One Wild and Precious Life

When I decided to apply to serve in the Peace Corps (PC), I knew that it was going to be a lengthy process.  It was late in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic surged ahead, and I was still doing my job from my living room.  There were a lot of uncertainties--not only in my life, but for everyone, everywhere.   One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic was that Peace Corps had a lot of online panels, workshops, and meeting opportunities.  I took full advantage of these!  In addition to attending panels with returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), I also went to online office hours with my local PC recruiter from Seattle.  PC provided a fantastic resume and personal statement workshop; and the local recruiter read over both and gave me feedback.  I also got feedback from colleagues; for anyone thinking about applying, I  strongly encourage  you to solicit impact from multiple folks on your application materials.  I finally submitted my application in July 2021.   And then I waited...

Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog.  I am excited to share my Peace Corps journey with you all!   When I tell people that I'm going to serve in the Peace Corps, there is usually an initial reaction of "that's really great" followed by something along the lines of "and at your age!"  It's true--I am in definitely in the minority in terms of age when it comes to volunteers--only about 7% of volunteers are over 50.  Serving was something that I wanted to do after college, but for several reasons, the time wasn't right.  Fast forward a couple decades and I find myself called to service and in a place personally and professionally where I am able to answer the call.   So in just a couple months, I'll pack everything into a storage unit and move to the Eastern Caribbean for twenty-seven months.  I'll be serving as an English literacy resource volunteer in a primary school.   Watch this space--my goal is to share my experiences with you-