Hi Everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog! I have about 1 month until I leave for the Peace Corps to serve in South Africa as a Community HIV Outreach Volunteer. I am pretty freaking excited for this new adventure and I will do my best to keep this blog updated during my 27 months abroad. So, I guess I’ll start by talking about why I applied for the Peace Corps. For a while, I’ve known I wanted a career that allows me to be of direct help to others. I chose my major; Dietetics, because I believe that food and proper nutrition is a basic building block to a successful life. I hope to help others by establishing sustainable means of nourishing themselves and in turn, their lives. I attended my first Peace Corps meeting during my sophomore year of college (2011) and I just remember thinking that a 2+ year commitment was NOT for me. *Fun Fact: I grew up avoiding sleepovers because I hated the idea of being away from home for 1 night! Needless to say it took me a few years to consider joining the Peace Corps again. During my dietetic internship, I was lucky to spend time with a close childhood friend of my moms who is a returned volunteer. Hearing about her service and experience helped me decide that this was perfect for the next step in my life. I sent in my application back in May, had my interview a month later, and was accepted in August. It was quite a rush of mixed emotions receiving that e-mail! Sheer excitement that I’m taking steps towards the life I’ve dreamed, but again, couldn’t help but think that I just volunteered to move away from my family for 27 months. But as my departure date draws closer, I couldn’t be more sure about my decision. It is a crazy, scary yet exciting time in world, where cultures are combining, roles are reversing and history is being made. One of my favorite quotes from President John F. Kennedy is; “One person can change the world, and everyone else should try.” By no means do I think I’m going to change the world over the next 27 months, but hope that with this experience, I may make a small ripple in the world that could lead to bigger things one day.
That’s all for now. I’ll be leaving Wisconsin on January 22nd, and then heading to South Africa on the 25th. I hope to see as many of you as possible before then. Happy Holidays Everybody! -Josie :)
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