Reflection

I take a moment to look out the window, peering at the uneven building right across the alley. It’s raining cats and dogs in the middle of Washington D.C. and I reflect. In five weeks to the day I will depart on a 2-year journey to become a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Bulgaria. For one day a week since the end of August I have been coming in for an internship with the National Peace Corps Association. Coming home from Europe and not having a clue of how long the Peace Corps process would take, was something I was prepared for. What I wasn’t prepared for was the job market to be pretty much non-existent.

Regardless, I have had an extraordinary experience working with NPCA. My knowledge of social networking platforms such as Facebook and Myspace has enabled some really exceptional work and experiences to come out of the ten months of interning. Working with a bi-partisan non-profit with very close ties to the Peace Corps, there was never a dull day. From working throughout the elections trying to get both candidates to vouch for more Peace Corps, to helping in the launch of an online Peace Corps Community, valuable knowledge has been acquired. Even if it seemed slow, someone would always talk about their service and get everyone motivated to work more. I know it did for me. When waiting for my invitation to serve, any conversation about other’s service made me want to serve even more.

Working with the NPCA and the network of returned Peace Corps Volunteers, I have a better appreciation for what my service will be about. Regardless of what I end up doing as a Business Volunteer, I know I will have a completely different understanding than a lot of the other people in my training class. I have no expectations, but I’m aware of how anything I do will ultimately promote positive change in some way.

At NPCA I have learned to accept small victories, such as the on going goal of trying to convey that “Peace Corps THING” that every volunteer has an inner yearning that is hard to describe. It’s exactly that. A ‘Thing’ that only people of the Peace Corps would understand. As I see the other interns come and go over the last ten last months, I feel great knowing that I have met them and know that they will do much good for years to come. I feel that the people that I have met and worked with through the NPCA have only cemented that I will indeed enjoy the line of work I hope to have.

Seeing first hand how the NPCA operates and how they are THE resource for RPCV’s connecting thousands of people on a daily basis. Being able to hear stories, gather information, learn new things, and make great friends are all wonderful reasons why I keep coming back to NPCA. Well that and they haven’t asked me to leave yet. I know that I will continue to keep in touch with everyone as I will update them with my whereabouts and what I am doing while serving.

It is hard for me to realize that in five weeks I won’t be coming back once a week working on some sort of social networking site on behalf of NPCA. I guess that’s what is truly a Peace Corps moment; the instant connection people share. Even though I have not served yet, I feel as though I share something special with the RPCV’s I work with as well as the interns that are applying. It’s truly something that only so many words can explain. You can get a sense of this if you read many Peace Corps blogs, publications, and interviews. Whether these are coming from people in the beginning stages of the application process, someone like me that is on the verge of beginning training or an RPCV thirty years ago, we all share that same thing; a desire to make a difference.

Reading these stories, you have the opportunity to look at life differently. Little bits of information you may have picked up from your parents when you were young may be proven to be some of the best information you are able to give to someone in your community while in the Peace Corps. These little bits of information, these gems, are what I hope I can bring to Bulgaria among other things. It is this drive that I know I have, this inner yearning, that will lead me to become a successful volunteer.

I can’t thank the NPCA enough for allowing me the opportunity to intern with them by helping in any way, shape or form. The knowledge I will be able to take with me will only strengthen any project I do in Bulgaria. It is through my work at the NPCA that I have already had a crash course on what it means to fulfill the third goal of the Peace Corps. As I have seen so many member groups that are under the NPCA are currently doing so. In addition to these member groups, advocating for More Peace Corps campaign and through other projects of RPCV’s, I know I can help as well. I know what it will take on my behalf to not only continue the third goal but also be that catalyst for positive change.

Being apart of the Peace Corps community is something that I am truly honored to be apart of. Being given the opportunity to serve the United States I feel should be everyone's duty and helps create a better global citizen in everyone. This Peace Corps community that is constantly growing. Every day stories will be written, volunteers will be invited, people will apply and people will serve. When people come back from their service the questions pop in my head. How far are you willing to go? Will you tell people of your experience? Will you help spread the third goal of the Peace Corps? I know I will...but for now I have to wait couple of weeks, pack and actually leave.


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