their fault that I wanted to do the Peace Corps. They didn't like that very much. But, seriously. As part of our early days of volunteering, in 1996, the coach of the South African Special Olympics equestrian team stayed at our house when the Special Olympics were in New Haven, CT that year. I was nine years old and I remember my dad pulling out the world map and showing us where South Africa was on the map. I knew that someday I wanted to visit. That someday is just around the corner.
It seems like it has already been quite the journey. I started the application process in September 2009. If you think about it, I could have completed my service already. But, I would like to think that I feel way more prepared for what I am about to undertake than I would have been two years ago. Now, I have a year of AmeriCorps under my belt as well as a year of graduate school at the University of Michigan School of Social Work as the first class of students in the Peace Corps Masters International program. That's a mouthful. I am so grateful for these two years. Both experiences have added a healthy dose of reality and a splash of practicality to my idealism.
And after all, the Peace Corps started on the steps of the Michigan Union.
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| Outside the Michigan Union |
"How many of you who are going to be doctors are willing to spend your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and spend your lives traveling around the world?"
This question set the stage for the Peace Corps. Check out the complete speech.
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| My dad and I on the steps of the Michigan Union. |
And I guess you may be wondering why "Freckles of Faith?" Well, it took me a while to come up with a blog title. I struggled to find the "perfect" one. It's hard to capture the upcoming adventure in a number of characters. It may not be perfect, but here goes nothing.
Freckles. Because my very white Irish skin is about to be exposed to the strength of the African sun. Already, my summer freckles are coming out just thinking about it. A friend of mine told me that I would have to get "African-strength sunscreen." Not to worry, I already have an appointment with my dermatologist. I am sure he can write a prescription for that.
And faith. Well, this is about to be one heck of a little leap of faith. I don't know what I am about to experience, but there's a certain amount of trust, confidence, and yes, faith, that comes with accepting this assignment. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my mom on the phone while I was waiting at the bus stop. She was telling me how she ran into a former high school teacher of mine who proceeded to ask my mom, aka Safety Sal, if she was freaking out about the fact that I was leaving the country for 27 months. My mom told me that she just said, "Ya know, I can't worry. I just have to trust that it's in Someone else's hands." I nearly cried. And that's saying a lot. We've come a long way. But, still a long way to go. Here's to more "frecklings of faith" kinda moments in the not-so-far-off future.
