EVERYTHING HAPPENED SO FAST

I was picked up from the airport by Peace Corps Staff who helped me get my temporary visa and then took me to the Peace Corps office for my first three vaccinations. Then I was driven from the capital, Maputo, to my training site in Namaacha, an hour and a half away, where I was dropped off at the home of my host family. Usually there is a transition period of about a week where you have a staging in the states and then stay at a hotel for a few days in country but because I was joining the group a week late, all that hand-holding was bypassed. I am glad too because everything was so exciting. Looking back it seems so surreal. Like it was all a dream. I spoke no Portuguese (nothing!) and knew nothing about Mozambican culture or life. But when I went to bed that night I felt so comfortable and knew that I was going to love living in Mozambique.

UPGRADE!

This is just a little note to thank U.S. Airways and the powers that be for miraculously upgrading my government purchased economy class ticket for the 15 hour flight to Africa to first class. It was glorious. I am certain that the likelihood of such an event ever happening again are miniscule so I wanted to express my gratitude. Thank you, oh so very much.

MY PEACE CORPS STORY

I am very often asked why I joined the Peace Corps. It is never easy for me to give a short and complete answer, but for the sake of not wasting space or your time, I will try to do both. Life, in my opinion, is innately self-centered. We spend all of our time focused on ourselves; our interests, pleasures, goals, and our basic survival. I see nothing wrong with that because that is just life, but I wanted to take the opportunity before my life became filled with responsibility to devote a short period to something that wasn’t just about me. I also can’t deny the idealistic intensions either. I want to try to make a difference in the world. Maybe that’s ridiculous but why not give it a shot.

There are three main goals of the Peace Corps: to promote world pace and friendship through the service of American Volunteers abroad; to help the people of developing countries meet their basic needs; and to help promote mutual understanding among Americans and people from other countries. This seems like a good idea to me so I applied. It is a 27-month minimum volunteer commitment that can be very rewarding and also extremely challenging. I was definitely up for the challenge and looked forward to the potential for adventure.

Since I majored in Spanish and Latin American History I hoped to be placed somewhere in Central or South America. Instead I was nominated to Central Asia and was assigned to teach English as a second language in Turkmenistan. Turkmeni-what was my initial response but I did some research and soon grew excited about my assignment. I spent months preparing. I began learning Turkmen, studied the history and bought an entirely new wardrobe for the cold and conservative climate. By the time I arrived in Philadelphia for staging before departure I was really excited.

Sadly, my excitement was short lived. Within the first hour of our staging we received news that the Turkmen government no longer wanted our assistance and we were being sent home. Our program was canceled. Needless to say, we were all devastated. We were told that if we chose to continue with the Peace Corps, they would do their best to try to reassign us to another country as soon as possible. I had spent a small fortune and given up my entire life to do this. I knew I couldn’t give up.

Fortunately, the day after I returned home, the Peace Corps called me with great news. They had an opening to serve as a Community Health Promoter in Mozambique, Africa. I was thrilled! This was everything I had ever wanted and never knew it. I had always dreamed of visiting Africa but was intimidated and now I would be living there. I would be learning Portuguese; another Romance language that could be useful after completion of service. And finally, I was going to be entering the health field, an entirely new path for me with so many possibilities. I only had 5 days to readjust what had previously taken me several months. I had to hurry because my training group was already in Mozambique and I would already be a week behind. Less than a week after the cancelation of my initial program I was on my way to my new assignment and I was filled with so much enthusiasm.

And here I am, in Mozambique. Everything happened so fast. But every day I am so thankful to be here fulfilling a dream

WHO AM I?

In the unlikely event that someone I don’t know reads this I feel I should give a short introduction of myself. As I said before, my name is Emily. I am currently a quarter of a century old and spent the majority of that time in beautiful, sunny, southern California. I attended the University of California, Los Angeles where I received a B.A. in Spanish and History and a minor in Latin American Studies. After graduating college, I pursued a lifetime goal and joined the US Peace Corps. I am currently serving in Mozambique, Africa as a Community Health Promoter.

THIS IS MY BLOG

My name is Emily and this is my Blog. While I’d love to write something profoundly deep or vastly intriguing, but I am not delusional and therefore very certain that will never happen. I don’t want to disappoint anyone so I thought I would come right out and warn you; I am not a writer. I am not witty or eloquent. If you are searching for entertainment you are in the wrong place. But If you are among the small group of friends and family that are curious about my life and remotely interested in my personal thoughts and feelings then you have come to the right place.