It's funny, but I just realized I never said WHY I wanted to join Peace Corps! Silly me. But it's better late than never! Anyways, it all started during my master's program at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. I was thinking about what I wanted to do "when I grow up." I wasn't particular to any specific job, but I wanted it to do with community and social development (my concentration). I had heard about Peace Corps before, but to be honest, I had a very negative view. I had some pretty ridiculous ideas about what the Peace Corps is. I can say wholeheartedly that it was out of ignorance. As I asked more questions, I began to realize that all my preconceived notions were way off base. The Peace Corps is extremely diverse in every way. It has people of all degree levels, ages, ethnicity, background, etc. I was also able to read some very helpful Peace Corps material. I began to get excited. I looked at the benefits and these definitely factored in to my decision. Here are some of the tangible benefits from the Peace Corps website:
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Student loan assistance
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A "readjustment" allowance of $7,425 (pre-tax) upon completion of service
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Language, cross-cultural, and technical training
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Travel to and from country of service
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A monthly living and housing allowance
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Full medical and dental coverage
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48 paid vacation days
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Unique graduate school opportunities
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Leave for family emergencies
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Transition and job support and social networking after service
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Advantages in federal employment
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Opportunities for short-term assignments through Peace Corps Response
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No fee to participate
Some personal factors are:
- I am young and single and this is my time to have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
- I have a desire to travel.
- I am a really outgoing person and I want to make friends from all over the world.
- I want to build a valuable pool of international connections and resources.
- Peace Corps looks awesome on a resume.
- I want to be able to tell my kids stories of "When I was working in Namibia..."
These factors, coupled with my motivation, convinced me that the Peace Corps was worth the effort to apply for. Here are some of my overall motivations by the way:
- My desire to help others.
- My desire to learn.
- My desire to interact with another culture.
- My desire to get out of my comfort zone to force myself to grow personally and professionally.
- My desire to make others feel loved and unique by being intentional about my actions.
The Peace Corps fits perfectly into my career dreams (the word "plans", sounds too inflexible for me). Although I, originally, wanted to be placed in Jordan or Tunisia, I was just happy to be accepted. After 2 years in Namibia, I would like to make my way up to Egypt or another Middle Eastern country. There, I would like to either perform research or work in a humanitarian aid related field, for three years. After that, I would like to attend the University of London (or another university) to get a doctorate in some international studies related field, such as Middle Eastern Studies or International Relations. Then, I would like to obtain employment with the United Nations or some other similar, reputable international organization. I would like to build a career and then, towards the end of my career, I would like to teach at a university. These dreams are very lofty, but the most exciting part is that they are entirely possible with God's help.
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