In just a few hours, I'll be getting on a plane to start my staging, then training, and finally service in the Peace Corps. It's hard to believe that I'm actually going through with this. Don't get me wrong - I'm so excited to start. What I mean is that I remember sitting in English class in the eighth grade listening to Mrs. Payne talk about her service in the Belgian Congo, and I remember that I wished I could do something like that. Peace Corps hasn't been my life's ambition since that moment, but that just makes me marvel even more at the moments in my life that brought this fleeting wonder into a real life-altering undertaking. I think a lot of people indulge in their own quiet fantasies of joining the Peace Corps and making a difference, and I was no different. It feels like pure chance that I found myself in these fantasies again in my life.
I know that I have Natty to thank for doing that. Just after my pilgrimage to Santiago, my professor, George Greenia, had us list a high hope and a quiet concern regarding our completion of the holy rite. This wasn't new to us, as we'd listed several high hopes and quiet concerns before we had began our journey. When it was my turn, I explained to my group that I had high hopes that I could share the experience of my pilgrimage with the ones I love and hopefully encourage another to make the journey themselves (I'm leaving my hiking pack at home so my brother can take it when he makes his pilgrimage next summer: mission accomplished.) My quiet concern was just as important to me, as I'd felt it ever since I arrived in the town - would the pilgrimage be the most exciting thing I will ever do in my life? It would be a shame to peak at 19 years old.
And where's Natty in this story? Well, just a few after I asked myself that question, I got to see my good friend Natty in Germany as she flew to Washington to begin her staging for Peace Corps in Jordan. Even though I'd only known Natty for a year, she had become a great friend, and I felt so proud of what she was doing with her life. I think that's the first time I really began to think of Peace Corps as a legitimate option for me. As fate would have it, Natty is two years older than me and as a result began Peace Corps two years before I could. As a result, we're currently in the middle of a four-year hiatus of sorts in our friendship, as I'm off to Madagascar before she had a chance to return to the States after her service. And even though it's been a while since we've seen each other, and it'll be another while still, I truly thank her for her example, guidance, and friendship. It has molded me and brought about a course in my life that until I met her was nothing more than a fleeting wonder in the eighth grade.
1 comment:
Where's your staging happening?
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